Under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF 2019) convened today to examine progress and the greatest challenges in empowering individuals and ensuring inclusiveness across the world, especially equality in the least developed countries (LDCs) and the landlocked developing countries (LLDCs).
(Source: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/hlpf/2019)
COP 23 – the UN yearly climate change conference kicked off in Bonn, Germany last week, where heads of state, NGOs, academics, and private sector partners all came together to discuss the threat of climate change and solutions to keep global average temperature rise below 1.5-2 degrees Celsius. One of the primary issues at the conference is how least developed countries (LDCs) should deal with climate change – a problem they had little hand in creating, yet suffer dis-proportionally from. The Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG) was formed at COP 7 in Marrakesh to help LDCs navigate the issue of climate change within the climate negotiations. To give an update on their work, the LEG met the first day of COP to discuss their work in supporting LDCs on adaptation.
According to the UNFCCC, adaptation “refers to adjustments in ecological, social, or economic systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli and their effects or impacts.” With this definition as a background, the meeting began with Mr. Jewber, Chair of the LDC, who stressed that adaptation is a priority for vulnerable countries to climate change, yet finance, technology, and capacity for adaptation activities are extremely limited. Most climate finance is skewed towards mitigation, or reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), rather than adaptation. Mr. Santana, a member of the LEG, continued the meeting by discussing the LEG’s vision to provide support to countries to achieve better adaptation planning and processes in their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), with finance from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). Thus far, GCF approval rates for NAP funding have been incredibly slow – only 5 NAPs have been approved so far and only 2 have actually received their GCF funds (Liberia and Nepal), although other countries’ NAPs are in the pipeline for approval.
Mr. Jariu from the GCF Secretariat responded by saying that the GCF has received 38 NAP proposals as of October 2017, with 15 of these coming from LDCs, and that the GCF is focusing on quality of planning and increased guidance and knowledge sharing in its review and approval of NAPs. Next, the UNFCCC Secretariat made a statement affirming its support for the work of the LEG, and the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) gave a statement outlining its 24 projects that are in the pipeline for implementation in LDCs in the amount of $170.5 million. The meeting concluded with a representative from The Gambia who gave his view on adaptation planning and finance, which included challenges related to low financing and weak national capacity for implementation. Issues surrounding adaptation financing at COP will continue to be a highly debated topic, and LDCs will only be able to meet their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement if appropriate funding that includes more finance for adaptation is mobilized.
Meeting: Work of the Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG) in Supporting the LDCs on Adaptation
Date/Location: November 7, 2017, 6:30 – 8:00, Room 9 – Bonn Zone, COP 23
Speakers: Gerbru Jewber, Chair of the LDC; Aderito Santana, Member of the LEG; Pa Ousman Jarju, GCF Secretariat; Chizuru Aoki, GEF Secretariat; Alpha Jallow, Representative from The Gambia
Written By: Marli Kasdan
A press statement regarding the launch of the report World Economic Situation and Prospects was released by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) today. The latest report presents bad news on the world’s progress toward achieving some of the major Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined in the 2030 Agenda
Regarding the world’s GDP growth, Diana Alarcón and Dawn Holland of DESA presented it was forecasted to rise by 4.7 per cent and 5.3 per cent in 2017 and 2018 respectively, which is significantly below the SDG target of at least 7 percent. The report warns that under the current growth trajectory without a decline in income inequality, 35 percent of the population in Least-Developed Countries (LDCs) will remain in extreme poverty by 2030.
Concerning world trade, it has begun to rebound from the 2008 global financial crisis. However, it is mainly due to the rising import demand and contribution of East Asia and South Asia. On the contrary, the rise in commodity price driven by conflict and domestic pressure in Latin America and Africa is not yet resolved.
Apart from the income and trade targets, Alarcón and Holland said the report also identified some positive elements in the environmental area. For example, the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) has been reduced while the use of renewable energy has increased. However, they remarked that the trend could be easily reversed should the major CO2 emitting countries demonstrate faster growth, and the public and private sectors do not continue to support the use of renewable energy.
