India France Declaration on Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Technology & Innovation, S&T
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Launch of the Logo for the India-France Year of Innovation 2026
Technology & Innovation, S&T
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Letter of Intent between Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India and Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (INRIA) France to establish the Indo-French Center for the Digital Sciences
Technology & Innovation, S&T
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Agreement for hosting 10 Indian Startups at the French Start-up incubator Station F
Technology & Innovation, S&T
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Declaration of Intent on establishment of partnership on Advanced Modular Reactors and Small Modular Reactors
Civil Nuclear Energy
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Renewal of MoU between Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), India and Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives of France (CAE), France concerning cooperation with Global Center for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP)
Civil Nuclear Energy
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Implementing Agreement between DAE of India and CEA of France concerning cooperation between GCNEP India and Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology (INSTN) France
Civil Nuclear Energy
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Join Declaration of Intent on Triangular Development Cooperation
Indo-Pacific/ Sustainable Development
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Joint Inauguration of India’s Consulate in Marseille
Culture/ People-to-People
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Declaration of Intent between The Ministry for the Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, Forests, Marine Affairs and Fisheries and The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in the Field of Environment.
Jersey Met has confirmed the average annual temperature for 2024 was 12.94°C making it the seventh-warmest year on record.
The average annual temperature takes an average of all days throughout the year, including night-time minimum temperatures and daily maximum temperatures. Official temperatures have been recorded at the Maison St Louis Observatory since 1894.
Head of Meteorology for Jersey Met, Paul Aked, said: “The daily maximum temperatures for 2024 were on average 0.32°C higher than the long-term average, however the nighttime minimums were 0.81°C above the long-term average. It is in this detail, you can see the impacts warmer nights are having, contributing to the overall annual temperature being the seventh warmest on record.
“Along with temperature rise, for every degree our atmosphere warms, the atmosphere can hold 7% more moisture, adding to the wetter weather. As a result, we should be prepared for the potential to see more extreme weather events as our temperature rises.”
Minister for the Environment, Deputy Steve Luce, said: “I thank Jersey Met for providing us this crucial information, which comes just after an announcement by the World Meteorological Organisation last week that January 2025 was the hottest January ever recorded, globally.
“The trends we are witnessing have a huge impact on everyone. With increasing temperatures are associated impacts on biodiversity, food security, and sea levels – which as an island is greatly concerning. This year, I will continue to encourage Islanders to reduce their carbon footprint through the policies in our Carbon Neutral Roadmap. We must ensure Jersey remains on a pathway to net zero by 2050, in line with the internationally recognised targets of the Paris Agreement.”
As a result of the 2024 temperature, another dark red stripe will be added to the Jersey Climate Stripes at the Waterfront. Using colour, the stripes show how the Island’s climate is warming over time, and act as a visual climate change reminder. Once the new stripe has been added, there will be a total of 131 stripes – each representing a year from 1894 through to 2024.
The United States shares the pathologies of all dying empires with their mixture of buffoonery, rampant corruption, military fiascos, economic collapse and savage state repression.
ANALYSIS: By Chris Hedges
The billionaires, Christian fascists, grifters, psychopaths, imbeciles, narcissists and deviants who have seized control of Congress, the White House and the courts, are cannibalising the machinery of state. These self-inflicted wounds, characteristic of all late empires, will cripple and destroy the tentacles of power. And then, like a house of cards, the empire will collapse.
Blinded by hubris, unable to fathom the empire’s diminishing power, the mandarins in the Trump administration have retreated into a fantasy world where hard and unpleasant facts no longer intrude. They sputter incoherent absurdities while they usurp the Constitution and replace diplomacy, multilateralism and politics with threats and loyalty oaths.
Agencies and departments, created and funded by acts of Congress, are going up in smoke.
The rulers of all late empires, including the Roman emperors Caligula and Nero or Charles I, the last Habsburg ruler, are as incoherent as the Mad Hatter, uttering nonsensical remarks, posing unanswerable riddles and reciting word salads of inanities. They, like Donald Trump, are a reflection of the moral, intellectual and physical rot that plague a diseased society. Cartoon: Mr Fish/The Chris Hedges Report
They are removing government reports and data on climate change and withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement,. They are pulling out of the World Health Organisation.
They are sanctioning officials who work at the International Criminal Court — which issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes in Gaza.
They suggested Canada become the 51st state. They have formed a task force to “eradicate anti-Christian bias.” They call for the annexation of Greenland and the seizure of the Panama Canal.
They propose the construction of luxury resorts on the coast of a depopulated Gaza under US control which, if it takes place, would bring down the Arab regimes propped up by the US.
Uttering nonsensical remarks The rulers of all late empires, including the Roman emperors Caligula and Nero or Charles I, the last Habsburg ruler, are as incoherent as the Mad Hatter, uttering nonsensical remarks, posing unanswerable riddles and reciting word salads of inanities. They, like Donald Trump, are a reflection of the moral, intellectual and physical rot that plague a diseased society.
These Christian fascists, who define the core ideology of the Trump administration, are unapologetic about their hatred for pluralistic, secular democracies. They seek, as they exhaustively detail in numerous “Christian” books and documents such as the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, to deform the judiciary and legislative branches of government, along with the media and academia, into appendages to a “Christianised” state led by a divinely anointed leader.
They openly admire Nazi apologists such as Rousas John Rushdoony, a supporter of eugenics who argues that education and social welfare should be handed over to the churches and Biblical law must replace the secular legal code, and Nazi party theorists such as Carl Schmitt.
They are avowed racists, misogynists and homophobes. They embrace bizarre conspiracy theories from the white replacement theory to a shadowy monster they call “the woke.” Suffice it to say, they are not grounded in a reality based universe.
Christian fascists come out of a theocratic sect called Dominionism. This sect teaches that American Christians have been mandated to make America a Christian state and an agent of God. Political and intellectual opponents of this militant Biblicalism are condemned as agents of Satan.
“Under Christian dominion, America will no longer be a sinful and fallen nation but one in which the 10 Commandments form the basis of our legal system, creationism and ‘Christian values’ form the basis of our educational system, and the media and the government proclaim the Good News to one and all,” I noted in my book.
“Labour unions, civil-rights laws and public schools will be abolished. Women will be removed from the workforce to stay at home, and all those deemed insufficiently Christian will be denied citizenship. Aside from its proselytising mandate, the federal government will be reduced to the protection of property rights and ‘homeland’ security.”
Chris Hedges talks to Marc Lamont Hill on Up Front on why “democracy doesn’t exist in the United States” today. Video: Al Jazeera
Comforting to most Americans The Christian fascists and their billionaire funders, I noted, “speak in terms and phrases that are familiar and comforting to most Americans, but they no longer use words to mean what they meant in the past.”
They commit logocide, killing old definitions and replacing them with new ones. Words — including truth, wisdom, death, liberty, life and love — are deconstructed and assigned diametrically opposed meanings.Life and death, for example, mean life in Christ or death to Christ, a signal of belief of unbelief. Wisdom refers to the level of commitment and obedience to the doctrine.
Liberty is not about freedom, but the liberty that comes from following Jesus Christ and being liberated from the dictates of secularism. Love is twisted to mean an unquestioned obedience to those, such as Trump, who claim to speak and act for God.As the death spiral accelerates, phantom enemies, domestic and foreign, will be blamed for the demise, persecuted and slated for obliteration.
Once the wreckage is complete, ensuring the immiseration of the citizenry, a breakdown in public services and engendering an inchoate rage, only the blunt instrument of state violence will remain. A lot of people will suffer, especially as the climate crisis inflicts with greater and greater intensity its lethal retribution.
The near-collapse of our constitutional system of checks and balances took place long before the arrival of Trump. Trump’s return to power represents the death rattle of the Pax Americana. The day is not far off when, like the Roman Senate in 27 BC, Congress will take its last significant vote and surrender power to a dictator. The Democratic Party, whose strategy seems to be to do nothing and hope Trump implodes, have already acquiesced to the inevitable.
The question is not whether we go down, but how many millions of innocents we will take with us. Given the industrial violence our empire wields, it could be a lot, especially if those in charge decide to reach for the nukes.
Foreign aid is not benevolent. It is weaponised to maintain primacy over the United Nations and remove governments the empire deems hostile. Those nations in the UN and other multilateral organisations who vote the way the empire demands, who surrender their sovereignty to global corporations and the US military, receive assistance. Those who don’t do not.
Foreign aid builds infrastructure projects so corporations can operate global sweatshops and extract resources. It funds “democracy promotion” and “judicial reform” that thwart the aspirations of political leaders and governments that seek to remain independent from the grip of the empire.
USAID, for example, paid for a “political party reform project” that was designed “as a counterweight” to the “radical” Movement Toward Socialism (Movimiento al Socialismo) and sought to prevent socialists like Evo Morales from being elected in Bolivia. It then funded organisations and initiatives, including training programmes so Bolivian youth could be taught the American business practices, once Morales assumed the presidency, to weaken his hold on power.
Kennard in his book, The Racket: A Rogue Reporter vs The American Empire, documents how US institutions such as the National Endowment for Democracy, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Inter-American Development Bank, USAID and the Drug Enforcement Administration, work in tandem with the Pentagon and Central Intelligence Agency to subjugate and oppress the Global South.
Client states that receive aid must break unions, impose austerity measures, keep wages low and maintain puppet governments. The heavily funded aid programmes, designed to bring down Morales, eventually led the Bolivian president to throw USAID out of the country.
The lie peddled to the public is that this aid benefits both the needy overseas and us at home. But the inequality these programmes facilitate abroad replicates the inequality imposed domestically. The wealth extracted from the Global South is not equitably distributed. It ends up in the hands of the billionaire class, often stashed in overseas bank accounts to avoid taxation.
Our US tax dollars, meanwhile, disproportionately funds the military, which is the iron fist that sustains the system of exploitation. The 30 million Americans who were victims of mass layoffs and deindustrialisation lost their jobs to workers in sweatshops overseas. As Kennard notes, both home and abroad, it is a vast “transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich globally and domestically”.
Legitimises theft at home “The same people that devise the myths about what we do abroad have also built up a similar ideological system that legitimises theft at home; theft from the poorest, by the richest,” he writes. “The poor and working people of Harlem have more in common with the poor and working people of Haiti than they do with their elites, but this has to be obscured for the racket to work.”
