The joint declaration of the South Asian Speakers’ Summit in India has asserted that the Paris Agreement must continue to be guided by the principles of UN Framework Convention.
Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, host of the summit
Climate change news, analysis, commentary, The average surface temperature of earth has increased more than 1 degree Fahrenheit since 1900. It has called for greater cooperation among the member countries to meet the challenges of climate change and related disasters.
The South Asian Speakers’ Summit on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals at Indore was attended by South Asian countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
The declaration stressed that the Paris Agreement should continue to be guided by the principles of the UN Framework Convention on Climate change, especially the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.
The joint declaration of the seven countries also agreed to consider setting up of joint parliamentary groups under the forum to deliberate upon and deepen cooperation on relevant issues.
The declaration also urged the parliamentarians to create enabling conditions for encouraging private sector, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders to participate in the realisation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“It called upon parliamentarians to create gender sensitive elected bodies, particularly at the grassroots level, with a view to achieving gender equality and prioritising issues pertinent to women,” the declaration said.
The declaration also vowed to encourage the Parliaments to put in place legislative measures to protect women against discrimination, violence, sexual harassment, atrocities and trafficking.
According to the declaration, it also urged upon the parliaments to collectively work for advancing actions, strategies, and cooperation among all stakeholders to mobilise additional resources so as to achieve the targets under the SDGs in a time-bound manner.
“It also vowed to reaffirm that the achievement of the SDGs is closely lined to addressing the threat of climate change and strengthening disaster risk reduction which require regional as well as international cooperation,” it added.
It also called upon the parliaments of South Asian region to allocate one day in a session for deliberations on SDGs.
The Nigeria Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has called an emergency meeting with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Wednesday, March 1 2017 in Abuja.
NFF President, Amanju Pinnick
The meeting becomes necessary as NFF President, Amanju Pinnick, has called for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) President, lssa Hayatou, to resign, so that new leadership can be installed. It is widely thought that Pinnick is interested in putting his own name forward for the position.
The Abuja meeting is to discuss the position of the country with regard to the CAF election for the presidency on 16th of March.
Last week, reports have it that Pinnick has publicly backed Ahmad Ahmad, the 57-year-old Madagascar FA President seeking to unseat Issa Hayatou, the 70-year-old Cameroonian who has been in the post for 29 years and is seeking an eighth term in office.
The 39th Ordinary Congress of CAF, at which the elections would take place, comes up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on March 16.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s sensational moment has created history for Manchester United as the most successful club in England. That moment was his brace in the 3-2 win over Southampton on Sunday’s EFL Cup final, to near Liverpool in EFL cup history.
Zlatan lbrahimovic
Ibrahimovic was Manchester United’s man of the match with the Midas touch, dragging them from a mire of mediocrity with his 25th and 26th goals of the season, as he secured his success in England.
After the match at the Wembley Stadium, the 35-year-old Swede could not help but to say that the win was a team effort. “This is what I came for – to win, and I am winning. The more I win the more satisfied l get. This is number 32nd trophy for me,” he said.
Manchester United manager, José Mourinho, said: “Honestly, Ibrahimovic won the game for us. In a match where the opponent was better than us for long periods – they deserved to go to extra time – he (Zlatan) made the difference and he gave us the cup.”
Ibrahimovic’s opening goal was the first Southampton have conceded in the League Cup this season, going 468 minutes without shipping a goal in the competition.
Reports have it that Manchester United have won each of their past six games at Wembley, while only Liverpool (8) have won the League Cup more times than Manchester United (5).
Manchester United fans face the daunting prospect of meeting violent hooligans that target English fans, should they travel to Russia to see the Rostov game in the Europa League.
The city of Rostov-on-Don in Russia will host the encounter
Reports have it that the Russia’s Hooligan Army (fans) in Rostov-on-Don always brag about confrontation as a way of life. It is on record that Russian fans deliberately targeted fans from England and other countries to mar any festival of football.
Manchester United fans will make the trip to Rostov-on-Don on March 9,while Russian fans will descend on Manchester in a high risk tie on March 16.
Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho, Manchester United manager, has described the Round of 16 draws of Europa League as a bad one in every respect. “It is far and difficult draws and comes in a bad period. The team (Rostov) is very defensive and physical,” observed Mourinho.
In last season’s Russian Premier League runners-up Rostov are the lowest ranked team left in the Europa League, with UEFA’s system rating them as only the 93rd best team on the continent.
They are competing in the last of 16 of a major European competition for the first time.
Rostov are 7th in their domestic league at the mid-season winter break having won two of their previous eighth league matches, but had a very good champion’s league campaign.
