The UN Headquaters in New York on Wednesday hosted an event in which the development of the new Least Developed Countries (LDC) Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Initiative was highlighted. It was moderated by Chair of the LDC Group, Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu.
Chair of the LDC group, Tosi Mpanu-Mpanu
The initiative is a collaborative effort to align sustainable development and climate change goals by enabling universal access to clean, renewable energy in the world’s poorest nations. It gained international support in Bonn in May this year and is to be launched at COP22 in Marrakech in November 2016, the next international climate conference.
Mr. Mpanu-Mpanu said: “COP22 will be an action and implementation COP, providing the opportunity to begin implementation of the Paris Agreement through concrete action in the renewables sector. This is a chance for our developed country partners to fulfil their support responsibilities under the Paris Agreement, which should be a priority given their commitment to enhance the capacity and the ability of developing countries to take effective climate change action.
“All LDCs face major challenges in scaling up renewable energy and ensuring energy access to our poorest communities. This initiative will ensure no LDC is left behind. With clean and renewable energy also comes jobs and opportunities to vastly improve the livelihoods of our people.”
The LDC Initiative will develop under the umbrella of a Global Initiative on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, which will provide a space for developing synergies and sharing best practices amongst similar initiatives, including the African Renewable Energy Initiative and initiatives proposed by the Small Island Developing States.
“This Global Initiative exemplifies how the international climate process can generate new global partnerships, powering towards a more prosperous future for the world’s poor and amplifying the charge towards a clean energy economy,” he added.
On Wednesday, 31 countries deposited their instruments of ratification at the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s special event to accelerate the entry into force of the historic Paris Agreement. 60 countries have now ratified the Agreement, which requires 55 countries representing 55% of greenhouse gas emissions to enter into force.
“With today’s 31 ratifications the Paris Agreement has surpassed the country barrier and is now on the brink of early entry into force. This is a powerful political symbol that governments of the world recognise the need to take urgent action against climate change,” said Mr Mpanu-Mpanu, adding:
“The Paris Agreement is a dynamic and inclusive agreement which focuses on supporting the needs of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries. With entry into force imminent, it is vital that we build on this growing global unity and carry out our commitments agreed in Paris, to safeguard our planet for future generations. This requires developed countries to provide much needed support to developing countries, including the LDCs, to enable us to develop sustainably and adapt to the enormous challenges climate change presents to our communities.”
Governments have been asked not to build new fossil fuel extraction or transportation infrastructure, and that they should not grant new permits for them.
Fossil fuel infrastructure: oil installation
This submission forms part of the recommendations in a new study released on Thursday by Oil Change International (OCI).
The OCI, in partnership with 14 organisations from around the world, scientifically grounds the growing movement to keep carbon in the ground by revealing the need to stop all new fossil fuel infrastructure and industry expansion.
The report, titled: The Sky’s Limit – Why the Paris Climate Goals Require a Managed Decline of Fossil Fuel Production,” also recommended that some fields and mines – primarily in rich countries – should be closed before fully exploiting their resources, and financial support should be provided for non-carbon development in poorer countries.
The report focuses on the potential carbon emissions from developed reserves – where the wells are already drilled, the pits dug, and the pipelines, processing facilities, railways, and export terminals constructed.
According to the report, suggestions put forward does not mean stopping the use of all fossil fuels overnight. Rather, it added, governments and companies should conduct a managed decline of the fossil fuel industry and ensure a just transition for the workers and communities that depend on it.
Key findings are listed to include:
The potential carbon emissions from the oil, gas, and coal in the world’s currently operating fields and mines would take us beyond 2°C of warming.
The reserves in currently operating oil and gas fields alone, even with no coal, would take the world beyond 1.5°C.
With the necessary decline in production over the coming decades to meet climate goals, clean energy can be scaled up at a corresponding pace, expanding the total number of energy jobs.
The report is published by the OCI, in collaboration with Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), 350.org, Amazon Watch, APMDD, AYCC, Bold Alliance, Christian Aid, Earthworks, Équiterre, Global Catholic Climate Movement, Indigenous Environmental Network, IndyAct, Rainforest Action Network and Stand.earth.