Foreign aid maintains sweatshops or “special economic zones” in countries such as Haiti, where workers toil for pennies an hour and often in unsafe conditions for global corporations.
“One of the facets of special economic zones, and one of the incentives for corporations in the US, is that special economic zones have even less regulations than the national state on how you can treat labour and taxes and customs,” Kennard told me in an interview.
“You open these sweatshops in the special economic zones. You pay the workers a pittance. You get all the resources out without having to pay customs or tax. The state in Mexico or Haiti or wherever it is, where they’re offshoring this production, doesn’t benefit at all. That’s by design. The coffers of the state are always the ones that never get increased. It’s the corporations that benefit.”
These same US institutions and mechanisms of control, Kennard writes in his book, were employed to sabotage the electoral campaign of Jeremy Corbyn, a fierce critic of the US empire, for prime minister in Britain.
The US disbursed nearly $72 billion in foreign aid in fiscal year 2023. It funded clean water initiatives, HIV/Aids treatments, energy security and anti-corruption work. In 2024, it provided 42 percent of all humanitarian aid tracked by the United Nations.
Humanitarian aid, often described as “soft power,” is designed to mask the theft of resources in the Global South by US corporations, the expansion of the footprint of the US military, the rigid control of foreign governments, the devastation caused by fossil fuel extraction, the systemic abuse of workers in global sweatshops and the poisoning of child labourers in places like the Congo, where they are used to mine lithium.
The demise of American power I doubt Musk and his army of young minions in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — which isn’t an official department within the federal government — have any idea about how the organisations they are destroying work, why they exist or what it will mean for the demise of American power.
The seizure of government personnel records and classified material, the effort to terminate hundreds of millions of dollars worth of government contracts — mostly those which relate to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), the offers of buyouts to “drain the swamp” including a buyout offer to the entire workforce of the Central Intelligence Agency — now temporarily blocked by a judge — the firing of 17 or 18 inspectors generals and federal prosecutors, the halting of government funding and grants, sees them cannibalise the leviathan they worship.
They plan to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Education and the US Postal Service, part of the internal machinery of the empire. The more dysfunctional the state becomes, the more it creates a business opportunity for predatory corporations and private equity firms. These billionaires will make a fortune “harvesting” the remains of the empire. But they are ultimately slaying the beast that created American wealth and power.
Once the dollar is no longer the world’s reserve currency, something the dismantling of the empire guarantees, the US will be unable to pay for its huge deficits by selling Treasury bonds. The American economy will fall into a devastating depression. This will trigger a breakdown of civil society, soaring prices, especially for imported products, stagnant wages and high unemployment rates.
The funding of at least 750 overseas military bases and our bloated military will become impossible to sustain. The empire will instantly contract. It will become a shadow of itself. Hypernationalism, fueled by an inchoate rage and widespread despair, will morph into a hate-filled American fascism.
Despite the aura of omnipotence empires often project, most are surprisingly fragile, lacking the inherent strength of even a modest nation-state. Indeed, a glance at their history should remind us that the greatest of them are susceptible to collapse from diverse causes, with fiscal pressures usually a prime factor. For the better part of two centuries, the security and prosperity of the homeland has been the main objective for most stable states, making foreign or imperial adventures an expendable option, usually allocated no more than 5 percent of the domestic budget. Without the financing that arises almost organically inside a sovereign nation, empires are famously predatory in their relentless hunt for plunder or profit — witness the Atlantic slave trade, Belgium’s rubber lust in the Congo, British India’s opium commerce, the Third Reich’s rape of Europe, or the Soviet exploitation of Eastern Europe.
When revenues shrink or collapse, McCoy points out, “empires become brittle.”
“So delicate is their ecology of power that, when things start to go truly wrong, empires regularly unravel with unholy speed: just a year for Portugal, two years for the Soviet Union, eight years for France, 11 years for the Ottomans, 17 for Great Britain, and, in all likelihood, just 27 years for the United States, counting from the crucial year 2003 [when the US invaded Iraq],” he writes.
The array of tools used for global dominance — wholesale surveillance, the evisceration of civil liberties, including due process, torture, militarised police, the massive prison system, militarised drones and satellites — will be employed against a restive and enraged population.
The devouring of the carcass of the empire to feed the outsized greed and egos of these scavengers presages a new dark age.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Environment Agency publication captures latest research about natural flood management to help understand what works best where
Nature can play a major role in improving the nation’s resilience to flooding and coastal erosion, updated research from the Environment Agency underlines.
Informed by significant scientific research including more than 700 papers, the directory summarises the latest evidence for 17 natural flood management (NFM) measures relating to river and floodplain, woodland, run-off, and coast and estuary management.
NFM protects, restores and emulates the natural functions of rivers, floodplains, catchments and the coast to reduce flooding and coastal erosion. It takes many different forms and can be implemented in urban and rural areas, on rivers, and on estuaries and coasts.
The directory shows the wide variety in the benefits of the different measures.
Among the findings, catchment woodland is shown not only to help reduce flood risk but also to provide benefits for soil, biodiversity and water quality, alongside access to nature.
The review showed catchment woodland can reduce the height of flood water, with the greatest reductions during smaller events. One study in Cumbria suggested the flow of flood water was slowed by 14-50% in woodland compared to pasture.
The latest science also showcases the significant wider benefits of saltmarsh and mudflat restoration, including their ability to store large amounts of carbon, helping to mitigate climate change. They can also filter sediments and nutrients, improving water quality.
Managed realignment at Steart Marshes in Somerset created 250 hectares of saltmarsh. A recent study showed the marsh was storing 36.6 tonnes of carbon per hectare per year following restoration, a number which compares favourably with woodland.
For the first time, the updated directory includes emerging evidence for three new measures, highlighting the potential flood risk reduction and wider benefits of coastal reefs, submerged aquatic vegetation, and beavers. There is still more to learn about these measures, including understanding what the best depth for oysters to grow and develop while also effectively reducing wave energy is.
The new Working with Natural Processes directory demonstrates that the evidence for NFM has grown significantly, building confidence in the flood risk reduction and wider benefits.
The directory provides a new evidence baseline for NFM, helping to inform future investment decisions and support the selection of measures on the ground.
Julie Foley, Environment Agency Director of Flood Risk Strategy and National Adaptation, said:
With climate change increasing the threats of flooding and coastal erosion, we must work together with nature to boost resilience across the country.
That’s why the Environment Agency is mainstreaming the use of natural flood management alongside the use of traditional engineered defences.
Our £25 million Natural Flood Management Programme was shaped by the Working with Natural Processes Evidence Directory. Through this fund we are testing our approaches to future investment and the delivery of natural flood management.
New evidence also demonstrates the benefits of combining multiple NFM measures. The five-year Littlestock Brook trial on the River Evenlode in Oxfordshire tested several measures at the same time, including putting in woody dams, creating 230m of new water courses, and planting 14.4 hectares of new woodland. Results from the trial show reductions in the height of flood waters of up to 55.2% across all the storms analysed.
Research suggests the Evenlode project will help remove 8,199 tonnes net of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, attributed to creating the woodland and agroforestry.
The Salmons Brook NFM project in Enfield, north London, combined planting 200 hectares of woodland with reducing the width of the channel by 75% and installing 46 bunds in a rural catchment. Modelling found that, during a once-in-a-25-year storm, the combination could reduce flood flows by half and peak water levels by 10-30cm in the urban areas downstream, with the effectiveness expected to increase with the woodland’s maturity.
Kathryn Brown, The Wildlife Trusts Director of Climate Change and Evidence, said:
Getting the best evidence to support our collective efforts to build resilience is critically important.
I’m delighted to see the latest science on natural flood management coming together in one place through the Environment Agency’s Evidence Directory, with a focus on co-benefits – and to see new recognition of the role beavers can play in natural flood management.
This well-used directory has been pivotal in supporting NFM work across the country, including through The Wildlife Trusts.
Meeting on Thursday with non-governmental entities in Baku for the COP29 climate talks, UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted the crucial role that cities, regions, businesses and financial institutions must play in driving the worldwide effort towards reaching net-zero emissions by mid-century.
“We need a massive global effort to steer our world onto a path to safety; you are out in the front…helping consumers, investors and regulators understand what credible net-zero looks like,” said the Secretary-General.
As violent weather inflicts human tragedy and economic destruction worldwide and with efforts to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius slipping away, Mr. Guterres convened the high-level meeting of non-State actors to spotlight their actions and strategies since 2022, in line with key recommendations issued in a report he launched at COP27 in Shram-el-Sheikh.
‘The path to safety’
The report, Integrity Matters, set out 10 recommendations that serve as a “how-to” guide for credible, accountable net-zero pledges. They detail what non-State actors need to consider at each stage of their progress towards achieving net-zero ambitions and tackling the climate crisis.
Put simply, net zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the amount that is removed from the atmosphere. Reaching this goal requires cooperation between businesses and financial institutions, and other entities working alongside governments.
UNFCCC/Kiara Worth
UN Secretary-General António Guterres pictured onscreen at the COP29 High-Level event: Implementation of the report “Integrity Matters” by the High-level Expert Group on the Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities (HLEG).
‘Fast-track, not backtrack’
On Thursday, the Secretary-General thanked the non-State actors for taking the lead in the global efforts towards the net-zero goal, but said: “Now, we need others to follow.”
He first urged all non-State actors to create robust, accountable transition plans by COP30 next year. The plans must be consistent with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C, and chart a course to net zero by 2050, through milestones in 2025, 2030, 2035, and beyond.
“They must chart a course to fossil fuel phase-out – based in the science. They must disclose policies on lobbying and policy engagement. And they must commit to deep decarbonization across the entire value chain,” said Mr. Guterres
He also stressed that all such plans must not rely on dubious offsets, including for so-called Scope 3 emissions, or indirect emissions, such as those produced by purchased goods and services, business travel or waste disposal.
“Now is the time to fast-track, not backtrack; the time for ambition and transparency. Not greenwashing,” he stated.
