Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

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By Jacques Prescott  is a sustainability consultant and associate professor, Chair on Eco-advising, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi; as a former employee of the Québec department of environment, he was at the heart of the government’s sustainable development approach. A referenced version of this article is available here:   In 1987, the United Nations Commission for Environment and Development published "Our Common Future". Written under the chairmanship of Gro Harlem Brundtland (then Prime Minister of Norway), this report presented the results of a global consultation aimed at proposing a comprehensive program for sustainable development. Thirty years later, what is retained of the Brundtland report and what progress do we note on the way to sustainability? Lucid recommendations The Brundtland Report proposed solutions to the most serious environmental problems of the 1980s and a definition of sustainable development that is still widely recognized: ...

A  historic climate lawsuit started in Oslo on Tuesday the 14th of November and has got worldwide attention. Greenpeace along with Nature and Youth are suing Norway for issuing licences to explore oil in the Arctic and asking the court to invalidate 10 licenses granted by the government to 13 companies that opened up a new section of the Arctic to oil exploration.  The vulnerable areas of the Arctic, like the Barents Sea, are home to both complex ecosystems and challenging climatic conditions. Greenpeace and Nature and Youth argue that new licences for oil exploration b reaches the country's constitution and undermines Norway's commitment to the Paris Agreement.  Article 112 in Norway's constitution  has been named the ‘Environmental Paragraph’, as it seeks to protect current and future citizens’ right to a healthy and clean environment and sound resource management. It reads:  ‘Every person has the right to an environment that is conduciv...

This is my presentation to the UNECE  First session of the Working Party on Public-Private Partnerships on their draft paper on Principles for PPPs I wanted to start by thanking UNECE for the opportunity to share my thoughts on this important work they have undertaken. My engagement in the Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) discussion has been mostly through the Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships (MSP) window. There has been some confusion between the role that MSPs might play, PPPs should play and Voluntary Initiatives (VI) might contribute to the delivery of the SDGs. My work on MSPs has been since their initial inception through the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002. I would share with you that the same conversation around the need for Principles and Guidelines is happening around the MSP discussions in New York as it is here in Geneva on PPPs. The recent academic research on the MSPs that were launched at WSSD or just afterwards is that around 70% o...

So there are rumors are New York on who has actually applied for the head of UN Habitat so I thought I would share them and also suggest that a new name i haven't heard but which would definitively be worth interviewing. So as I mentioned in the lats blog  the Czech Republic Minister Ms Karla Slechtova has applied and as noted in the comment section of the last blog so has Prof Oyeyinka Oyebanji from Nigeria who is a former UN-Habitat staff. There is from India  the Deputy Executive Director of UN Women Lakshmi Puri. There is also a candidate from China and another from the Republic of Korea. If anyone knows the names please put in the comment slot below. There is an excellent planner from South Africa Christine Platt and I’d like to throw in, though it is possibly too late,  a new name the former Director General of the South African Department of Environment and Tourism Chippy Olver . Why? Because he would completely shake up the organization and knows how to...

The deadline for abstract submissions has been extended until November 15, 2017. Registration  is now open, with "early bird" discounts available until November 15, 2017.     Confirmed speakers include: •                      Elliott Harris: UN Assistant Secretary-General UNEP •                      Liz Thompson : former Energy and Environment Minister Barbados •                      Pauliina Murphy: Head of International Government Engagement at Aviva •                      Maruxa Cardama: Special Adv...

Guest blog by Margaret Koli of UNU Open for Applications! Join the Research-2-Practice Forum 2018: Energy, Water Security and Climate Change in Africa (16-18 April) The Research-2-Practice Forum aims to provide a platform for experts active in applied and practice-oriented research in the areas of renewable energy, water and climate security to engage in an active exchange and to build strategic partnerships. It will take place in April 2018, in Tlemcen, Algeria. Applications can be submitted until 8 th January 2018 and applications and are expected to be within the following areas: -           Research / Scientific Contributions; Contributions from researchers, academia and scientists in line with the priority areas of the call. -           Research-2-Practice Contributions: Contributions to showcase existing collaborations between practitioners with academic, scientific or resea...