Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

Guest blog by Yvo De Boer , former  Executive Secretary United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change   Is what has become a cause for criticism actually critical to success? During the 14 INC’s (Informal Negotiating Group meetings) that bridged the gap between the Rio Earth Summit and the first CoP (meeting of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)), sessions were attended by some 500 government delegates and a scattering of observers, almost exclusively from the NGO community.  How things have changed! CoP29 was attended by some 65000 participants, with government representatives significantly in the minority. Sessions that were once “cheap” to host, now cost upwards on some $ 150 Million. The negotiations trudge-on doggedly, while the events held in parallel have exploded beyond recognition. Huge halls are host to hundreds if not thousands of events, attended by tens of thousands.  Not to far removed from what a World ...

Belgium takes over the Presidency of the European Union (Jan-June) South Africa takes over the Presidency of the G20 Canada takes over the Presidency of the G7 Iraq Chair of Group of 77 Global plastics treaty negotiations (TBD) January 20-24 World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland February 10-14 63 rd Session of the Commission for Social Development , New York, USA 10-14 Third Session of FfD4 Preparatory Committee , New York, USA 12-13 Africa Union Summit, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 25-27  Convention on Biological Diversity resumed COP16 23 German Election March 11-14 Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) Global Forum, Bridgetown , Saint Michael Barbados 12-13 UN Development Forum New York, USA 24-28 20th Regular Session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture , Rome, Italy 31 -4 Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, Santiago , Chile April 2-3 UNECE Regional Forum on Sustainable Development , Geneva Switzerland 9-11 Afri...

T his podcast, created by Felix Dodds and Chris Spence, the editors of the book  Heroes of Environmental Diplomacy: Profiles in Courage,  focuses on the contributions of key people involved in international negotiations.   In the world of environmental diplomacy, few have made as significant an impact as Franz Perrez, the Swiss Ambassador for the Environment. In this episode, we delve into Perrez's vital role in bringing the Ban Amendment to the Basel Convention into force, a critical step in combating the hazardous waste trade that endangers developing countries.  We explore the challenges posed by the export of hazardous waste from OECD to non-OECD nations and how Perrez's dedication to environmental issues drove his efforts to address this urgent problem.  Discover how his leadership of a Country-Led Initiative (CLI), in collaboration with Indonesia, helped navigate complex disputes and ultimately facilitated the amendment's successful implementation. Join u...

Guest blog by Charles McNeill Senior Fellow, Meridian Institute, former Senior Advisor, Forests & Climate, Interfaith Rainforest Initiative, UN I participated in the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP 16 that concluded last week (13 December 2024) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - with more than 20,000 participants from 197 countries -- and the outcomes were both encouraging and deeply sobering. Although I have spent my UN career supporting the implementation of two of the three global Conventions emerging from the 1992 Rio Earth Summit – the ones on Climate Change and Biodiversity – this was the first time I participated in a COP for this ‘third’, and lesser known - but extremely important -- Rio Convention devoted to stopping desertification, land degradation and drought. I now understand much better how absolutely central this ‘Land’ agenda is to global efforts to address the linked crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, food insecurity, migration, and even global...