Work together with governments
Mr. Guterres called for moving from voluntary pledges to mandatory rules. “The future of humanity is at stake. Action cannot be optional. Disclosing credible transition plans, that align with 1.5 degrees must be mandatory for corporates and financial institutions.”
The UN chief also urged businesses, financial institutions, cities, regions and more, to work with governments on their national climate action plans, or NDCs, due by COP30.
“Help governments ensure that they provide policy and regulatory certainty on a 1.5[C]-aligned future. We must make sure that governments facilitate the work of other actors in this regard, and not that they complicate the work of other actors in compliance with the 1.5[C] aligned future,” said the UN chief.
Later in the day, Mr. Guterres is expected to meet with a group of climate scientists and civil society actors, including young climate activists.
Want to know more? Check out our special events page, where you can find all our coverage of COP29, including stories and videos, explainers and our newsletter.
Leaders in technology and the environment at COP29 in Baku endorsed on Saturday a declaration pledging to use digital technologies to accelerate climate action while reducing the carbon and pollution footprints of tech manufacturing and tackling the growing problem of e-waste.
On the first-ever ‘Digitalisation Day’ for a UN climate conference, the COP29 Declaration on Green Digital Action received endorsements from more than 1,000 governments, companies, civil society organizations, international and regional organizations, and other stakeholders.
Pluses and minuses
According to the UN International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which organized today’s digital focused events at COP29, digital technologies can be key tools to accelerate achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as they play a key role for climate monitoring, early warning systems, and overall climate adaptation and mitigation.
Indeed, such technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data can play a central role in optimizing energy consumption of our digital world. For example, by harnessing AI algorithms, data centers can optimize energy efficiency, streamline operations, and reduce their carbon footprint, ITU says.
However, as the use of digital products and services grows, so does the amount of energy and water used, and e-waste produced.
Growing levels of digitization demand more energy, which raises greenhouse gas emissions. AI programmes need servers that run around the clock. These servers and the data centres that house them use a lot of electricity. In addition, even more energy is required to cool the data centers.
These and other issues were debated at a high-level COP29 roundtable on digitization for climate action.
Unlocking digital technology for climate action
The COP29 Declaration on Green Digital Action recognises the importance of digital technologies to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The objectives in the declaration underscore how digital innovations can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide life-saving tools to inform and warn communities.
“This milestone moment for Green Digital Action at COP29 should propel us forward with the shared belief that we can and must reduce the environmental footprint of digital technologies while leveraging their undeniable potential to tackle the climate crisis,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin.
“Let’s keep building our green digital momentum all the way to COP30, and with it, a more sustainable digital future for generations to come,” she said.
UNFCCC/Kamran Guliyev
On the first-ever Digitalisation Dayfor a UN climate conference, COP29 in Baku held a roundtable Green Digital Action. Pictured onscreen is ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin.
Want to know more? Check out our special events page, where you can find all our coverage of COP29, including stories and videos, explainers and our newsletter.
Rich nations pledged to contribute at least $300 billion annually to the global fight against climate change as UN climate talks came to a contentious end early Sunday morning in Baku. Developing nations who had sought over $1 trillion in assistance called the agreement “insulting” and argued it did not give them the vital resources they required to truly address the complexities of the climate crisis.
After two weeks of intense negotiations, delegates at COP29, formally the 29th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), agreed to provide this funding annually, with an overall climate financing target to reach “at least $1.3 trillion by 2035”.
Soundcloud
Countries also agreed on the rules for a UN-backed global carbon market. This market will facilitate the trading of carbon credits, incentivizing countries to reduce emissions and invest in climate-friendly projects.
These were among the big-ticket issues decided upon as the summit, underway since 11 November in the enormous Baku Stadium in the Azerbaijan capital, ran into double overtime.
Other steps forward at COP29 included:
This summit had been dubbed the ‘climate finance COP’, and representatives from all countries were seeking to establish a new, higher climate finance goal.
The target, or new collective quantified goal (NCQG), will replace the existing $100 billion goal that is due to expire in 2025.
In the closing days at COP29, negotiating teams from the developed and developing worlds were deadlocked over a final deal, with reports that representatives for least developed countries and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOIS) had walked out of the talks.
But he continued, this agreement provides a base on which to build and added: It must be honoured in full and on time. Commitments must quickly become cash. All countries must come together to ensure the top-end of this new goal is met.”
For many vulnerable nations, it represents a glimmer of hope—but only if commitments translate into swift action. “Commitments must quickly become cash,” the Secretary-General stressed, urging all countries to work together to meet the upper end of the new financial goal.
Beyond finance, COP29 built on previous gains in emissions reduction targets, the acceleration of the energy transition, and a long-sought agreement on carbon markets. These achievements come despite an “uncertain and divided geopolitical landscape,” which threatened to derail negotiations.
The UN chief commended negotiators for finding common ground, noting, “You have shown that multilateralism – centred on the Paris Agreement – can find a path through the most difficult issues.”
‘An insurance policy for humanity’
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell described the new finance goal agreed at COP29 as “an insurance policy for humanity.”
“This deal will keep the clean energy boom growing and protect billions of lives. It will help all countries to share in the huge benefits of bold climate action: more jobs, stronger growth, cheaper and cleaner energy for all. But like any insurance policy – it only works – if the premiums are paid in full, and on time.”
He acknowledged that no country got everything they wanted, and that the world leaves Baku with a mountain of work to do. “So, this is no time for victory laps. We need to set our sights and redouble our efforts on the road to Belém,” in the eastern Amazonian region of Brazil, which is set to host COP30 next year.
‘Weak, insulting deal’
While some delegations applauded the deal, many from the developing world, including Bolivia and Nigeria, expressed their deep disappointment at what they argued was an “insultingly low” financing target and that the agreed text failed to significantly build on an agreement last year at COP28 in Dubai calling for nations to “transition away from fossil fuels”.
India’s representative strongly denounced the new goal, calling it a “paltry sum” and emphasizing, “We seek a much higher ambition from the developed countries [and the amount agreed] does not inspire trust that we will come out of this grave problem of climate change.”
A representative from a group of small island nations said: “After this COP29 ends, we cannot just sail off into the sunset. We are literally sinking,” and the conference outcome highlighted “what a very different boat our vulnerable countries are in, compared to the developed countries”.
UNFCCC/Kiara Worth
Civil society actors at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, advocate for climate financing initiatives.
Sierra Leone’s representative said African nations were disappointed in the outcome, which “signals a lack of goodwill by developed countries.” Indeed, the $300 billion deal was “less than a quarter of what science shows is needed and barely enough to forestall a climate catastrophe”.
Striking a different tone, a representative from the delegation of the European Union said the new climate finance goal would “simply will bring much, much more private money on the table, and that is what we need. And with these funds, we are confident we will reach the 1.3 trillion objective.”
Want to know more? Check out our special events page, where you can find all our coverage of COP29, including stories and videos, explainers and our newsletter.
Working with natural processes (WWNP) or natural flood management (NFM) protects, restores or emulates the natural functions of rivers, floodplains, catchments and the coast to reduce flooding and coastal erosion.
The directory shows NFM evidence has grown in recent years, building our confidence in the flood risk and wider benefits these approaches can bring. It provides a new evidence baseline for NFM, helping to inform future investment decisions and support the selection of measures on the ground.
These benefits vary across measures and help us understand what works best and where. There is still more to learn about NFM, but the research gaps are closing and are becoming more detail orientated.
Among the findings, the evidence is telling us that:
catchment woodlands can reduce the height of flood water, with the greatest reductions during smaller events
there is growing research that soil and land management can help with flood resilience, especially in grasslands
for some NFM measures, the wider benefits are even greater than the benefits to flood risk such as with floodplain or river restoration
ponds in floodplain areas can reduce flood risk by decreasing flows and storing water
run-off pathway management can reduce flood risk by storing water, and slowing the flow downstream and includes wider benefits related to water resources and biodiversity
the flood risk benefits of saltmarsh and mudflat restoration, dune management and beach nourishment is consolidating
restoring salt marshes and mudflats offers significant environmental benefits including storing carbon
there is emerging science on the flood reduction benefits of beavers, coastal reefs, and submerged aquatic vegetation – these are new additions to the directory
The fresh measures will enhance resource efficiency, encourage a more circular use of materials, increase competitiveness and improve economic security.
Antimicrobial resistance initiatives are back in the spotlight as stakeholders gather in Jeddah, on the Saudi Arabian coast, a few months after a high-level meeting in New York led to the unanimous adoption of a political declaration by the UN General Assembly. With that declaration the 193-member body pledged concerted action against the under-recognized but serious health concern.
Concerned parties from around the world gathered on Thursday at the Ritz-Carlton in the Red Sea city ahead of the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on AMR for a session focused on non-state actors – non-governmental organizations, private sector, academia and others – to work across sectors to address “one of the most urgent global health threats and development challenges”.
The conference is expected to bring together representatives of 57 states, including 48 Ministers and Vice-Ministers, and more than 450 participants from leading international and civil society organizations, including UN offices and agencies.
The aim is to move from “declaration to implementation” through multisectoral partnerships in the combat against antimicrobial resistance, which has had disastrous effects on health, economies, and societies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
A silent pandemic
When bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites stop responding to antimicrobial medications, it’s known as antimicrobial resistance. Drug resistance raises the risk of disease transmission, serious sickness, disability, and death by making antibiotics and other antimicrobial medications ineffective and making it harder or impossible to treat infections.
In the political declaration adopted by the General Assembly, world leaders agreed to reduce the estimated five million human deaths associated with AMR annually by 10 per cent by 2030. They further called for sustainable national financing and $100 million in catalytic funding, to help achieve a target of at least 60 percent of countries having funded national action plans on AMR by 2030.
It also formalized the Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on Antimicrobial Resistance, which includes the UN World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Development Programme (UNEP) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) along with the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), as the central coordinating structure to support the global response.
Minsitry of Health/Saudi Arabia
Opening session of AMR, the urgent global health and socioeconomic crisis that threatens all age groups in all regions, especially with low- and middle-income countries most affected.
Saudi Minister of Health Fahad Al-Jalajel has stressed the need to adopt a “One Health” approach that systematically addresses the obstacles hindering progress as AMR impacts humans, animals, and the environmental alike. “The Jeddah meeting is a crucial opportunity to strengthen our collective global response to the risks of this growing, silent pandemic”, he has said.