Nigeria has developed a National Plan of Action for the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030). This was the outcome of a two-day meeting of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction that held from Tuesday, February 21 to Wednesday, February 22 2017 in Abuja, the federal capital city.
The Abuja meeting of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction
The Sendai Framework is an international document which was adopted by UN member states between 14th and 18th of March 2015 at the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan and endorsed by the UN General Assembly in June 2015. It is the successor agreement to the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005–2015), which had been the most encompassing international accord to date on disaster risk reduction.
It is a 15-year voluntary, non-binding agreement which recognises that the State has the primary role to reduce disaster risk but that responsibility should be shared with other stakeholders including local government, the private sector and other stakeholders.
Mr. Edward Kallon, the UNDP Resident Representative to Nigeria
At the close of the Abuja forum, participants resolved that federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) as well as states and local governments should develop and implement locally-oriented programmes of action to actualise the Sendai framework.
Besides affirming the need to mainstream Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) into plans, policies and programmes of government at all levels, the gathering emphasised the importance of gender mainstreaming in DRR activities and called on government to take appropriate action in that regard. It was also recommended that adequate budgetary allocation for DRR be made by all tiers of government.
While re-affirming the need for states to establish and strengthen States Emergency Management Agency (SEMAs) and for local governments to establish Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs), to perform the critical roles of DRR, participants further advocated for the use of established Institutions such as National Orientation Agency (NOA), New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and the Media for effective advocacy and awareness programmes at the grassroots level. They also want the MDAs to designate desk officers for Disaster Risk Reduction in their various establishments.
Besides agreeing on the need to leverage on science, technology, academia and indigenous knowledge to provide DRR solutions, the gathering urged the setting up of a technical committee to come up with recommendations for the strengthening of the National Platform on DRR.
Additionally, they recognised the need to Institutionalise DRR policies in all sectors of national life, while resolving that the National Platform shall meet twice yearly on rotational basis across the geopolitical zones.
In a statement, United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, reaffirmed the belief of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the crucial role of a fully functional National Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction in Nigeria.
“Today’s meeting, amongst others, will reposition and revitalise the platform towards the development of a Programme of Action for the Sendai Framework, strengthen the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and SEMAs, while laying a good foundation for better multi-stakeholder response and management of disasters in the country,” he said.
Kallon, who is also the Resident Representative of the UNDP Nigeria, commended the resuscitation of the platform by NEMA, which he said is coming on the heels of last year’s Africa regional meeting in Malabo. He described the development as a clear indication of “Nigeria’s strong commitment to the regional outcomes and the leading role it is playing in Africa.”
His words: “It is expected that the platform will leverage the momentum from the regional platform to articulate a national plan of action, national implementation plan for the Sendai Framework as inputs into the upcoming meeting in Mexico.”
Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi, lamented that Nigeria, like other countries in the West African region and the entire continent, has witnessed continuous rise in both natural and human-induced disasters “which has resulted in loss of lives, large scale displacement, socio-economic dislocation and environmental degradation.”
He said: “the 2012 flood disaster and the current North East crisis readily comes to mind and reinforce the need to accelerate momentum on reducing disaster risk and building the resilience of communities at risk.”
The National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, Sidi, stated, reflects the commitment of government to implement national and local disaster risk reduction activities while looking up to international direction.
“It equally brings together organisations and individuals of diverse disciplines and sectors, and in assembling, synthesising, managing, and further disseminating knowledge on disaster risk management in diverse sectors,” he added, while expressing gratitude to the UNDP and the entire UN System in the country “for their continuous support and especially for co-sponsoring this year’s meeting of the Platform”.
Besides discussing the Hyogo Framework (2005-2015), and it’s successor, the Sendai Framework (2015-2030), the meeting likewise considered the outcomes of the African Regional Platform meeting held in Mauritius in 2016, which recommended the need for National Plan of Action (PoA) for each country, to implement the Sendai Framework.
President of the 71st UN General Assembly, Ambassador Peter Thomson, in collaboration with the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Ms. Patricia Espinosa, will on Thursday, March 23 2017 convene Member States, the UN System, and stakeholders at United Nations Headquarters in a High-level Event for Action on Climate Change and the Sustainable Development Agenda.
President of the 71st UN General Assembly, Ambassador Peter Thomson
This event will advance the following objectives:
Invigorate political momentum on climate change, highlighting its deep linkage to the Sustainable Development Agenda. Emphasis will be placed on concrete solutions for climate and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that yield cross-cutting benefits, especially regarding land-use, energy and the ocean;
Increase common understanding among key actors including Member States, the UN system and non-state stakeholders regarding the urgent need to ramp up ambition and implementation, especially given upcoming 2020 targets and milestones for both climate and SDGs.