The Paris Agreement on Climate Change is set to become law this year after a ceremony at the UN Headquarters in New York on Wednesday saw 60 countries worth 47.5% of global emissions complete their formal ascension to it and 13 others commit to doing so this year.
Liz Gallagher, Senior Associate, E3G. She says the Paris Agreement is on track to break records as the international treaty fastest to become law
Wednesday’s ceremony was regarded as significant because one of the two thresholds required for the agreement to come law were met: more than 55 countries formally joined.
Speaking at a high-level ceremony bringing together countries to ratify the Paris Agreement, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and US Secretary of State John Kerry today expressed optimism that the Paris Agreement would come into force within 2016.
According to observers, all that remains is to meet the second threshold: countries responsible for 55% of global emissions must ratify. With signals of intent from the additional countries at the ceremony, the second threshold is expected to be reached before or during the next major climate negotiations in Marrakesh this November.
The speed with which the agreement will enter law is unprecedented, they noted, adding that for example, the Kyoto Protocol took seven years to become law and it was widely anticipated that the Paris agreement would take until 2020 to come into effect.
As well as making the Agreement law, entry into force is significant because it means the parties, or countries, who have ratified the agreement can get on with actually implementing it to its full potential. Finalising this symbolic formality can help to concentrate minds and political will on the immediate action required to help keep the promises made in Paris viable. Early entry into force would also give an additional confidence boost to investors and citizens that the transition to the low carbon economy is in full swing.
The Climate Action Network (CAN) welcomed the progress made on ratification and called upon the remaining countries to ratify the Paris Agreement as soon as possible so as to reach the threshold on emissions and allow the historic deal to preserve the planet for future generations to come into force and be implemented.
Upon the conclusion of the ceremony, spokespeople made significant comments.
“That the Paris Agreement is on track to break records as the international treaty fastest to become law bodes well as it is a signal that countries just want to get on with it. But the journey has only begun. The next test awaits in Rwanda in October where countries must agree to an ambitious timetable to phase down dangerous greenhouse gases, HFCs,” said Liz Gallagher, Senior Associate, E3G.
“The upcoming entry into force of the Paris Agreement is the important signal that businesses have been waiting for. With this clear direction of travel from political leaders, companies can now accelerate efforts to achieve a zero carbon future,” stated Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, a member of the Corporate Leaders Group.
Jill Duggan, Director of The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group: “We are delighted at the unprecedented speed with which this historic agreement will come into force. This shows that governments have understood and responded to the urgency of the climate challenge – a challenge demonstrated by the record breaking temperatures experienced, yet again, this year. The ratification by the European Union, which accounts for 12% of global greenhouse gas emissions, will be instrumental to reaching the required threshold of 55 countries and 55% of emissions.
“European leaders should be commended for agreeing to speed up their ratification process. Members of The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group call on the EU to stay at the forefront of climate action and fully join the Paris Agreement in the next couple of weeks, triggering an entry into force at COP22 in Marrakesh.”
Alden Meyer, Director of Strategy and Policy, Union of Concerned Scientists: “Today’s announcement that the Paris Agreement will take effect this year is good news for the planet, and underscores the growing momentum for climate action. But much work remains ahead on both implementing and raising the ambition of countries’ emissions reduction commitments, if we’re to reach the Paris goal of net zero global warming emissions by mid-century and avoid the worst impacts of climate change.”
Wael Hmaidan, Director, Climate Action Network International: “The Paris Agreement was only a start to building international consensus to fight climate change. It is a fight that requires every country, city, business and citizen to do all that they can, as quickly as they can, to scale-down the pace of, and ultimately halt, climate change. The prospect of this Agreement coming into force in just a year is a clear signal that we have absolutely no time to waste and its implementation must begin in earnest.”
Sierra Club’s Executive Director Michael Brune: “Today’s announcement marks a major tipping point in our planet’s history. Countries have come together at an unprecedented and historic rate to continue the progress the world made in Paris last year, and we applaud the collective global leadership that has driven us to this moment. With the Paris Agreement’s imminent entry into force on the horizon, we wholeheartedly look forward to doing our part to continue the work toward a thriving clean energy economy, a stable climate, and a healthy planet.”