The meeting will address priorities, including surveillance and stewardship, capacity building, funding provision, governance, innovation, research and development.
UN News/Nabil Midani
Political commitment at the highest level
UN News is in Jeddah covering this global conference and spoke to Kathrine Urbaez, Executive Director of the Geneva-based non-governmental organization (NGO), Health Diplomacy Alliance.
The Alliance focuses on advocacy and diplomacy to advance global health issues. She told us that the COVID-19 pandemic has proven the vital importance of ‘One Health’ policies and of garnering cooperation and awareness across sectors and stakeholders.
Ms. Urbaez underscored the need to move from commitments to practical actions and added that the General Assembly’s Political Declaration and the Jeddah Conference are great steps in the right direction, and what is needed is to ensure that the political momentum continues. The Executive Director insisted that implementing commitments is feasible if there is a political will to do so, and establishing “a monitoring and accountability mechanism” is key.
She added: “We have to see antimicrobial resistance from a really holistic global health perspective. I think it is important to have the involvement of politicians at the highest level, not only Ministers of Health, Environment, Agriculture or Finance. We really need political commitment to advance AMR policies and to engage in the one health approach”.
More than a health threat
The complexity of the issue, a lack of funding, and political will in some nations “with the competing health issues that governments have to grapple with” have made it difficult to move from policy documents to action, according to Julian Nyamupachitu, Deputy Director of ReAct Africa, a global network that works to catalyze action on AMR primarily in low- and middle-income countries.
UN News/Nabil Midani
As countries are reviewing and weighing new national plans, Ms. Nyamupachitu said ReAct Africa is helping them prioritize activities that are more practical, and use tools that are available to them to help inform their policy making, such as the WHO costing and budgeting tool.
The Deputy Director said the Political Declaration was an improvement over its 2016 predecessor, but it would have been “good to see commitments, and not just targets” on funding.
She said the theme “moving from declaration to implementation” is very timely and she hoped to see a serious commitment by Ministers in Jeddah.
“I believe awareness has been raised. They have appreciated the statistics that have been shared. This is indeed a global health threat, not just affecting the health sector, not just affecting the agriculture, environment, and animal sectors, but it’s actually an economic problem as well”, she added.
‘The antibiotics market is broken’
Michiel Peters is the Secretariat Representative of the AMR Industry Alliance, which includes companies and industry organizations in the fields of research and development (R&D), pharmaceuticals, generics, biotech and diagnostics. He also represents the broader private sector on the AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform Steering Committee, which was established and is facilitated by the four organizations supporting the global response.
UN News/Nabil Midani
Mr. Peters said antibiotics are “fundamentally different” than any other product brought to market “where your goal would be to sell as much of it as possible”. He said with antibiotics, the goal is to get the “right drug to the right person when they need it”, which is not always a lucrative business. He also noted that developing antibiotics requires an “incredible amount of time and investment” and in many cases the drugs don’t reach the market, and so “the marketplace for antibiotics is broken”.
Mr. Peter’s added that there is a serious lack of government funding and incentives for antibiotic R&D, but the larger concern is that “the researchers actually needed to do the science in the laboratories are leaving this field”, as opposed to diseases like cancer, for example, where research is strong.
The private sector representative said a lot of progress was made since the first High-Level Meeting on AMR took place in 2016, but there is still so much more to do and “nobody can tackle this problem alone”.
He said the Jeddah conference and the plenary meeting for the Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform, running in parallel on the closing day, are both very important to see “not just what we can put on paper, but what it is that we are actually going to do”.
The latest round of UN climate negotiations, COP29, opened this past Monday in Baku, Azerbaijan, following a year that broke multiple extreme heat records and saw widespread climate-driven chaos – from wildfires to destructive floods and hurricanes – hit nearly every corner of the world. A major increase in financial commitments to assist vulnerable countries in mitigating and adapting to climate impacts is the main goal of this year’s conference, which has been dubbed the “climate finance COP.”
Can countries agree on a new climate finance target?
The UN’s main climate science body, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has issued increasingly dire warnings about the accelerating pace of global warming. To limit temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, substantial investments are needed in clean energy technologies, infrastructure, and adaptation measures.
Developing countries, particularly small island nations and least developed countries, are disproportionately vulnerable to climate impacts like sea level rise, extreme weather events, and droughts. They require significant financial support to build resilience, transition to low-carbon economies, and compensate for loss and damage.
Round-the-clock negotiations in Baku on the always thorny topic of money are reportedly moving slowly. Delegates from developing nations are calling for more and faster progress on new funding for loss and damage and accelerated clean energy goals.
Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which convenes the annual COP meetings, had a message for G20 leaders early on Saturday before they hopped on their planes for Rio de Janeiro:
“Climate finance progress outside of [the UNFCCC process] is equally crucial, and the G20’s role is mission-critical…the global climate crisis should beorder of business Number One, in Rio next week. The [G20] Summit must send crystal clear global signals. That more grant and concessional finance will be available; that further reform of multilateral development banks is a top priority, and G20 governments – as their shareholders and taskmasters – will keep pushing for more reforms.”
Finally, the UN climate chief said that “in turbulent times and a fracturing world, G20 leaders must signal loud and clear that international cooperation is still the best and only chance humanity has to survive global heating. There is no other way.”
Earlier in the week, Mr. Stiell gave a stark assessment of the stakes: Worsening climate change and the socioeconomic damage it inflicts mean “billions of people simply cannot afford for their government to leave COP29 without a global climate finance goal.”
“So, for leaders here and back in capitals – make it clear that you expect a strong set of outcomes. Tell your negotiators – skip the posturing – and move directly to finding common ground,” he said.
In his opening remarks on Tuesday to the World Leaders Climate Action Summit, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that 2024 has been “a masterclass in climate destruction.” He emphasized the critical role of climate finance in addressing the crisis: “The world must pay up, or humanity will pay the price…climate finance is not charity, it’s an investment. Climate action is not optional, it’s an imperative.”
Mr. Stiell later echoed this sentiment: “Let’s dispense with the idea that climate finance is charity. An ambitious new climate finance goal is entirely in the self-interest of every single nation, including the largest and wealthiest.”
Beyond the $100 billion pledge
In 2009 at the 15th Conference of UNFCCC Parties (COP15) in Copenhagen, developed countries committed to mobilizing $100 billion per year in climate finance by 2020. While this target was finally met in 2022, it has been criticized as insufficient and delayed.
At COP29, negotiators are aiming to set a new, more ambitious target for climate finance. Developing countries are pushing for a significantly higher figure, potentially in the trillions of dollars per year. However, discussions on the exact amount and the modalities for delivering the funds remain contentious.
An early breakthrough on carbon
A significant breakthrough on the opening day at COP29 was the adoption of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, paving the way for a UN-backed global carbon market. This market will facilitate the trading of carbon credits, incentivizing countries to reduce emissions and invest in climate-friendly projects.
James Grabert, head of the Mitigation Division at UN Climate Change, the shorthand by which the UNFCCC secretariat is known, said that this historic agreement will provide countries with a “valuable tool” to meet their climate targets and drive sustainable development.
With COP29 coming on the heels of presidential polls in the United States, impact of a new US Administration on global climate action has been on the minds of many in the corridors of Baku Centre.
At a press conference, President Hilda Heine of the Marshall Islands and Ireland’s Environment Minister Eamon Ryan stressed that despite worries about a US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, the combat against climate change is a global effort that requires global cooperation towards a better economy for all. The two leaders also cited the ongoing progress by states and cities as reasons for hope.
UNFCCC/Kiara Worth
Around the clock negotiations are underway at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, on a new global climate finance deal.
A just transition, not a ‘stampede of greed’
Before heading to the G20 summit in Brazil, Mr. Guterres held several climate-related meetings, including one on critical minerals essential for renewable energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicles.
These minerals, such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, and rare earth elements, are crucial for the transition away from fossil fuels, with demand expected to triple by 2030.
Many of these minerals are found in Africa, which could benefit financially. However, there’s concern about a “resource curse,” where countries where these resources are located don’t benefit.
Mr. Guterres emphasized managing demand without triggering a “stampede of greed” that exploits and crushes the poor but instead ensures local communities benefit.
Dario Liguti from the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) also highlighted the need for “sustainable exploitation of these minerals”, especially in emerging markets, to protect the environment and support local communities. In April, the UN chief formed a High-Level Panel to ensure countries and communities with these resources benefit the most.
Young people around the world are increasingly demanding climate action and climate justice. They are calling on governments and businesses to take bold steps to reduce emissions, protect vulnerable communities, and create a sustainable future for all.
After meeting with youth representatives and climate advocates at COP29, the Secretary-General posted on social media that he understood their frustrations: “You have every right to be angry. I am angry too…because we are on the verge of the climate abyss, and I don’t see enough urgency or political will to address the emergency.”
Basmallah Rawash, a Climate Activist with Care About Climate, said, “We are not the ones that are supposed to carry the burden of mitigation. We are not the ones who have caused this, but we are the ones that will carry the burden of the biggest struggle at the moment.”
The decisions made in Baku will have far-reaching consequences for generations to come. It is imperative that negotiators reach an ambitious agreement that delivers the finance needed to build a resilient and low-carbon future for all.
Stay tuned to UN News! Our team in Baku will be following the action through the end of next week.
Want to know more? Check out our special events page, where you can find all our coverage of COP29, including stories and videos, explainers and our newsletter.
As negotiations over how to tackle climate change head into their fifth day in Baku, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed solidarity with young climate advocates at COP29, who told him they are frustrated by the lack of political action on the crisis.
“You have every right to be angry. I am angry too,” the UN chief posted on social media on Thursday following his meeting with youth representatives and young environmental activists. “I am angry because we are on the verge of the climate abyss, and I don’t see enough urgency or political will to address the emergency.”
While the opening days of this year’s COP have featured the expected speeches, report launches and expert interventions, today’s youth roundtable was something different.
Organized by the Youth Advisory Group and YOUNGO – the official youth community of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – the discussion was a candid departure from the usual formalities of the UN Secretary-General’s usual schedule.
