Co-organised by Costa-Rica, the Delegation of the European Union with YouNGO, UNEP, WWF and UNDP, delegations and civil organizations convened to discuss solutions that can accelerate progress towards achieving the SDGs by 2030. The meeting specifically called for collaborative climate action, where the balance between nature and humans can then be restored and sustained.
Organized by the Permanent Mission of Ireland, delegations met today to discuss the role of youth engagement in implementing SDG 13 (Climate Action). Consensus was reached on the urgency of mobilizing all population groups, especially the youth and the individuals from risk-prone regions like the Marshall Islands, into climate action, as they have the most at stake, considering we are currently only experiencing the impact of dire carbon emissions that were created back in the late 90s, with the full consequences of all emissions being foreseen to manifest in the next few decades.
(Source: https://twitter.com/irishmissionun/status/1151125697294979072)
The meeting entitled “Review of SDG implementation and interrelations among goals: Discussion on SDG 13 – Climate action including the link to the Climate Action Summit and six action portfolios,” was convened this morning under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council’s High Level Political Forum. The purpose of the gathering was to review progress towards SDG 13, and to demonstrate the inter-linkages between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. The structure of the meeting consisted of remarks by four resource persons, and five lead discussants, with intermittent comments from member states and other stakeholders.
Prior to the UNFCCC Climate Change Conference in 2015, Climate Summit 2014 will be held on 23rd of September to galvanize climatic actions. A briefing on this Summit was held to address the planning of the Summit’ programme. The Secretary-General’s Climate Change Support Team will be available for Member States to make inquires for preparation of the Summit.
A representative from EOSG stated that Head of States and Governments will deliver their national climate policies after the Secretary-General’s opening speech.The National Action and Ambition Announcements should provide new or scaled-up ambitions and actions, for instance, demonstrating the investment in resilience, pricing of pollution, the involvement and mobilisation of private actors on climate action. Also the national announcements must convey the message of placing the world on a less than 2 degree pathway that aligns politics and economics.
Heads of State and leaders from finance, business and civil society will announce multilateral and multi-stakeholders action initiatives with respects to energy efficiency and renewable; climate finance; adaptation, resilience and disaster risk reduction; transport, cities, forest and agriculture as well as climate pollutants. The action initiatives need to express the urgency of capitalizing the Green Climate Fund and mobilizing the $100 billion. Thematic discussion on climate science, co-benefits of climatic action, economic case for action and voices of climate frontlines will showcase innovative policies and practices.
While Climate Summit 2014 will not cater any side events, a Climate Week in New York City will take place from the 22nd to 28th of September to provide an alternative platform for governments, businesses and civil society’s public engagement. Finally, the representative highlighted there will be no negotiated outcome from this Summit. The results of the summit will be captured to catalyze ambitious action on the ground and mobilise political will for a global legal climate agreement by 2015.
Meeting: Briefing on The Secretary-General’s Climate Summit
Speakers: Representative from Executive Office of the Secretary-General (EOSG)
Location: Conference Room 1, United Nations HQ, New York
Date: 27 June 2014
Written by WIT representative: Tracy Lau
Edited by WIT Representative: Sophia Griffiths-Mark
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