Sven Harmeling, CARE International: “CARE welcomes the prospects for an early entry into force of the Paris Agreement already in 2016 and urges all other countries to rapidly ratify. But ratification is not enough: Governments in particular from the most powerful countries need to cut emissions quickly in light of the 1.5 degrees C limit. More resources are needed to help the most vulnerable women, men, girls and boys build their resilience to climate impacts and disasters, and protect those displaced from climate loss and damage, an increasing harm recognised at this week’s UN Refugee summit.”
Adriano Campolina, ActionAid Chief Executive: “World leaders have kick started efforts in the ever-increasing battle against climate change, but we are still further than we had hoped we would be today. Early entry into force of the Agreement less than a year since Paris would have been an important signal and step forward to protect the lives of millions of people around the world.
“European countries’ failure to ratify today is a dent in the climate leadership it has prided itself on previously. The EU must now swiftly agree to ratification. And in order to reclaim its role as a true climate leader it must take early action, before 2020, to ensure that keeping the world below 1.5C degree warming is not an elusive dream.”
Lutz Weischer, Team Leader International Climate Policy, Germanwatch: “The ratification of the Paris Agreement by 60 countries sends a very clear signal that the world is serious about climate action. What worries us is that Europe and Germany are now at risk of being left behind in the transition to a decarbonised world economy, after years of investment in climate solutions. We call on Germany and the EU to ratify the Paris Agreement and deposit their instruments with the UN in the next few weeks. To regain ground in the decarbonisation race, Chancellor Merkel also needs to significantly improve the draft 2050 climate plan her government is currently debating – right now, Germany is not on track to meet its Paris commitments.”
May Boeve, 350.org Executive Director: “The historic pace at which countries are joining the Paris agreement brings it significantly closer to entering into force, yet there remains a massive gap between what the agreement calls for and what world governments are actually doing to meet these targets.
“Each of the last 16 consecutive months have been the hottest in history, with 2016 shaping up to be the hottest year on record – a title that we’re getting far too accustomed to applying year after year. Around the world, there is a powerful and growing fossil fuel resistance movement that is pushing our institutions and governments to divest and break free from fossil fuels to prioritise people and planet.”
Wendel Trio, Director at Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe: “Today’s ratification announcements inject more momentum into the Paris Agreement and are important steps towards getting real action to start. We are pleased to note that the EU, while feeling the international pressure, finally recognised the urgency and is willing to show unity and move its ratification forward. Leaving New York, EU decision-makers must get into poll position and use this opportunity to translate crucial parts of the Agreement into real action. This includes being pro-active and agreeing now on a process to increase its weak 2030 target by the next big international moment in 2018 the latest.”
Head of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Patricia Espinosa, has officially thanked the 31 governments who on Wednesday in New York took the number of Parties to the Paris Climate Change Agreement past the key threshold of 55.
Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC
For the treaty to enter into force, at least 55 Parties covering at least 55 per cent of the global greenhouse gas emissions are required to join the Agreement.
Entry into force will trigger a variety of procedural activities. For example, it will trigger the first Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement or in short the CMA1.
At a special event organised by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Dominica, Ghana, Guinea, Honduras, Iceland, Kiribati, Madagascar, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Senegal, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Thailand, Tonga, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, and Vanuatu deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession of the Paris agreement.
“As of 21 September we have 60 Parties who have deposited the relevant instruments adding to the 29 who deposited their instruments over the past few months – this is an extraordinary momentum by nations and a clear signal of their determination to implement Paris now and raise ambition over the decades to come,” she said.
“We now look forward to the final threshold that will, 30 days later, trigger entry into force. Namely, at least 55 per cent of the global greenhouse gas emissions also being covered by Parties who have ratified, accepted, approved or acceded to the Paris Agreement with the UN’s Depositary,” added Ms Espinosa.
“Today we can say with ever more confidence that this historic moment is likely to come very soon, perhaps even by the time governments meet for the next round of climate negotiations in Marrakech, Morocco in November,” she said.