Opting out of traditional speeches, young eco-activists from across the globe chose to present their visions on tackling climate change, engage in frank discussions about challenges they encounter, and even to solicit advice from the UN chief on how to take significant steps towards preventing a climate catastrophe.
An everyday reality
The participants spoke of their dreams and fears, proposing concrete steps to make the world more sustainable and secure for future generations. For many, climate issues are not abstract concepts but everyday realities they are determined to face head on.
“We discussed the role of youth in sustainable development and the fight against climate change. The fact that Mr. Guterres listens to young people’s opinions and values their ideas is very important to me,” said Aysel Azizova, a young environmental activist from Azerbaijan, who told UN News afterward that her meeting with the Secretary-General “was very productive and inspiring”.
“This dialogue helped me and my colleagues better understand the causes of climate change and potential solutions. He gave us practical advice,” Ms. Azizova said.
She said that during the discussion, she had suggested measures to stimulate investment in green technologies and tackle resource limitations, especially for developing countries. “Mr. Guterres kindly addressed my question and explained all the details,” she added.
Youth are central to climate action
Lamin Jawo, an 18-year-old child rights activist from the Gambia, shared his reflections with UN News: “I took two important points from his speech, one was about youth involvement. The voices of young people, especially marginalized groups like children and people with disabilities, are essential in climate action.”
The perspective of young people should be integral to climate initiatives, he said, and added: “The second point concerns climate finance. The Secretary-General mentioned that funding is available, so I want to say that it should be accessible to all nations, especially the most vulnerable to climate change.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres meets with young climate and environmental activists at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Urban resilience, indigenous knowledge
Architect and urban planner HY William Chan, who is also the youngest-ever Lord Mayoral City Councilor from Sydney, Australia, also spoke with UN News, highlighting the role of cities on the front lines of climate change.
“The UN Secretary-General’s remarks resonated with me, particularly since Australia has a deep Indigenous history that emphasizes a harmonious relationship with the environment,” he said.
“The Secretary-General also emphasized the need for global reform, which our generation has long called for,” Mr. Chan added. “Current governance systems are failing us, especially the vulnerable communities and developing nations on the front lines of the climate emergency. He reinforced the need for a more equitable approach to development and financing – one that ensures resources and policies are accessible and responsive to the most affected communities, including small island states, particularly in my backyard, the Pacific.”
According to Mr. Chan, young people should be decision-makers, not just participants in the process. He emphasized that the Mr. Guterres’ words serve as a powerful reminder of the collective moral responsibility to pursue systemic change for the sake of future generations.
UN Video | ‘You Can Count On Me’ UN Secretary-General Tells Youth Climate Activists at COP29
‘I count on you, you can count on me’
In a follow-up message to young people, the UN chief urged: “I ask you to be even more determined and imaginative in keeping up the pressure for climate action. We need a strong youth movement – now more than ever.”
The UN Secretary-General reaffirmed his commitment to supporting young climate advocates, calling the climate crisis “the most important battle of our time” and insisting, “we must win.”
“I count on you, and you can count on me,” he concluded.
Want to know more? Check out our special events page, where you can find all our coverage of COP29, including stories and videos, explainers and our newsletter.
Commission 2025 Work Programme and new competitiveness strategy
At 9.00, Commissioner Śefčovič will present the Commission’s 2025 work programme, followed by a discussion with MEPs and Polish EU Affairs Minister Szłapka. In an afternoon debate, starting around 14.00, plenary will review the recently tabled proposal for a new competitiveness roadmap, with Commission Vice-President Séjourné and Minister Szłapka.
Repression in Russia one year after Navalny’s murder
MEPs will examine the Kremlin’s continued repression of Russia’s political opposition a year after the murder of Alexei Navalny, in a debate starting around 10.30.
US withdrawal from WHO and the Paris deal and suspension of external aid
Starting around 16.30, MEPs and Commissioner Lahbib will debate the consequences of the US Administration’s decision to pull out of the World Health Organisation and the Paris Agreement on climate change, as well as the impact of the suspension of US humanitarian and development aid.
Support to EU regions bordering Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. From around 15.00, plenary will debate with Commission Vice-President Fitto and Minister Szłapka EU support to regions sharing borders with Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.
Seven years after the Kuciak murders: threats to journalists in the EU. MEPs will assess with Commissioner McGrath the state of media freedom across the EU and discuss how to ensure the protection of journalists.
Mental health of Europe’s youth. MEPs and Commissioner Micallef will discuss how to tackle increasing mental health issues among European young people.
Human rights in Türkiye, Nicaragua and Nigeria. MEPs and Commissioner Micallef will consider the recent dismissals and arrests of mayors in Türkiye, repression in Nicaragua and the risk of the death penalty in Nigeria for blasphemy charges. Three draft resolutions will be put to a vote by plenary on Thursday.
Collaboration between conservatives and far right. In this session’s topical debate at 13.00, MEPs will discuss with Commission Vice-President Séjourné and Polish Minister Szłapka whether collaboration between conservatives and far right threatens competitiveness in the EU.
Votes
At noon, plenary will vote, among others, on:
New VAT rules for the digital age, and
Improved administrative cooperation in the field of taxation.
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
Three capital projects received awards at the International Exhibition of Intellectual Property, Inventions, Innovations and Technologies IPITEX 2025, which was held in Bangkok. This was reported by Maria Bagreeva, Deputy Mayor of Moscow, Head of the Department of Economic Policy and City Development.
The gold medal in the category “Construction, civil engineering and architecture” was won by the collection of standards for assessing the costs of operating urban facilities (SN-2012). The organizers also awarded it a special prize for the high level of the product.
The electronic robotic system “Risk-Based Approach to Execution of Government Contracts” won the gold medal in the category “Robotics, Electronics, Automation, Internet of Things and Software”. In addition, the project was awarded a special prize by the Japan Intellectual Property Association (JIPA) as the best innovative IT development.
The investment program registry won a silver medal in the category “Environmental protection, energy, water supply, green technologies”. In addition, it was awarded a diploma by the World Association of Women Inventors and Entrepreneurs as the best development.
“The digital technologies that Moscow is implementing to improve the quality of life of the population and improve the business climate of the Russian capital are receiving recognition from the expert community at the international level. The SN-2012 collection contains prices for all types of work and services for the maintenance and repair of schools, clinics, parks, roads, bridges and other city facilities. This information helps the city avoid unjustified costs and provides businesses with equal conditions for participation in government procurement,” noted Maria Bagreeva.
She also emphasized that the robotic system “Risk-oriented approach to the execution of state contracts” allows organizations to control the timely payment of contracts and reduces the time for auditing subordinate institutions. The register of investment programs, in turn, simplifies the interaction between project initiators and potential investors, which accelerates the implementation of significant city initiatives.
In 2024, the main IPITEX awards were given to the Unified Data Warehouse database, as well as the digital mechanism for forming purchases in the healthcare system within the Expertise platform. The model for predicting citizens’ fees in the Tariff information and analytical system won a bronze medal.
The International Exhibition of Intellectual Property, Inventions, Innovations and Technologies IPITEX has been held in Bangkok since 1995 under the auspices of the National Research Council under the patronage of the King of Thailand and the International Federation of Inventors Associations. In 2025, 680 developers from 22 countries took part in it.
Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
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Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
Professional athletes fulfilled the dream of 17-year-old Margarita, a pupil of a center for orphans, as part of the project “Let’s Be Friends!” The girl attended a training session with experienced figure skaters, reported Anastasia Rakova, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Social Development.
“We strive to create comfortable and favorable conditions for children who find themselves in a difficult life situation. Thanks to the “Let’s Be Friends!” project, young Muscovites can find friends, mentors, and decide on a career choice. Over 4.5 years, the project has helped fulfill more than 220 children’s wishes, including meeting famous people. This time, we decided to organize training for the children on Vorobyovy Gory under the guidance of outstanding athletes. The day before, on February 11, Olympic champions held a master class for the children of orphanages at the skating rink of the Palace of Pioneers. Professional figure skaters, bobsledders, and hockey players showed the children the techniques of sharp turns and braking on ice,” said Anastasia Rakova.
Margarita’s friends from orphanage centers, as well as Olympic champion and president of the Association for the Development of Mass Figure Skating Ekaterina Deputat (Bobrova) and world championship medalist, master of sports Andrey Deputat came to support her. They conducted a full training session for the beginning figure skater, paying attention to the correct body position, technique of performing steps, turns, safe falls and basic elements of figure skating.
According to Margarita, she liked the spins, runs and skating on one leg the most. She had seen these elements at competitions before, and now she could repeat them herself. The girl quickly mastered the new movements and even helped her friends. She noted that she received a boost of inspiration and will continue to develop in her favorite sport.
“We started the master class with a number performed by Andrey to inspire the children. Our main message is that all children understand that everyone is capable of mastering figure skating, it is not as difficult as it seems. Margarita skates very well, it is clear that she is truly inspired and this helps her not to give up, even when she did not succeed the first time. We will be glad to see her in the ranks of amateur figure skaters,” Ekaterina Deputat emphasized.
Olympic bobsleigh champion Dmitry Trunenkov and famous hockey players Aslan Raisov and Stanislav Katsuba taught children hockey skating. They demonstrated the techniques of acceleration, sharp turns, balancing and stopping on the ice. The children enthusiastically mastered new skills that develop strength, coordination and endurance. Dmitry, on behalf of all the participants of the “Star Troopers” team, wished the children to be confident in their abilities, not to be afraid to set the most ambitious goals and go towards their dreams, and he and his colleagues and friends will always help with this.
The Let’s Be Friends! project helps orphans and children from families in difficult life situations find friends, mentors and decide on a future profession. Last year, the participants met cosmonauts and visited the Moscow Planetarium. Movie and TV fans were able to talk to famous actors and see how news is created. A meeting with Olympic champion Alina Zagitova brought special joy.
The project’s partners have already reached 15 organizations. In addition to the representatives of “Star Troopers”, the participants include, for example, the Moscow transport team, the Moscow Zoo, the Alliance for the Protection of Children in the Digital Environment, the Spartak football club, and the Che theater.
Anyone can make the dream of the children in orphanage centers come true. You can learn more about the project and join it on the official website.
