Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

  Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, and dear friends, We write to you as part of our committed collaborations as COP31 President-Designate and President of Negotiations. Our first joint letter outlines a shared vision and commitment to be inclusive and consultative as grounded in transparency, cooperation and meaningful engagement with all Parties, to ensure the success of COP31. Climate action is a strategic pathway to sustainable prosperity, economic resilience and long-term energy security. The growing investments in clean energy, resilient infrastructure and sustainable technologies demonstrate the global momentum. COP31 presents a vital opportunity to further accelerate this momentum, particularly in the areas of clean energy, electrification, and resilient infrastructure. The decade since the Paris Agreement has been the hottest on record. At a time of intensifying climate and energy challenges, COP31 will be able to provide an important opportunity to strengthen collec...

Guest blog: Lenni Montiel: Senior UN Development Leader (Ret.) | Former UN Assistant Secretary-General |UNDP Resident Representative I Governance, Public Policy & Multilateral Diplomacy | Leadership Advisor & Trainer I Chevening Scholar. Lenni writes in LINKEDIN on UN a nd international development.  Originally published here. Your UN application may fail before review. Why? Because many applicants misunderstand what a UN vacancy announcement actually is. It is not simply a job description. It is a screening mechanism. Most candidates do not read it strategically. Here is how to read a vacancy announcement properly: 👉 Start with the requirements, not the responsibilities. The requirements section usually determines whether you are screened in or out. What to examine carefully:   Education:  Does your degree match the field and level specified? “Related field” is often interpreted narrowly. Years of experience:  Usually non-negotiable. I...

T he webinar was for those who are hoping to participate in, or planning to participate in, the UNFCCC preparatory conference in Bonn in June and/or COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye. November 9-20, 2026. It was moderated by Kyra Sadat and delivered by Adjunct Prof. Felix Dodds, University of North Carolina, and Stakeholder Forum Fellow, and Jamie Cummings, Senior Policy Analyst, Woodwell Climate Research Center, and Stakeholder Forum Associate The video and the PowerPoint  are available here. The webinar addressed the following: History of climate change How the UNFCCC prepares COP30 Outcomes and Legacies Bonn UNFCCC Preparations Sessions Why attend – stakeholder engagement case study of a campaign, YOUNGO and Local Government COP 31 – What are the issues? Negotiating Groups and key people What does COP 31look like Beyond the Negotiations – Implementation Events and Forums Dates for 2026 and 2027

Guest blog by  Lenni Montie l Senior UN Development Leader (Ret.) | Former UN Assistant Secretary-General |UNDP Resident Representative I Governance, Public Policy & Multilateral Diplomacy | Leadership Advisor & Trainer I Chevening Scholar What the informal dialogues will not tell you about who actually becomes UN Secretary-General. The public sees the dialogues. The decision happens elsewhere. Watch it carefully, and you begin to understand how the institution actually functions . As the informal dialogues with candidates begin, attention naturally focuses on visions, priorities, and leadership styles. Most public analysis focuses on those elements.\ But there is another way to read this process. 👉 It reveals the political architecture of the UN. 👉 It illustrates the difference between formal procedure and political reality. What the process reveals The Security Council is decisiv e The General Assembly appoints the Secretary-General, but only after recommendation...

Guest blog by  Craig Boljkovac -originally published on Inter Press Service  Now a Stakeholder Forum paper downloaded here. Norway’s reported decision to review and place on hold aspects of its funding to the United Nations Environment Programme should be understood as more than a budgetary matter. It is a political signal. It is also a warning that the global plastics treaty negotiations may now be approaching the point at which governments must decide whether the present UNEP process can still deliver the treaty they promised, or whether a different pathway is required. There should be no misunderstanding. Norway has been one of the strongest supporters of an ambitious global plastics treaty. It co-leads, with Rwanda, the High Ambition Coalition. It has also been the largest listed contributor to the INC process, with UNEP’s donor table showing more than USD 7.2 million in contributions received from Norway as of 25 March 2026. Its apparent decision to pause or review fu...

 UN- Press Release originally published here. UN Nairobi/Julius Mwelu   Secretary-General António Guterres (centre) with other officials at the inauguration of new office buildings at the UN Office in Nairobi and groundbreaking of the conference facility. The United Nations on Monday launched a major expansion of its Nairobi headquarters, with Secretary-General António Guterres and Kenyan President William Ruto marking what officials described as a significant milestone for the Organization’s presence in Africa. he ceremony included the inauguration of new office buildings and the groundbreaking of a new conference facility at the UN Office at Nairobi ( UNON ), which will substantially expand the Organization’s footprint in Africa. Approved by the UN General Assembly, the $340 million project is the largest investment undertaken by the UN Secretariat in Africa in its 80-year history, strengthening Nairobi’s role as a global centre for diplomacy and multilateral cooperation. “...