Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

  Delegates gather for the opening plenary of the June UN Climate Meetings in Bonn. Credit: Kiara Worth / IISD/ENB EX, North Carolina / SAN FRANCISCO, California, Jun 30 2026 (IPS) - With progress stalled on many issues, this year’s June talks in Bonn—which are supposed to smooth the way towards COP 31 in Antalya at year’s end—were widely judged a failure. What happened? And what does it mean for Antalya? (first published with InterPress Service here) “Deliberately delaying us.” “Spreading misinformation.” “Denying the science.” “Lacking integrity.” “Blocking progress.” “Costing countless lives.” These were just some of the charges delegates leveled at each other during the UN Climate Meetings held in Bonn this June. As delegates took up multiple issues in small “contact groups” and “informal consultations”, negotiations quickly became tetchy and irritable before descending into levels of rancor and even rudeness rarely seen before. And it was not just one issue where tempers fray...

Guest blog: Lenni Montiel: Senior UN Development Leader (Ret.) | Former UN Assistant Secretary-General |UNDP Resident Representative | Governance, Public Policy & Multilateral Diplomacy | Leadership Advisor & Trainer | Chevening Scholar. Lenni writes on LinkedIn about the UN and international development. Originally published here. When people think of UN careers, they think of New York or Geneva. Few think of Bonn. They should. Around 27 UN entities are based there. Climate, biodiversity, disaster risk reduction, volunteerism, staff training. It hosts the largest concentration of UN organizations in Germany and one of the largest UN presences anywhere outside New York and Geneva. Germany has quietly built one of the most important hubs for international cooperation outside the traditional centers, and it is growing. The UN Bonn Campus was established in 2006. In 2026, UNDP is relocating a significant number of staff from New York to Bonn through a new agreement with the Gove...

Over the past four decades, sustainability has evolved from a niche concern into a defining global agenda. From the foundations laid by the Brundtland Report to the rise of ESG, net-zero commitments, and global frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals, the field has expanded rapidly and entered the mainstream. Yet today, many working in sustainability sense that the agenda is entering a new phase. ​ Sustainability at a Crossroads , a global consultation conducted in 2025 by GlobeScan, ERM, and Volans, explored how practitioners are experiencing this moment. Drawing on perspectives from sustainability professionals across regions and sectors, the research pointed to a period of reflection and reassessment about how progress can be accelerated. While views differ, there is a recognition that the current approach needs to evolve to better meet the scale and complexity of today’s challenges. At the same time, this moment should not be seen as a setback, but as an opportun...