“Here many issues need to be progressed, ranging from the development of a rule book to operationalise the agreement up to building confidence among developing countries that the $100 billion pledged to them by developed nations is truly building,” said Ms Espinosa.
“The adoption, signing and ratification of the Paris Agreement are wonderful news but by no means the end. Securing a climate-safe world and supporting the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals is a multi-decadal effort of constant improvement. But we are out of the blocks and off down the track with enthusiasm, creativity and determination to make the transformation the people of this world expect and need,” she added.
The Paris Agreement was universally adopted in December 2015 and signed by many Parties in early 2016. The first ratifications occurred in April 2016. The UNFCCC secretariat Paris Agreement tracker <http://unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9485.php> now records the 60 countries which have ratified accounting for 47.76 percent of global emissions, according to the list provided by Parties to the agreement.
The climate action plans, or Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) submitted in the run up to the Paris conference, are transformed into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
Governments will also be obligated to take action to achieve the two temperature limits enshrined in the agreement – staying well below 2 degrees C and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C over pre-industrial levels, this century.
The next key milestone, following ratification and entry into force, is likely to be the swift and successful conclusion of negotiations to develop the rule book that will allow implementation to begin in earnest.
“Daily, positive announcements of climate action by nations but also companies, investors and cities, regions, territories and states have been a hallmark of 2016. The urgency is to evolve this ever higher in the years and decades to come,” said Ms Espinosa.
The Paris Agreement on climate change on Wednesday in New York moved closer toward entering into force in 2016 as 31 more countries joined the agreement at a special event hosted by United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.
President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria addressing the UN Climate Change Conference COP 21, in Paris, France on 30th Nov 2015. Mr President will this week sign the Paris Agreement
Several large emitting countries, which had not yet completed their domestic approval processes in time for the event, also announced they were committed to joining the agreement this year.
By the end of this week, 190 will have signed the Agreement, including Armenia, Chile, Kyrgyz Republic, Malawi, Moldova, Nigeria, Togo, Turkmenistan, Yemen and Zambia.
The 31 countries that deposited their instruments of ratification at Wednesday’s event include: Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Dominica, Ghana, Guinea, Honduras, Iceland, Kiribati, Madagascar, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Senegal, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Thailand, Tonga, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, and Vanuatu.
The 14 countries that announced their commitment to join the Agreement in 2016 include: Austria, Australia, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, European Union, France, Germany, Hungary, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Poland, and the Republic of Korea.
The Paris Agreement will enter into force 30 days after 55 countries, representing 55 percent of global emissions, deposit their instruments of ratification, acceptance or accession with the Secretary-General.
One of the two thresholds for entry into force has now been met. There are now 60 countries that have joined the agreement – one more than the required 55 needed. These countries represent almost 48 percent of global emissions, just shy of the 55 percent needed for entry into force.
In addition, 14 countries, representing 12.58 percent of emissions, committed to joining the agreement in 2016, virtually assuring that the Agreement will enter into force this year.
“This momentum is remarkable,” Mr. Ban said. “It can sometimes take years or even decades for a treaty to enter into force. It is just nine months since the Paris climate conference. This is testament to the urgency of the crisis we all face.”
In early September, the world’s two largest emitters, China and the United States, joined the Agreement, providing considerable impetus for other countries to quickly complete their domestic ratification or approval processes.
The Paris Climate Agreement marked a watershed moment in taking action on climate change. Adopted by 195 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) last December in Paris, the Agreement calls on countries to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future, and to adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change.
The early entry into force of the Paris Agreement would trigger the operational provisions of the agreement and accelerate efforts to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and to build climate resilience.
Even as the agreement was adopted, countries recognised that present pledges to reduce emissions were still insufficient to reach these goals. The Paris Agreement mandates regular meetings every five years, starting in 2018, to review progress and to consider how to strengthen the level of ambition.
On 22 April this year, 175 world leaders signed the Paris Agreement, the most to ever sign a treaty on a single day.