At the request of the Office of the President of the General Assembly (OPGA), the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS) is facilitating a process to identify two civil society speakers, one social entrepreneur speaker, and stakeholders wishing to attend as observers for the event.
According to the UN, civil society and social entrepreneur speakers are to be identified through the UN-NGLS process for the following three roles:
High-level civil society representative for Panel Discussion on “Stocktaking on Climate – Paris Agreement ratification; Science; Gaps & Opportunities.” This ‘stock-taking’ panel and ensuing dialogue will discuss the status of climate science and of efforts to address it, including ratification and implication of the Paris Agreement as well as climate actions by all stakeholders.
Social entrepreneur for Panel Discussion on “Implementing Solutions – Scaling up implementation of the Paris Agreement and SDGs.” This dialogue will explore cross-cutting dimensions of climate and the Sustainable Development Goals and provide concrete examples where implementing solutions with a multi-sectoral approach has improved social, economic and environmental conditions.
Civil society respondent for Panel Discussion on “2020 as Opportunity – Achieving the 2020 SDG targets and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) ambitions.” This dialogue will explore means to enhance global attention to and support of climate action and the SDGs, in particular as it relates to the issues land-use, energy and/or the ocean, and the human dimensions given the pressing 2020 targets.
According to the UN, travel funding will be available for two of the selected speakers.
The UN-NGLS, it was gathered, will facilitate a stakeholder Selection Committee for the evaluation and short-listing of the civil society and social entrepreneur candidates for the speaking roles, to be presented to OPGA for their consideration. The Committee will ensure regional and gender balance, and diversity of age and expertise in the overall set of candidates. The President of the General Assembly will make the final selection of the speakers for this event.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on Thursday, February 23 2017 launched a global campaign to eliminate major sources of marine litter – such as microplastics in cosmetics and the excessive, wasteful usage of single-use plastic – by the year 2022.
A water body littered with plastic and other waste product. Photo credit: Cheryl Ravelo/Reuters
Launched at the Economist World Ocean Summit in Bali, Indonesia, the “#CleanSeas campaign” is urging governments to pass plastic reduction policies; targeting industry to minimise plastic packaging and redesign products; and calling on consumers to change their throwaway habits – before irreversible damage is done to seas.
Erik Solheim, Head of UNEP, said: “It is past time that we tackle the plastic problem that blights our oceans. Plastic pollution is surfing onto Indonesian beaches, settling onto the ocean floor at the North Pole, and rising through the food chain onto our dinner tables. We’ve stood by too long as the problem has gotten worse. It must stop.”
Throughout the year, the #CleanSeas campaign will be announcing ambitious measures by countries and businesses to eliminate microplastics from personal care products, ban or tax single-use bags, and dramatically reduce other disposable plastic items.
Ten countries have already joined the campaign with far-reaching pledges to turn the plastic tide. Indonesia has committed to slash its marine litter by a massive 70 per cent by 2025; Uruguay will tax single-use plastic bags later this year and Costa Rica will take measures to dramatically reduce single-use plastic through better waste management and education.
Each year, more than 8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the oceans, wreaking havoc on marine wildlife, fisheries and tourism, and costing at least $8 billion in damage to marine ecosystems. Up to 80 per cent of all litter in our oceans is made of plastic.
According to some estimates, at the rate we are dumping items such as plastic bottles, bags and cups after a single use, by 2050 oceans will carry more plastic than fish and an estimated 99 per cent of seabirds will have ingested plastic.
Media personality Nadya Hutagalung supports #CleanSeas by calling on the cosmetics industry to stop adding microplastics to their products. As many as 51 trillion microplastic particles – 500 times more than stars in our galaxy – litter our seas, seriously threatening marine wildlife.
Nadya Hutagalung said, “On bathroom shelves around the world sit products that are destroying life in our oceans. Tiny pieces of plastic in our face scrubs and toothpastes, used to make products feel smooth, are washed away in drains to then fill the stomachs of marine animals who confuse it for food. No beauty product is worth destroying the world’s beautiful oceans, not to mention our own human well-being. There are alternatives! So let’s choose what we buy carefully and together, with the combined power of our voice and our wallets, we can urge beauty companies to end their use of microbeads.”
Globally recognised brands are also joining the fight. DELL Computers has unveiled a commercial-scale supply chain using plastic which has been fished out of the sea near Haiti. The computer giant will use the recovered ocean plastic in its product packaging.
