Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

 Dear Friends Below are seven of my books since the Rio+20 Conference, which you may find useful if you are engaged in sustainable development, climate change, lobbying at the UN, new technologies, and the history of intergovernmental negotiations. Chris Specne and I are working on a new book which will be out for the HLPF in 2027 called  Political Heroes of the Environment: Profiles in Courage. The second in the Heroes series. We are looking for a production company that might be interested in pitching this to the streaming services.  This book provides a step-by-step, insider's guide to lobbying and engaging successfully at the United Nations. It reveals how the United Nations, which plays such a key role on issues from climate change to pollution of our air, land and sea, really works.   From the very basic question of how to ensure you can even attend the event, this book offers hard-to-find information to help readers through this lab...

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. T he next major UN election has begun, and you've probably never heard about it. The International Labour Organization is selecting its next Director-General. Unlike most organizations in the UN system, the ILO has a unique governance model. It is not governed solely by Member States. Its Governing Body consists of 56 members: 🔹 28 government representatives 🔹 14 employers' representatives 🔹 14 workers' representatives This tripartite structure, established in 1919, means that candidates must build confidence not only among governments but also among employers and trade unions. The current timetable is: 📅 31 August 2026 – Deadline for...

  Felix Dodds is an Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina.   Felix chaired the 2011 UN conference that proposed the first set of indicative Sustainable Development Goals.  From 1992 to 2012, he served as the Executive Director of the Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future.  He established the Network for Regional Government for Sustainable Development in 2002, the Water and Climate Coalition in 2007, and the Communitas Coalition for the UN’s SDG 11 in 2013.  His most recent books are both with Chris Spence: last year's Environmental Lobbying at the United Nations and the 2023 book Heroes of Environmental Diplomacy: Profiles in Courage.    The United Nations, through its international conferences, research studies, agency programs, and collaboration with civil society, has been one of the most significant proponents of discussions on the climate crisis and clean energy.  Many countries have bypassed the USA in achieving en...

Press Release European Investment Bank Multilateral development banks’ climate finance in low-and middle-income countries jumps 21% to $103 billion last year, according to their new annual report. MDB adaptation finance in low- and middle-income economies rose 31% to $35 billion, and mitigation finance rose 16% to $68 billion. MDBs on track to meet their 2030 climate-finance projections across all their countries of operation. Multilateral development banks (MDBs) including the European Investment Bank (EIB) increased climate finance to record levels in 2025, reinforcing their role in supporting climate-resilient and sustainable economies. Climate finance by MDBs in low- and middle-income countries jumped 21% from the previous year to an all-time high of $103 billion while MDB climate finance across all countries of operation rose 19% to a record $163 billion. The results, published today in the 2025 Joint Summary Report on Multilateral Development Banks’ Climate Finance, confirm that ...