Wells Fargo & Co., Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and VF Corporation – owner of many apparel and footwear brands including The North Face, Timberland, and Wrangler – are among a group of world-leading businesses from diverse sectors of the economy that on Tuesday, during Climate Week NYC 2016, joined RE100 with commitments to 100% renewable power.
Source of renewable energy: Wind turbines. Photo credit: theenergycollective.com
The eight new joiners also include cloud computing companies VMware Inc. and Rackspace Inc.; global alcoholic beverage company Diageo; and Norway’s largest financial services company DNB.
They follow hot on the heels of Apple and Bank of America, both of which joined RE100 with announcements on stage at the Opening Ceremony of Climate Week NYC yesterday. Amalgamated Bank has also joined the initiative just days after General Motors did the same.
Speaking on their RE100 announcement, Mary Wenzel, Senior Vice President and Head of Environmental Affairs at Wells Fargo, said: “We are very pleased to have joined RE100 and be in the company of others who have also committed to using 100 percent renewable electricity for their operations.
“Learning from RE100 experts and other members is going to be critical as we work toward meeting our 2020 sustainability commitments, including our goal of powering 100 percent of our global operations with renewable electricity by 2017 and transitioning to long-term agreements that directly fund new renewable electricity projects by 2020.”
Letitia Webster, Vice President of Global Corporate Sustainability at VF Corporation, said: “Climate change is the defining issue of our generation and it’s incumbent upon us as large global businesses to take action and lead by example.
“VF and our brands such as The North Face, Timberland, Vans, and Wrangler are committed to achieving our 100 percent renewable energy goal by 2025 and doing our part to address the global climate challenges.”
Damian Ryan, Acting CEO of The Climate Group, welcomed the new commitments: “It is widely acknowledged that we will not succeed in keeping a global temperature rise below two degrees without significant corporate leadership on energy, and that is what we are seeing here today.
“Dozens of world leading companies joining RE100 are showing there’s a clear business case to invest in cleaner energy pathways that will accelerate the transition to net-zero emissions economies. Investors and policymakers must respond to rising corporate demand and ensure that supportive policies are in place.”
There are now 81 members of RE100. The 12 new companies joining the campaign at Climate Week NYC 2016 are helping to drive demand for over19.3TWh of renewable electricity, almost enough to power the whole of Long Island (21.6TWh). This takes the estimated total demand being created by all RE100 members to over 100TWh.
Demonstrating progress against goals.
Just two years since the launch of RE100 at Climate Week NYC 2014, existing members are already demonstrating clear progress towards their 100% goals. Re/insurance company Swiss Re, a founding partner of the RE100 campaign, today announced plans to build and operate its own solar power plant at the company’s US headquarters in Armonk, New York. Construction of the 2MW facility will begin in October 2016. Here, Lasse Wallquist, Senior Environmental Management Specialist at Swiss Re, explains why investing in solar PV makes environmental and economic sense.
Global healthcare company Johnson & Johnson last week strengthened its interim RE100 goal with a commitment to powering its facilities with 35 percent renewable energy by 2020. The company has contracted usage of 100MW of wind energy from E.ON’s new wind farm in Texas, an agreement that will generate electricity equivalent to about 60 percent of their consumption in the U.S.
Cleaner, smarter energy
Also on Tuesday, new joiners were announced to EP100, The Climate Group’s new global initiative run in partnership with the Global Alliance for Energy Productivity that works with businesses committed to doubling their energy productivity.
The Climate Group’s two corporate initiatives RE100 and EP100 are designed to work hand-in-hand to help companies maximise the economic benefits of every unit of energy they consume – and to ensure that what energy they do use for power, is renewable.
Ukraine and the Federated States of Micronesia have deposited their instruments of ratification of the Paris Agreement with the United Nations.
Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) welcomes ratifications by Ukraine and Micronesia
While Micronesia made the deposition last Thursday (15 September 2016, Ukraine ratified on Monday (19 September 2016).
At the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP), held in Paris, France, the Parties adopted the Paris Climate Change Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The Agreement was opened for signature on 22 April 2016 at a high-level signature ceremony convened by the Secretary General in New York. At that ceremony, 174 States and the European Union signed the agreement and 15 States also deposited their instruments of ratification.
