Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

This blog is reprinted from  Center for Concern here. Rethinking Bretton Woods Project Director Aldo Caliari reports on the outcomes of the first ECOSOC Financing for Development Forum, centerpiece of the reinvigorated follow up created by the Third Financing for Development Conference held last year. 2015 was an eventful year for everyone who cares about sustainable development. Three large conferences (financing for development, Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, and the Paris Climate agreement) unveiled, together, an ambitious agenda of multilateral efforts to eradicate poverty while preserving and nurturing our planet. But those observing the first event to follow up on such lofty and ambitious commitments were suddenly awakened to the bitter reality of transitioning from paper to the realities of implementation. The first official event as part of the newly-adopted format for follow up in the Financing for Development process, the ECOSOC Financing for Develop...

Last week was a great week for the UN o n 22 April 2016, 175 Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) signed the Paris Agreement. 15 Parties ratified it. The world’s largest emitters, the United States and China were among the signatories (together they represent approximately 38% of greenhouse gas emissions). This multilateral treaty broke the record of member states signing on the first available day (Associated Press, 2016). The Paris Agreement will enter into force when it’s ratified by 55 countries, representing at least 55% of global emissions. After the success of the 22 April event, the Paris  Agreement will hopefully enter into force earlier than anticipated.         Also last week on the 21st the PGA held a  High-level thematic debate on achieving the sustainable development goals. debate focussed on the key enablers for sustainable development – finance, technology, data and partnerships – and, in particu...

The new Executive Director of UNEP was expected to be announced at the end of March. I now understand the reason for the delay is the UN Secretary General wants to announce the new executive Secretary of the UNFCCC at the same time. This means he is looking for a regional and probably gender balance in the choose of these two posts. Next UNEP Executive Director It is my understanding that there are four candidates on the short list. Adnan Amin (Kenya) Head of IRENA fromer Head of the Secretarat for the Chief Executive Board and UNEP New York Director Ambassador Macharia Kamau (Kenya) who guided us through the Sustainable Development Goals Open Working Group and the 2015 negotiations for Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Erik Solheim (Norway) a Norwegian politician for the Socialist Left Party (SV). He was appointed Minister of International Development in 2005 and also Minister of th...

For this year’s Earth Day (22 nd of April) which happens the same day that Heads of State sign the Paris Climate Agreement in New York it’s time to reassess the impact of Rio+20.  The Climate agreement is of course a daughter of the 1992 Earth Summit. It is  a huge achievement. At Rio+20 it was clear that neither some of the large NGOs nor the majority of press understood the significance of the conference. Perhaps it’s because it was compared to Rio 1992 which at the time I and other explained was the wrong comparison – but hay isn’t getting headlines much better for fundraising for some NGOs. To quote John Vidal the Guardian environmental journalist two weeks after Rio+20: “Read the post mortems and commentaries from Rio+20, and you'd think a global disaster had taken place. The UN multilateral system is said to be in crisis, the environment is falling off the edge, and every blade of grass and hillside is for sale. Pundits and NGOs scream that it was "the ...

HOW TO MOBILISE PRIVATE FINANCE TO SUPPORT THE ADDIS ABABA 2030 AGENDA Side Event: April 20 th between 1:15-2:45pm Conference Room E, Conference Building, UN Headquarters Adopting the conventional definition of sustainable development and applying it to capital markets: “capital markets that finance development that meets the need of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”     Facilitators: Shari Spiegel, Chief, Policy Analysis and Development Branch, Finance for Development Office Felix Dodds , Tellus Institute Speakers: Steve Waygood, Chief Responsible Investment Officer, Aviva Gavin Power , Deputy Director, UN Global Compact Anadi Jauhari , Founder and Senior Managing Director - Emerging Energy and Environment  Group   Response confirmed: Stefano Prato , Managing Director, Society for International Development   Summing up: ·      ...

This issue of “Perspectives” presents a discourse between Mark Halle and Felix Dodds on the past and future role of civil society organisations and Major Groups and Stakeholders in the context of the United Nations Environment Programme. It is not meant to give the ultimate answer to how UNEP can best engage with non-state actors but is rather a primer to initiate and enrich a discussion on this topic among interested stakeholders, including in the context of the newly established United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA). Download from here .

(Taken from UNA-UK Website )  The  eight candidates  vying to be the next leader of the United Nations will be questioned by UN member states in unprecedented meetings at the UN General Assembly on 12-14 April.  The meetings, which will be live streamed online, mark a major success for UNA-UK and our  1 for 7 Billion campaign  - a movement of over 750 organisations and 170 million people which is advocating for a more open and inclusive process to appoint the next UN chief.  Click here for live coverage of the meetings from 2pm-10pm BST on 12-14 April The historic meetings - which represent a major depature from the 'wheeling and dealing' that characterised the former selection process - have attracted significant media attention. 1 for 7 Billion and UNA-UK representatives have emerged as the go-to source of expertise on the reformed process and the implications for the wider UN system. Here are some of the media highlights: BBC News: UN s...