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“What do I want the river to carry away? The deforestation,” Sandra Donado says, her voice competing with the sudden storm lashing her canoe as it floats down the Guaviare River in Colombia’s Amazon biome region.
This waterway, a silent witness to the turmoil of the municipality of Mapiripán, has seen it all – the wildlife trafficking, the coca harvests that fuelled conflict, the human bodies left behind amid a heinous massacre and the relentless erosion of the rainforest it once nourished.
Now, Sandra hopes it will carry away the pain of the past and usher in an era of healing for her community and for its land.
Mapiripán has long been trapped in a cycle of conflict and environmental degradation exacerbated by climate change. Many years ago, it was known for its illegal wildlife fur trade; later, it became a coca-growing region, attracting armed groups that turned the lush rainforest into a battleground.
Promise of prosperity
A young Sandra, facing extreme poverty and violence, arrived in Mapiripán in the early 2000s, drawn by a promise of prosperity. “There was an economic boom,” she recalls, “but it came from illicit crops – there was no other way to live.”
But the area’s prosperity was short-lived. Eventually, the conflict escalated, and the coca trade collapsed, leaving the community in ruins. “We lived with both prosperity and conflict,” Sandra says, her voice trembling as she recounts harrowing experiences of hiding from armed groups.
By 2009, most of the people in the rural communities in the region were forced to leave.
Many, including Sandra, returned after the signing of the Colombia Peace Agreement in 2016 which ended a decades-long rebel insurgency.
But the land, scarred by conflict and unsustainable cultivation, now struggled to produce. With a lack of infrastructure and limited market access, farmers like Marco Antonio Lopez turned to cattle ranching for survival.
Deforestation boom
This meant clearing more forests. “We would deforest 15 or 20 hectares with our own hands for our cattle,” he admits, “not to destroy biodiversity, but to find a way to survive.”
They also watched helplessly as newcomers took over abandoned areas and deforested even larger swaths of land. “They didn’t care about deforesting 700 to 1,000 hectares,” Sandra says with disgust. “They would just cut right through the centre of the mountain.”
The consequences were becoming all too clear: “That’s when we started to feel the heat, to notice the change in the climate,” she adds.
A silvopastoral system in the Amazon integrates trees and shrubs into livestock pastures. This increases carbon storage in trees and soil, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from livestock and fertilizer and boosting resilience to climate change.
Sandra and Marco now long for a future where they can improve their lives while protecting the forests, a desire shared across the country.
In fact, Colombia has made significant progress in curbing deforestation. The nation demonstrated that, between 2015 and 2016, deforestation rates in its Amazon Biome dropped substantially, preventing almost seven million tons of CO2 emissions.
This success helped the nation secure a $28.2 million Results-based Payment (RBP) from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in 2020 to implement the Colombia REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) project, known in the country as Vision Amazonia.
Led by theUN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Vision Amazonia promotes conservation and sustainable land management in rapid deforestation areas like Mapiripán.
A silvopastoral system in the Amazon integrates trees and shrubs into livestock pastures. This increases carbon storage in trees and soil, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from livestock and fertilizer and boosting resilience to climate change.
‘We, the community’
In coordination with the Colombian government and local communities, the FAO project which runs until the end of 2026, protects the Amazon biome through forest monitoring and sustainable management practices, benefitting smallholders, farmer associations and local authorities alike.
“We, the community, are already aware of the problem caused by climate change. Now when we go out into the field to do work, the sun is so strong that we cannot resist the heat anymore. We have truly begun to develop an awareness of the need for preservation of these beautiful ecosystems that we have in the territory,” says Marco.
“If the forest thrives and we thrive, the animals thrive,” Sandra adds.
Deforestation releases carbon into the atmosphere, which fuels climate change and further harms forests.
“With this project,” explains Sandra Vanegas, FAO local markets coordinator, “we are ensuring forest conservation while families generate resources through associative projects.
“We are promoting agroforestry gardens where they can produce for their own consumption and conserve seeds and endemic plants.”
Indeed, Marco and Sandra’s communities have now gained a deep understanding of agroforestry, a sustainable land use practice that combines agriculture and forestry. Through educational visits, they’ve witnessed firsthand how to revitalize their soils with organic fertilizer and grow their own food.
Marco recounts a gradual awakening regarding their livestock. “We didn’t know at the time,” he admits, “that we didn’t need a huge extension of pastures for our cows to have good nourishment.”
The initiative, he says, opened their eyes through a series of training sessions. Now they have started to implement silvopastoral systems by planting trees on their family farms.
“They gave us a broader perspective, helping us realize the damage and consequences of continued deforestation. That’s when we, as leaders, took a stronger stance to protect the forest.”
This newfound awareness led them to form the AGROCIARE association to pursue sustainable projects. For instance, they have been actively working to plant and commercialize the cacay tree, a native Amazonian species known for its nutritious fruit.
With training in legal and organizational skills, they’ve strengthened their association’s capacity to advocate for environmental protection and better livelihoods.
“Our vision is to ensure that the treasure of our environment and rainforest is protected by those of us who live here,” Marco declares.
By working with the rural communities, the programme is finding climate solutions that are effective, equitable and offer a different future for the Amazon.
Agrifood systems solutions are climate, biodiversity and land solutions
This story is part of a three-part series from FAO on climate, biodiversity and land solutions in Colombia. These stories take you from the arid landscapes of La Guajira, where the SCALA programme is supporting climate resilience and food security, to the Pacific coast, where a Global Environmental Facility-supported project is working to conserve rich biodiversity while also contributing to the pursuit of peace.
As COP29 climate talks in Baku enter their final week, the UN climate chief told negotiators on Monday to “cut the theatrics,” get down to business and hammer out a new finance deal to compensate countries for climate-driven damages and pay for a clean-energy transition.
“We can’t lose sight of the forest because we’re tussling over individual trees,” said Simon Stiell, urging delegates to wrap up “less contentious issues” as early as possible this week, so there is enough time for the major political decisions.
COP29 opened in the Azerbaijan capital this past Monday with the main goal of reaching agreement on scaling up finance to address the worsening impacts of global warming.
Despite an early breakthrough on standards that will pave the way for a UN-governed carbon market, the talks on climate finance have been slow and contentions, with delegations digging in their heels rather than looking for common ground.
Time for business, not brinkmanship
“Bluffing, brinksmanship, and pre-mediated playbooks” are burning up precious time and running down the goodwill needed for an ambitious package, emphasized Mr. Stiell, who is the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which convenes the annual COP meetings.
The stakes are too high for “an outbreak of ‘you-first-ism’…where groups of parties dig in and refuse to move on one issue, until others move elsewhere,” he said and the only way to get the job done is “if Parties are prepared to step forward in parallel, bringing us closer to common ground.”
Mr. Stiell’s plea comes after UN Secretary-General António Guterresalso voiced concern over the state of negotiations at COP29, noting that countries must agree to an ambitious climate finance goal that meets the scale of the challenge faced by developing countries.
Speaking to reporters in Rio on Sunday ahead of the G20 summit, the UN chief said that “now is the time for leadership by example from the world’s largest economies and emitters. Failure is not an option.”
Beyond the negotiations, other meetings and high-level events at COP29 touched on a range of topics – from the climate-health nexus to human development and education.
UN News/Nargiz Shekinskaya
Catarina from Brazil (left) and Francisco from Columbia (right) call for a UN children’s COP during a UNICEF press conference on youth-led climate action, held at COP29 in Baku
‘No decisions about us without us!’
Children and young people also made their voices heard at several lively and well attended events, as they called for protection from the effects of climate change; measures to prevent further destruction of the planet; and stepped-up efforts to preserve nature.
They urged decision-makers at COP29 to give them a seat at the climate negotiating table and to urgently consider organizing a separate UN climate conference specifically for children.
According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), climate change impacts the well-being of nearly 1 billion children – half of the world’s child population. Air pollution, infectious diseases, environmental degradation, and extreme weather events compromise children’s health, hinder their education, and deprive them of the nutrition they need to grow and thrive.
During heatwaves, young children are at risk of dehydration because their bodies cannot regulate temperature effectively. Floods and droughts impoverish families, leaving children to bear the consequences.
“Floods force school closures in Liberia, and children miss school,” said Juanita Tamba of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, the world’s largest volunteer movement for the empowerment of girls and young women.
“And during the dry season, we have to travel long distances to fetch water, and girls often face violence while trying to get water,” she told UN News.
UNICEF estimates that climate-related disasters cause approximately 40 million children to miss school each year, and the number is rising.
Zunaira, from Pakistan, one of the youngest participants in Baku, is attending COP29 with the support of UNICEF.
She told UN News: “When there are floods in my country, resources become limited, and there are not enough for everyone. Children, especially girls, are the most affected.”
Speaking at a UNICEF press conference on youth-led climate action, Rasul, a youth from Azerbaijan highlighted the dire condition of the Caspian Sea. “Due to rising temperatures and prolonged heatwaves, the water level in this amazing body of water is falling,” he said.
Baku is situated on the coast of the Caspian, the biggest inland body of water in the world. Rasul observed that the effects on Azerbaijan’s people are becoming more noticeable as the shoreline recedes, particularly the rising temperatures: “Both summer and winter in Azerbaijan are getting warmer.”
‘The future needs a voice!’
Catarina, a 16-year-old environmental activist from Salvador, Brazil, a city on the Atlantic Ocean, also shared her experiences.
A passionate surfer since childhood, she noted: “When I was nine years old, I actually felt the ocean warming. I was constantly in the water and… I realized something was wrong when [it] was much hotter than normal in areas I frequented. Then I noticed coral reefs covered in white spots – coral bleaching was something I had never seen before.”
Despite her young age, Catarina is an experienced climate activist. When she was just 12 years old, she joined other children in filing a complaint with the Geneva-based UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to protest government inaction on the climate crisis.
“It was the first time children brought a global complaint through a UN mechanism. We denounced five countries, and as a result, the UN officially recognized that children’s rights are affected by the lack of climate action,” Catarina said.
In an emotional speech, she emphasized: “Children have things to say, and we know how to say them. We need the space… not at COP30. We need a COP for children right now!”