As of 19 September 2016, there are 181 signatories to the Paris Agreement. Of these, 29 States have also deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval accounting in total for 40.12% of the total global greenhouse gas emissions.
The Agreement shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after the date on which at least 55 Parties to the Convention accounting in total for at least an estimated 55 % of the total global greenhouse gas emissions have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession with the Depositary.
Authoritative information on the status of the Paris Agreement, including information on signatories to the Agreement, ratification and entry into force, is provided by the Depositary, through the United Nations Treaty Collection website.
Nigeria is expected to sign the treaty this week in New York. Afterwards, it will then deposit her instrument of ratification.
Data released by the CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) on Monday shows that over 600 major international corporations with a combined market cap of $12 trillion are already starting to factor the Paris Agreement on climate change in their business plans before the major environmental legislation has become law.
CDP overview of who prices carbon around the world. Companies have already started factoring the Paris Climate Change Agreement in their business plans
This year’s CDP disclosures come against a backdrop of growing momentum to address global warming pollution by national and local governments, new drivers like China’s impending carbon market, and the recent ratification of the Paris Agreement by the US, China and Brazil. Last year, the number of companies pricing their carbon emissions tripled, continuing a rise from just a handful in 2013.
A second CDP report, also published on Monday, finds that 40 major multi-national companies with a combined market cap of $1.5 trillion have disclosed a tangible impact to their business as a result of internalising a cost on carbon.
The companies describe a variety of ways in which this tool has directly shifted investments toward energy efficiency measures, low-carbon initiatives, energy purchases, and the development of new low-carbon product offerings.
Examples include:
Anglo American uses an internal carbon price to stimulate research and development into low carbon technologies such as fuel cells.
Novartis and SUEZ are selecting major GHG reduction projects and measures based on the cost savings they generate, as determined by their internal carbon price.
Societe Generale has saved EUR 13 million on overheads with a EUR10/tCO2e over three years.
DSM and Saint-Gobain are now pricing carbon internally to underscore strategic shifts towards low-carbon operations and products
The International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity (the Education Commission), a group of world leaders composed of presidents, former prime ministers, business and education leaders, has set out an ambitious and credible programme of reform that will guarantee a basic education to every single child.
The programme aims at providing education for millions of children out of school
The Education Commission has set out the first-ever budget for global education, detailing from now to 2030 the costs and benefits of delivering a universal, high-quality primary and secondary education for all.
The report was presented in New York on Sunday 18 September, to the United Nations Secretary-General at the start of the 71st General Assembly.
The Shocking Facts
Even in 2030 – on current trends:
825 million children in low and middle income countries, half of the world’s 1.6 billion children, will not be able to secure basic secondary-level skills equipping them for the labor market
228 million children will not be in school
400 million will leave school without primary level qualifications
Instead of leaving behind half of today’s youth generation, the Commission sets out a plan under which the 1.3 billion children in low and middle-income countries can in the future attain at minimum the same level of basic skills achieved by children in high-income countries today.
The neglect of education is the biggest challenge countries will face over the next 15 years, the Commission reports. Lack of investment in education systems is crippling the chances of young people in the global workplace and hindering growth, making it impossible for low and middle-income countries to make the transition to high-income status. Failure to change course could result in a loss of $1.8 trillion for low-income countries alone by 2050 – losing 70% of GDP potential.
The Commission finds that the unequal distribution of opportunities fuels further discontent – eagerly exploited by extremists, especially in the Middle East and North Africa – and is a critical motivating factor for mass migration. Evidence shows that the failure to provide education for young children in conflict countries like Syria propels migration to Europe.
The first stage of the Commission’s plan is to have all countries adopting the reforms of the fastest improvers – the 25% of education performers around the world. Instead of only one in 10 schools being online, all schools would go digital.
Stage two of the plan is for every country to see education as an investment in the future and raise spending in low-income countries from 3% of national income today to 5% of national income.
Reform the Global Institutions to Mobilise $20 billion from New Multilateral Bank Consortium
The third stage of the plan is mobilising the combined resources of the international institutions. No country committed to reforming and investing should be denied the chance to deliver universal education for lack of funds.
