Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

Task and action under the UN80 Initiative - from June 29th briefing (originally published here) Para 47 “Environmental issues are growing in importance, and environmental responsibilities are dispersed across UN entities.  We will undertake a thorough assessment of current arrangements and make proposals on possible structural changes and programme realignments on environmental issues” (UN80 WS3 page 22) Action 35 Undertake a thorough assessment of current arrangements and  make proposals on possible structural changes and programme realignments on environmental issues Broad engagement of the UN system Co-chairs UNEP Executive Director and UNFCCC Executive  Secretary Contributing UN organizations UNDP, OHCHR, DPPA/PBSO, UNESCO, WMO, WHO, UNCTAD, IFAD, UN Habitat, UNDRR, UNECE, ESCAP, UNU, UNDESA, CEB, DCO, DOALOS, CBD, UNCCD, BRS, Montreal Protocol and Vienna Convention, MLFP, Minamata Convention, CMS, CITES, UNEP, UNFCCC Context ·        The...

 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...

  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 by Youssef Nassef, Climate Adaptation Director - UNFCCC, former Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt. Originally published here. As delegates gather in Bonn for SB 64, I find myself reflecting on a journey that has unfolded over more than a quarter century.  Today, discussions on least developed countries (LDCs) are firmly embedded in the climate agenda.  Dedicated agenda items, constituted bodies, funding arrangements, adaptation plans, and references throughout the Paris Agreement all reflect a broad recognition of the special circumstances and needs of LDCs.  Yet this current reality masks the remarkable journey that brought us here.  When I joined the UNFCCC secretariat in 1999, there was no dedicated LDC Group within the negotiations as we know it today. There were no decisions specifically devoted to operationalizing support for LDCs. There was no Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG), no Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF),...