“DELL is committed to putting technology and expertise to work for a plastic-free ocean,” said Dell’s Vice President for Global Operations Piyush Bhargava. “Our new supply chain brings us one step closer to UN Environment’s vision of Clean Seas by proving that recycled ocean plastic can be commercially re used.”
All these actions will be crucial to stemming the tide of marine litter, says UNEP, adding that, today, the world is producing 20 times more plastic than in the 1960s. Around one third of all plastic is used for packaging.
By 2050, the world’s plastic production will have to grow three to four times to satisfy global demand. A large portion will end up in oceans where it will remain for centuries, adds the UN body.
Actor Adrian Grenier, known for his role in hit TV show and film Entourage, and founder of Lonely Whale Foundation, has joined the #CleanSeas campaign, asking people to re-think their daily choices.
“Whether we choose to use plastic bags at the grocery store or sip through a plastic straw, our seemingly small daily decisions to use plastics are having a dramatic effect on our oceans,” said Adrian Grenier. “We have the power to effect change.
“Today I take this public pledge to do my part to refuse single use plastics, starting with the plastic straw, and also reaffirm my commitment to work with leaders such as Dell to reduce plastic packaging. If we start with one small change and hold each another accountable, I believe that together we can inspire global action for the health of our oceans.”
Major announcements are expected during The Ocean Conference in New York at the UN Headquarters 5 – 9 June, and the December UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya.
Hamish Daud, Indonesian presenter and actor, said: “We hail from one of the most beautiful places on the planet, but our nasty plastic addiction is slowly choking our precious coasts and the marine life we share them with. Join with me to turn the tide on plastic – together we must start saying ‘no’ to unnecessary plastic in our daily lives that is ending up in the sea – decline the plastic shopping bags, reject the straws, replace plastic bottles with filtered water. I stand today with UN Environment to urge governments, industry and consumers to put an end to our dangerous plastic habit.”
Eneida de León, Minister of Housing, Territorial Planning and Environment of Uruguay: “Our goal is to discourage the use of plastic bags through regulations, give an alternative for workers in the waste sector, and develop education plans regarding the impact of the use of plastic bags on our environment. These actions are key to achieving sustainable development. Uruguay is committed to moving forward in that direction, and the Clean Seas campaign is certainly a very valuable contribution.”
Edgar Gutiérrez-Espeleta, Minister of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica: “Costa Rica recognises the risks and damage caused by the effects of single-use plastic and non-recoverable micro plastics on the marine environment. We strongly favour the engagement of all relevant stakeholders, including civil society, private sector and all citizens to support national and global efforts. Only through a real and active engagement of all of us, with the help of dynamic partnerships, we will be able to effectively combat marine litter.”
Vidar Helgesen, Minister of Climate and the Environment of Norway: “Keeping our seas clean and our marine life safe from plastic is a matter of urgency for Norway. Marine plastic litter is a rapidly increasing threat to marine life, seafood safety and negatively affects the lives of people in coastal areas all around the world. We encourage every country in the world to join the Clean Seas campaign and develop effective measures to avoid single-use plastic ending up in the environment. Our oceans cannot wait any longer.”
Peter Thomson, President of the UN General Assembly said: “The Ocean is the lifeblood of our planet, yet we are poisoning it with millions of tonnes of plastic every year. The time has come to turn the tide on marine litter. As the world’s nations prepare for The Ocean Conference to be held in New York, 5 to 9 June, I urge all of them to join the Clean Seas campaign and make an ambitious pledge to reduce single-use plastic. Be it a tax on plastic bags or a ban on microbeads in cosmetics, each country to do their bit to maintain the integrity of life in the Ocean.”
The Ogun State Government is finalising plans to establish eco-tourism resort in its forest reserve in an apparent bid to enhance forestry resources and create an alternative means of livelihood for the people of the state.
Ogun State Commissioner for Forestry, Chief Kolawole Lawal
Commissioner for Forestry, Kolawole Lawal, who made this known recently in Abeokuta, the state capital, while speaking with journalists after an interactive session with investors at the ministry’s head offices, said the resort centre would be actualised in conjunction with a private firm known as Woodland Cabin Resort.
Chief Lawal said the tourism resort, which would be located in the Omo Forest Reserve, Area J4 in Ijebu-East Local Government Area of the state, would, when completed, serve as a means of livelihood for the people in the area, forestall the propensity for indiscriminate tree felling and curb illegal exploitation of forest resources.