The Commission proposes major reform of the global institutions and calls for a new consortium of multilateral development banks that will pool resources, in part by leveraging the flows to the World Bank from repayment of past debts.
By raising their commitment to education to 15 per cent of their combined budgets, they can generate an additional $20 billion annually by 2030 – increasing the number of qualified learners to a level ten times the number today in low-income countries.
New Compact: Multilateral Banks, Donors and Developing Countries Working Together The fourth stage of the plan calls for a Financing Compact between developing countries, donors and multilateral institutions under which overall aid will rise to $35 a year per child by 2030 – significantly less than $1 a week, hardly a wasteful use of the world’s resources.
The benefits are clear – the aid given by individual donor countries would be more focused, better coordinated, and more cost-effective; loans from multilateral banks would be more widely and cost-effectively used; and by blending grant and loan finance in a more coordinated way, developing countries would receive more funding at a lower cost. To add to the education budgets and to get more children into school as a result of philanthropy, the Commission proposes a specific ‘education giving pledge’.
The Dramatic Results
Reforms and investment will get every child on track to enter school by 2030 and increase the number of qualified high school graduates in low and middle-income countries from 400 million to 850 million by 2030 – and during the next decade, raise the numbers even further to 1.2 billion. The numbers in the lowest income countries will rise from just eight million to 80 million children. This is what we mean when we say the lost generation can become the learning generation.
Norwegian Prime Minister and Co-Convener of the Education Commission, Erna Solberg, says, “The imperative to get all children and young people learning is shared by all countries. All countries will gain from action and all will face the dangerous consequences of inaction. Evidence shows that, for example, when youth have equal access to education and employment opportunities the risk of engaging in extremist activities are lower. This is a time of opportunity, but that time is running out.”
Gordon Brown, the chair of the Education Commission and UN Special Envoy for Global Education, says, “Delivering high standards of education to millions who lose out is the civil rights struggle of our generation. The evidence before the Commission proves education is the best anti-poverty investment the world can make. I am confident that if we combine investment and reform, and mobilise domestic and international finance in a more coordinated way, we can be the first generation in history in which every single child is at school.”
The Nairobi, Kenya-based Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) has been elected as an observer organisation to the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), on behalf of all African Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) for the next two years.
Mithika Mwenda, Secretary General of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA). He will represent the interests and concerns of CSOs in the African region with regard to the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility. Photo credit: cloudfront.net
Through the Secretary General, Mithika Mwenda, PACJA will represent the interests and concerns of CSOs in the African region with regard to FCPF, which is a global partnership of governments, businesses, civil society, and Indigenous People who are focused on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, forest carbon stock conservation, the sustainable management of forests, and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (activities commonly referred to as REDD+).
The FCPF is also made up of two funds, the Readiness Fund and the Carbon Fund, and their governance bodies. The former supports national REDD+ readiness activities while the latter advances programming and payments for quantified emissions reductions from REDD+ countries.
The Carbon Fund Meetings of the Carbon Fund Participants are usually open to participation by observers.
As a result, Mithika will be expected to attend approximately one FPCF Participant Committee (PC) meeting in 2016, two PC meetings in 2017, and one PC meeting in 2018 representing PACJA, while tabling concerns and interests of African CSOs.
At the same time, the observer will be responsible for disseminating FCPF and REDD+ related documents of interest; circulating information regarding upcoming meetings of the FCPF beforehand, noting items of potential interest and gathering views of constituents on issues included in the agenda (especially views from civil society in countries with agenda items in the FCPF meetings); and providing a report back regarding what happened at FCPF meetings afterwards.
Following the selection process, PACJA received the highest number of votes that any other candidate, and as well attained satisfactory regional balance in accordance with process guidelines established by the advisory committee of FCPF.
PACJA identified Mithika as the Primary Observer and Augustine Njamnshi as the Alternate.
The organisation is a continental coalition of CSOs, which is a platform in climate change and sustainable development, with a membership of more than 1,000 organisations and networks in 45 African countries.