Addressing the overall lack of progress, Alarcón and Holland explained that political actors played a significant role. Among others, they particularly pointed toward the high level of uncertainties in international policies, such as the recent renegotiations of trade relations in the United States and Europe, financial market relations, and Brexit.
Meeting: Press briefing by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) on the launch of the World Economic Situation and Prospects as of mid-2017
Date/Location: Tuesday, May 16, 2017; 11:00-11:30; Press Briefing Room, S-237, United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY
Speakers:
Diana Alarcón, Chief, Global Economic Monitoring Unit, Development Policy and Analysis Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), United Nations;
Dawn Holland, Senior Economic Affairs Officer, Global Economic Monitoring Unit, Development Policy and Analysis Division, DESA, United Nations
Written By: WIT Representative Jadice Lau
Edited By: Fred Yonghabi
Today as a part of the Development Cooperation Forum, a meeting was held to discuss the role of Official Development Assistance (ODA) in the post 2015 development agenda. Beginning the meeting, Ms. Randel gave a statement on the critical role of ODA in eradicating extreme poverty, and how to target and better mobilize resources for development. In recent years ODA has increased, with 2013 having the highest recorded ODA expenditures. However, Ms. Randel pointed out that ODA must focus on impacting the bottom 20% of Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Ms. Randel also pointed out the importance of harnessing other resources for development like foreign direct investment, remittances, and public/private debt flows.
Following, H.E. Mr. Géro of Benin spoke about how ODA is needed as a tool for investment in developing countries for roads, energy infrastructure, transportation, and industrialization. Markets are very new in developing countries, and oftentimes developing countries are excluded from participating in the global market, so ODA is needed to make up for this deficit. He concluded by stating that ODA must not be guided by political considerations, but rather guided by considerations of what development objectives we hope to achieve.
Next, Mr. Solheim from OECD gave a statement on suggestions to improve ODA. He said that ODA should be targeted more towards LDCs, because even though overall ODA amounts are increasing, they are decreasing for LDCs and fragile states. Mr. Solheim also suggested improving ODA by targeting it towards encouraging more private investment, supporting peace, and using it to assist countries in domestic resource mobilization and better taxation systems.
Following, Mr. Alonso emphasized the importance of ODA in Middle Income Countries (MICs), stating that MICs need development assistance as well in order for them to meet their development goals. Overall, there has been a reduction in global absolute poverty, but an increase in relative poverty in MICs.
Concluding the meeting, H.E. Mr. Phuong of Viet Nam stated that in the post 2015 development agenda, ODA should be used together with public expenditures to attract private investment, directly tackle poverty, and support developing countries socioeconomic development plans. He also called for climate change adaptation projects, the efficient use of natural resources, institutional reforms, and capacity building to help developing countries tap into their national funds.
Meeting Title: Development Cooperation Forum Session 2 “The critical role of Offical Development Assistance (ODA) in development cooperation post-2015”
Speakers: Ms. Judith Randel, Executive Director, Development Initiatives, United Kingdom of Great Britian and Northern Ireland; His Excellency Fulbert Amoussouga Géro, Minister at the Presidency of the Republic of Benin, in charge of coordinating policies and implementation of the MDGs and the SDGs; Mr. Erik Solheim, Chair, Development Assistance Committee, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); Mr. José Antonio Alonso, Professor, Universidad Complutense of Madrid; H.E. Nguyen The Phuong, Vice Minister of Planning and Investment, Viet Nam
Date: 10 July 2014
Location: Conference Room 2, United Nations HQ, New York
Written By WIT Representative: Marli Kasdan
Mr. Gass opened the panel by stating that the discussion on the future of Official Development Assistance (ODA) is an important one, for “ODA will be critical, but not sufficient” for the implementation of the SDGs. He also recognized that ODA is outshined by other sources of financing for development. However, he added that as long as the total funding channeled to developing countries meets the demand, it is not necessarily a change for the worse.