He added that, apart from rejuvenating the depleted forest reserves, the project would also boost the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) as well provide job opportunities for the teeming youths of the state.
“The resort which would be a collaboration involving the state government and the investor, will no doubt help develop our forest reserve, provide jobs for our people and increase government revenue generation base; but we must adhere to Ogun standards which is the world best practices,” he said.
Speaking on the partnership, Chief Lawal affirmed that the state government would make the required land available while the investor would provide other resources needed for the actualisation of the project.
Speaking on behalf of the firm, Abiola Adesanya noted that natural endowment, serene environment and adequate security put in place by the Senator Ibikunle Amosun-led administration informed the decision to site the project in the state.
He noted that the state has all that it takes in terms of potentials and availability of resources to situate the resort centre here, saying that his firm would go ahead in establishing the resort and it would not regret doing so.
“The availability of natural resources such as green vegetation, birds, animals and over 200 species of trees that the state is endowed with made it possible for the establishment of the eco-tourism resort in the state,” Mr Adesanya added.
Patricia Espinosa, who last year took the helm as executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), was in the United Kingdom last week to speak with businesses, NGOs and Nick Hurd, the UK climate change minister, on how to sustain and increase momentum on climate action.
Previously a Mexican diplomat and minister, Espinosa is tasked with the challenge of steering the international climate negotiations through the finer details of the Paris Agreement over the next few years, as policymakers work out how best to address topics, such as loss and damage, climate finance, and the creation of a fair “rulebook” to help assess individual country’s pledges.
Carbon Brief spoke with Espinosa on the sidelines of an event organised by the Grantham Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at LSE on Thursday, February 23 2017.
Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the UNFCCC
On what happens to the UNFCCC process if the US does renegade on its current commitments and pulls out of the Paris Agreement, as promised by Donald Trump on the campaign trail last year:
Well, when we look at the consequences of a possible change in the US position in the climate change process, of course we would hope that they would keep their commitments, they would keep their active participation. The US is an important partner for the institution.
At the same time, we also have to realise and fully take account of the fact that the Paris Agreement is an agreement that has been signed and ratified as of today by 132 countries, which means it’s really a very robust commitment in the international community. So the negotiations will continue, the commitments will continue: not only the fact that the agreement is in force, but also countries have come forward reaffirming their commitments and their willingness to really comply with them. So I would not say that there is not going to be an impact, but, at the same time, I do want to stress that the agreement is in force and will remain an obligation for the great majority of the international community.
(This) has been presented as a very high priority by quite a number of countries. There is a process going on, so there will be a meeting of the executive committee in March where they will look at the ways of putting forward an action plan or a work programme, in order to develop the action plan, according to the decisions that were taken in Marrakech.
On whether the Paris Agreement’s 1.5C aspirational goal is feasible, and how the upcoming International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on this topic (due in 2018) can help policymakers:
First of all I would say that, of course, we need to wait and hear what the IPCC report says. I think this process has also a lot of weight because it has been really based on scientific evidence and the role of the IPCC is very important, and this is why the COP has asked the IPCC to come forward with this report by 2018.
But at the same time I think what we need to stress is that there has been a pace of transformation that in many areas of the economy, in different regions of the world, that was not seen as feasible only a few years ago. So I think that this is where we are trying to concentrate, to promote as much of this transformational developments and as much action at the national level in the communities as possible.
Of course, in order to reach the 1.5C goal we need to have an increase in the ambitions that countries have put forward, we have to report also very important breakthroughs in terms of technology, we need to be able to mobilise financing that can allow countries to trigger some of the processes that could lead them into increasing their commitments.
On whether Brexit poses any risk to the UNFCCC negotiations:
The UK has a very clear legislation, and it’s a national legislation, so in that sense I think that the commitments and every indication that we have had from the British government makes it really clear that the commitments remains, that this agenda will continue to go forward. Tomorrow I’m going to meet (UK climate change) minister (Nick) Hurd and we have a very good and close relationship, so I would say that, yes, no doubt the negotiations will be complex and difficult, but the fact that the UK has this legislation that clearly puts the process that it will follow in order to fulfil commitments under Paris is really very good news.
Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, Amina J. Mohammed, in Abuja on Friday, February 24 2017 handed over the reigns of office to the Environment Minister of State, Ibrahim Usman Jibril, to resume duty as the United Nations Deputy Secretary General.
Ibrahim Jibril taking over the reigns of office from Amina MohammedAmina Mohammed (middle) with Usman Jibril and Dr Bukar Hassan (right), Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of EnvironmentPrayers…Usman Jibril makes a statement