According to Catarina, she was fairly certain that it might be too late to make significant change by the time she started her job or rose to a position of influence.
“Effective actions must happen now. That’s why children need to be included in the decision-making process. If we are the future, then this future needs to have a voice,” she concluded.
UNICEF Executive Director Katherine Russell has echoed Catarina’s sentiments, saying earlier this month: “At COP29 and through Nationally Determined Contributions, governments must prioritize children’s rights,”
“Children need to be included in the solutions, and global leaders must make health care, education, water, and sanitation systems more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Now is the time to act.”
Under the Paris Agreement, countries are required to submit updated national climate action plans, or NDC’s, next year at COP30.
In that context, UNICEF has warned that less than half of the current plans are child- or youth-sensitive, and only three percent were developed through participatory processes involving children.
Against this background, 16-year-old Payton Esau from Canada brought a manifesto to the climate conference, signed by 800 of her peers.
“We demand that governments communicate in a language young people can understand so we know what measures are being taken to combat climate change. Governments must act without delay to keep warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius,” Payton told UN News.
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A new draft finance deal delivered to harried negotiators in Baku on Friday – the final scheduled day for the UN climate talks that have been under way for the past two weeks – proposes rich countries commit $250 billion a year to help vulnerable nations cope with our warming planet and to accelerate the global switch to renewable energy.
The new draft outcome text, which will surely push this round of talks into the weekend, called for the overall climate financing goal to reach “at least $1.3 trillion by 2035”, but left out specifics – grants, loans, or from the private sector – on how these funds will be raised.
Delegations in Baku are expected to keep negotiating on several key issues:
Specifics about the role of developed countries in providing this new finance.
A global goal on a just transition.
Clear way forward on both adaptation and mitigation.
The conference plenary is expected to reconvene on Saturday to work towards a final agreement.
‘A slap in the face’
Civil society climate and environment advocates were quick to react to this latest draft.
Some expressed their anger and disappointment at the draft by taping pieces of paper on their faces or foreheads with “Pay up!” written on them.
Kelly Stone from ActionAid International Foundation explained to UN News, “I am wearing this because we are calling on Global North countries to pay up for climate finance and the debt they owe to the Global South.”
Namrata Chowdhary from the 350.org, an international environmental organization, stated: “I can say it is disappointing [at] the very least.”
“It is a slap. It is an insult. It is shocking that we are at this state now. The rich countries are basically gambling with the lives of people in the developing nations and small islands,” she said.
Lidy Nacpil from Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development also expressed her disappointment. She also pointed out that “climate finance should not come in the form of loans because this will add to the debt burden”.
“One of the issues that is preventing the Global South from undertaking urgent climate actions and also from providing our people with the essential services we need is the debt burden,” she told UN News.
Jacobo Ocharan of Climate Action Network International said: “We urge all developing countries to have the courage in the negotiations to keep pushing, because this deal is terrible. We keep pushing on the idea that no deal is better than a bad deal.”
UNFCCC/Kiara Worth
Negotiating teams at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, pictured here during a break in the talks, are working to reach agreement on a new climate financing deal.
What’s at stake
COP29, formally the 29th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has been dubbed, the ‘climate finance COP’ because parties are expected to establish a new global climate finance target.
This target, or new collective quantified goal (NCQG), is seen as one of the summit’s main deliverables. It will replace the existing $100 billion goal that is due to expire in 2025.
Climate experts have pegged the new annual funding goal at between $1 trillion and $1.3 trillion, which would assist vulnerable nations to deal with loss and damage from climate change and to adapt to that change, including building out their own clean-energy systems.
Last week, in a move to support a new funding target, the World Bank Group and other multilateral development banks announced a significant boost in climate finance for low- and middle- income countries. This would reach $120 billion a year by 2030 with another $65 billion mobilised from the private sector, and a natural projection that would increase these values for 2035.
A significant breakthrough on the opening day at COP29 was the adoption of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, paving the way for a UN-backed global carbon market. This market will facilitate the trading of carbon credits, incentivizing countries to reduce emissions and invest in climate-friendly projects.
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The UN environment agency chief warned the COP29 climate summit in Baku on Friday that methane emissions must come down – “and come down fast” –to have any chance of controlling global warming.
That message comes after a new UN report revealed that, over the past two years, a sophisticated system that detects significant methane leaks has sent 1,200 notifications to governments and businesses, but only one per cent of those notifications have been answered.
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“We now have a proven system to identify major leaks so they can be quickly stopped – often with simple repairs. We are quite literally talking about screwing bolts tighter in some cases,” Inger Anderson said, launching the report, which highlights plume alerts from the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS).
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) chief’s alert was just one of the many key events taking place today at COP29. The latest annual UN climate summit has been underway in the Azerbaijan capital city since Monday and heads into the weekend with experts and government negotiators set for tough talks over climate finance and emission reductions. The goal is reaching an agreement by the time the meeting wraps up at the end of next week.
What is methane?
According to UNEP, human-caused methane emissions are responsible for roughly one-third of the planet’s current warming. Reducing these emissions is the fastest, most cost-effective way to slow global warming in the near-term and is essential to averting critical climate damage.
Three industries account for the majority of human-caused methane: agriculture, waste and fossil fuels. Coal mining contributes 12 per cent of emissions in the fossil fuel industry, while the extraction, processing, and distribution of oil and gas account for 23 per cent.
About 20 per cent of methane emissions in the waste sector come from wastewater and landfills. Finally, about 32 per cent of emissions in the agricultural sector come from grazing livestock and manure, while a further eight per cent come from rice farming.
Right now, there is roughly 2.5 times the amount of methane in the atmosphere than there was during pre-industrial times and emissions have been rising in recent years, according to the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
How can we slash methane?
While methane is considered an ‘aggressive greenhouse gas’ it is actually easier to reduce than carbon dioxide, or CO2, the better-known heat-trapping gas, because methane has a shorter lifespan in the atmosphere.
The UNEP-led International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) and the hi-tech MARS system use artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite data to detect gas releases and to help industry and countries identify and deal with large methane emissions.
“Governments and oil and gas companies must stop paying lip-service to this challenge when answers are staring them in the face,” stated Ms. Anderson, UNEP Executive Director.
Instead, they should recognize the significant opportunity presented “and start responding to alerts by plugging leaks that are spewing climate-warming methane into the atmosphere. The tools are ready, the targets are set – now it is time to act,” she said.
While more remains to be done, the report does highlight examples of nations and companies responding – proving the value of data-driven solutions such as MARS. In 2024, the IMEO facility verified action to reduce emissions from major leaks in Azerbaijan and the United States.
In Algeria and Nigeria, MARS notifications and engagement led to direct action from the governments and oil and gas companies to address large methane leaks. For example, UNEP says that in the Nigeria case, the six-month leak emitted methane equivalent to 400,000 cars being driven for a year and was able to be fixed in under two weeks by simply replacing faulty equipment.
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The high-level diplomatic push for climate action shifted southward on Tuesday as G20 leaders meeting in Rio sent a clear signal to negotiating teams at stalled UN climate talks in Baku on the need to rapidly and substantially ‘scale up climate finance from billions to trillions from all sources.’
While the statement from the world’s leading economies – and biggest emitters – stopped short of explicit reference of ‘transitioning away from fossil fuels’, to which all nations agreed last year at COP28 in Dubai, the G20 leaders did ‘welcome the balanced, ambitious outcome’ of those talks.
The G20 communiqué comes as the clock ticks down on COP29, which is set to wrap up this Friday in the Azerbaijan capital, Baku. The complex negotiations on new and significantly scaled-up funding for loss and damage and accelerated clean energy goals are moving slowly, as some countries dig into their positions while waiting for others to pull back from their own.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell who earlier warned against brinkmanship and what he called ‘you-first-ism’, said today that G20 leaders sent a clear message to their negotiators at COP29: “A successful new finance goal… is in every country’s clear interests.”
“Leaders of the world’s largest economies have also committed to driving forward financial reforms to put strong climate action within all countries’ reach,” said Mr. Stiell, who is the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which convenes that annual COP meetings.
He added: “This is an essential signal in a world plagued by debt crises and spiraling climate impacts, which are wrecking lives, disrupting supply chains, and fueling inflation in every economy.”
‘Failure is not an option’
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who is in Rio to participate in discussions on sustainable development the combat against poverty and hunger, as well as climate change, noted during a session earlier this morning that Brazil is set to host COP30 next year in the eastern Amazon region.
“Failure [in Baku] is not an option. It might compromise the ambition in the preparation of the new national climate action plans, with potential devastating impacts as irreversible tipping points are getting closer. The preservation of the Amazon is a case in point,” he said.
Missing the opportunity to reach agreement on a new climate finance deal in Baku “would inevitably also make the success of COP30 in Brazil much more difficult,” the Secretary-General said, and added: “I appeal to the sense of responsibility of all the countries around this table to help ensure that COP29 will be a success.”
Some climate and environment activists in Baku said they were cautiously optimistic about the communique, while others gave it a mixed verdict, saying the statement was vague on climate finance and failed to explicitly mention the need to transition away from fossil fuels.
Harjeet Singh, a climate activist who is the Global Engagement Director for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, shared his views with UN News: “Developed nations remain unmoved, failing to quantify the trillions needed or to ensure these funds are provided as grants – essential for achieving climate justice.”
He added: “Their rehashed rhetoric offers no solace for the fraught COP29 negotiations, where we continue to see a deadlock on climate finance.”
Agrifood solutions
Alongside the negotiations, dozens of meetings and events are underway COP29, with the bulk of today’s activities focused on agriculture, food security and water. Delegations from around world shared experiences on sustainable food production practices and addressed agriculture-related challenges.
Just in time for COP29, new analysis from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has found that nearly all countries identify agrifood systems as a priority for climate change adaptation (94 per cent) and mitigation (91 per cent) in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
According to the FAO, this highlights the tremendous potential of agrifood systems as climate solutions, especially as countries prepare to submit their third round of NDCs in 2025.
“Agrifood systems are key to achieving food security and hold the solutions to multiple challenges: climate change, biodiversity, land degradation, and water scarcity,” FAO Assistant Director-General Viorel Gutu said, as climate change is a significant driver of food insecurity in a world where around 730 million people still live in hunger.