Mr. Kwakkenbos stated that 2013 saw a huge increase in ODA, but the increase came in form of loans but not gratuitous grants. Further, while ODA to middle-income countries increased, ODA to the least developed countries (LLDCs) suffered a setback in the last decade. Mr. Guillaumont suggested that one way to redress to lack of attention to LLDCs is to provide more loans to the LLDCs, as it is often difficult for them to access commercial lending market. Dr. Chaturvedi responded to the calls for redirecting loans from middle-income country to the LLDCs, saying that middle-income countries like India will still need ODA in forms of loans in support of infrastructural projects.
Mr. Solheim brought to the panel two messages. The first is the recognition of the new sources of financing, including private funding and South-South cooperation funding. The second contains some proposals on the ways in which the future definition of the ODA may be redefined. He proposed that future government encouragement of private investment into developing countries may be counted towards ODA. Further, there should be consensus on whether loans should be considered as part of the ODA. The current calculus only consider the difference between the commercial and concessional interest rate as part of the ODA, which means contribution from donors lending to countries with high possibility of default are not taken account into the ODA.
Meeting Title: New measures for development financing in a Post-2015 world
Speakers: His Excellency Mr. Thomas Gass, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs; Mr. Erik Solehim, Chair of the Developmental Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooepration and Development; Dr. Sachin Chaturvedi, Research and Information system for Developing Countries; Mr. Jeroen Kwakkenbos, Policy and Advocacy Manager, Eurodad; Mr. Patrick Guillaumont, President, Fondation pour les etudes et recherches sur le developpement international (FERDI)
Location: Conference Room 5, North Lawn Building, United Nations Headquarters
Date: 10 July 2014
Written By WIT Representative: Harrison Chung
Edited By WIT Representative: Marli Kasdan
Following rounds of informal consultations last week, the twelfth session of the open working group on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was convened by the member state delegations at the United Nations headquarters today. The agenda of this Open Working Group was to discuss the 17 goals and 212 targets as proposed in the zero draft of the SDGs that would succeed the Millennium Development Goals in 2015.
The relation between the efforts at the national and international levels was drawn upon to emphasize the importance of incorporating the national efforts into decision-making at the international level in order to produce a crisp final document. The global goals and targets in the post-2015 agenda, therefore, should not be solely a result of collective action at the international level; it should also reflect the progress made by individual member states in their national development towards the SDGs.
The Minister of Germany, H.E Dr. Maria Böhme, while acknowledging the solid basis the SDGs would provide for our society and its future generations, challenged the draft on its strategies and approaches. Though the global goals outlined contain a number of good targets, they lack transformative strategies for environmentally friendly goals. Also, the primary focus on economic and social goals leaves other equally vital aspects neglected, such as the much-required visionary and holistic approach.
Both the delegations of the EU and G77 laid stress on the importance of maintaining universality and a balance between the three dimensions of the SDGs: the environmental, social, and economic. They suggested that the international community must count on each other’s support in order to move forward.
The representative of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) called attention to the need to provide modern energy technology to LDCs on a preferential basis. LDCs will have to quadruple their efforts to enhance energy efficiency in order to keep up with the doubling of efforts at the global level. The international community should recognize the particular challenges faced by the LDCs and thus, the LDCs need enhanced global support and an appropriate mechanism for the achievement of the SDG goals and targets.
Meeting Title: Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (12th session)
Speakers: Mr. Macharia Kamau, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kenya to the United Nations; Mr. Csaba Kőrösi, Permanent Representative Hungary to the United Nations
Date: 16 June 2014
Location: Economic and Social Council Chamber, United Nations HQ, New York
Written by WIT Representative: Nusrat Laskar
Edited by WIT Representative: Marli Kasdan
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