He noted, “Unfortunately, current financing and investment are not sufficient to affect the transformation we need.” He added that, over the past two decades, funding for agrifood systems has declined from 37 per cent to 23 per cent of all climate-related development finance.
While agriculture contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, if done right, the industry can also help overcome the climate crisis.
Also spotlighting the importance of agriculture – for climate action and broader sustainable development efforts – was Jemimah Njuki, Chief of Economic Empowerment and Head of the Economics Division at UN Women
In an interview with UN News, she called on governments to provide special support to women-led farms.
“Without women, we will not be able to feed the world,” Ms. Njuki stressed. At the same time, she lamented that women are less likely than men to own the land they cultivate, and it is more difficult for them to secure loans to develop their businesses.
It is not only women who are affected but also other vulnerable groups, such as Indigenous peoples.
Andrea Echiverri of the Global Forest Coalition, an international nongovernmental organization advocating for social and gender justice for rural communities, said that she believes current agricultural practices are destructive to the environment.
“Take livestock, for example, which requires more and more pasture, meaning forests continue to be cut down, and Indigenous peoples are being expelled from their lands,” Ms. Echiverri said.
Governments, she emphasized, do not pay enough attention to the sustainability of livestock farming, although this industry accounts for about 16 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions and 15 per cent of all fossil fuels consumed.
UN News
View of Azerbaijan’s capital Baku from the Caspian Sea
Action on Water
Elsewhere in the giant Baku Stadium complex where COP29 has been running since last Monday, water-related challenges were in the spotlight at a panel discussion where experts and participants stressed that floods, droughts, shrinking water sources, and rising water levels threaten the well-being of populations, provoke forced displacement, and undermine food security.
For example, in countries such as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, glaciers are shrinking rapidly, threatening long-term water supplies.
“The climate knows no borders, and water knows no borders,” emphasized Sonja Koppel, Secretary of the UN Water Convention. “At the same time, water can be both the cause of conflict and the key to its resolution.”
Speaking to UN News, she noted that 153 countries share water bodies with other nations, but only 28 per cent of them have agreements with their neighbors to cooperate most of their shared water resources. One successful example is the Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, which have overcome differences and established cross-border cooperation on the Chu Talas River.
Ms. Koppel called on countries to use water resources to establish peace with their neighbors and effectively manage shared natural resources.
Formally the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, the treaty is a unique international legal instrument and intergovernmental platform which aims to ensure the sustainable use of transboundary water resources by facilitating cooperation. Initially negotiated as a regional instrument, it has been opened for accession to all UN Member States in 2016.
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As intense round-the-clock COP29 climate talks enter their final stretch in Baku, delegates on Wednesday are eagerly awaiting updates on the progress of negotiations regarding a new climate finance target. Meanwhile, high-level discussions also continued, with a focus on key issues such as urbanization, transport, and tourism.
The source of the hundreds of billions, if not trillions, of funds that developing nations say will be needed to adapt to a fast-changing climate – governments, multilateral banks, or the private sector – has become a major subject of contention during the last eight days.
The good, the bad about cities
Meanwhile, away from the COP29 negotiations, the urgent need to cut emissions, adapt to a changing climate, lessen the effects of the crisis, and shield people from catastrophic weather events are among the themes in the many speeches given by government officials, heads of UN organizations, climate experts and leaders of civil society.
Home to half the world’s population, with some 2.4 billion more expected to move to urban areas within the next 20 years, cities contribute significantly to global emissions while also being disproportionately impacted the effects of climate change.
In its latest World Cities report, UN-Habitat, the UN agency dealing with human settlements and sustainable urban development, says billions of people currently living in cities could experience an additional temperature rise of at least 0.5 degrees Celsius by 2040.
At the same time, measures to offset the impact of climate change on urban populations still do not match the scale and intensity of the challenges faced by cities.
Addressing a ministerial meeting at COP29 today, Anaclaudia Rossbach, the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, warned that rapid and unplanned urban development pose threats to biodiversity, the environment, and food security.
This also leads to social fragmentation and financial deterioration. While the construction sector accounts for 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, the UN-Habitat chief said 96 homes need to be built every day to meet the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
As such adequate funding and cooperation at all levels are necessary to address these twin challenges.
“There is only one road to pursue, one track, one we walk collectively where social, urban, and climate needs are addressed harmoniously over solid economic ground,” Ms. Rossbach stressed.
She added: “Yes, we do need more finance flowing to cities. We need to plan and prioritize. Land is scarce and needs to fulfill its social and ecological functions. Social and housing needs are vast.”
“We take care of people; people take care of the planet. And we should leave no one behind,” she concluded.
UNFCCC/Kiara Worth
Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, addresses a Ministerial meeting on urbanization and climate change, at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Emissions rising
In a separate session today, speakers noted an ongoing issue that could seriously hamper many efforts to address climate-driven impacts in cities, and elsewhere.
According to the latest report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), global emissions increased by 1.3 per cent in 2023 – when they should have decreased.
“To limit warming to 1.5°C, updated National Contributions – climate commitments that each country makes – should enable a 42 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and 57 per cent by 2035,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.
She highlighted that 52 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions come from just 25 megacities, including, among others, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Moscow, and New York City.
“This means the actions you take in setting standards for energy efficiency, determining energy sources, managing waste and methane emissions, improving public transport, encouraging electric mobility, and promoting pedestrian-friendly cities can make a massive impact,” she told mayors from around the world gathered at the event.
Tourism and climate change
For the first time ever the issue of tourism is being discussed at a COP, formally the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) in the context of its impact on climate.
In 2023, the tourism sector recovered from the doldrums of the COVID-19 pandemic, as international arrivals rebounded to almost 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. That year, the sector contributed three per cent to the global gross domestic product (GDP), amounting to $3.3 trillion, and employed one in every ten people worldwide.
In an interview with UNifeed, Ms. Andersen reiterated her call on stakeholders at COP29 to make sure tourism industry lessens its carbon footprint.
“We need to understand that the tourism sector is impacted by climate change. And so, it is both a victim of and a contributor to climate change. That is why having this first tourism focus at a COP is very important.”
Renewable energy transition
Meanwhile, Selwyn Hart, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Climate Action, reminded attendees at COP29 that humanity already has the knowledge and tools needed to effectively combat climate change.
“A revolution in the transition to renewable energy is already underway. It cannot be stopped,” he said.
“However, the question remains whether the speed of this transition will prevent its worst consequences. And secondly, whether it will be fair enough to reduce inequality within and between countries.”
UNFCCC/Kiara Worth
Negotiating teams at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, pictured here during a break in the talks, are working to reach agreement on a new climate financing deal.
Will a breakthrough at COP29 be possible?
The results of the negotiations in Baku will provide answers to some of these questions.
The focus of the Baku talks is on agreeing a new climate finance goal that will provide countries – especially the most vulnerable – with the means to take stronger climate action. At stake are trillions of dollars that developing countries need to mitigate the effects of climate change and adapt to rapidly changing conditions.
According to UNEP, Cedric Schuster, chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), stated yesterday that the “top-level priority is minimum allocation floors for small island developing States of $39 billion a year, and $220 billion a year for least developed countries, both in grant-equivalent terms. Any [outcome] texts that do not include these aspects will not be acceptable for these groups.”
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Jiwoh Abdulai, emphasized the concern many developing countries share, namely, the form this money should take.
“Don’t use the word ‘donor,’” he said on Tuesday. “That implies charity. There is a climate debt that needs to be paid. We are talking about lives and livelihoods. Our people are paying with their lives.”
Discussions also touched on the very definition of a ‘developing country.’ Some negotiators have argued that countries like China or certain Gulf states no longer fall into this category, given the growth of their economies since the adoption of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992.
Cecilia Kinuthia-Njenga, Director of the Division of Intergovernmental Support and Collective Progress of the UNFCCC, noted that every delegation comes to COP29 with its aspirations and hopes.
“In multilateralism, the results are sometimes different from what any one country imagines. This underscores the importance of flexibility, cooperation, and the willingness to adapt to changing circumstances and international relations,” she said.
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Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
Pines and firs are the most noticeable and numerous representatives of coniferous trees that can be found in the natural areas of Moscow. Walks in the forest where they grow bring special pleasure: the air is saturated with useful phytoncides and a unique aroma of freshness, and the greenery pleases the eye at any time of the year. Biologists of the capital Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection They told us what evergreen plants are found in the city and where to look for them in natural areas.
In the Bitsevsky forest there are centuries-old spruce forests. They are located in the 26th and 27th quarters, as well as in the Znamenskoye-Sadki estate. The preserved pure spruce forests are a great rarity for the city. They are notable for the fact that they contain young trees, the forest is being renewed. In this same natural area there are pines of a special gnarled shape, preserved from the time when young seedlings matured in the then open spaces.
There are ecological routes through the Bitsevsky forest. The three-kilometer-long circular trail starts on Yasenevskaya Alley from the Novoyasenevsky Prospect side, runs through a coniferous forest, and comes out to a spring and an ancient pond dug in the 13th century.
Native spruce forests and old pine forests have also been preserved in the Losiny Ostrov National Park. In the Alekseyevskaya Grove, there are pine forests aged 150–200 years. A rare plant, the club-shaped club moss, can also be found here. This evergreen herbaceous spore perennial is listed in the Red Book of Moscow.
You can admire the pines in Serebryany Bor – a natural area known for its pine forest, wetlands and Bezdonnoye Lake. The greenery here is diverse: in addition to pines, there are lindens, maples, birches, ash trees, oaks, and even the evergreen heather, included in the Red Book of Moscow.
In addition, evergreen trees are in the east of the capital in the natural and historical park “Kosinsky”. Three lakes at once – Svyatoe, Beloe, Chernoe, as well as the valley of the Rudnevka River form a special landscape. Along the banks of the river there are swampy meadows, and the southern shore of the Black Lake is covered with a small massif of pine and birch. In this area you can find cranberry, marsh wild rosemary, and club moss.
A visit to the Biryulevsky Arboretum in the Tsaritsyno Natural and Historical Park will significantly expand a city dweller’s understanding of the world of conifers. It was founded in 1938 and is rich in a variety of plantings. The park is home to 220 species of plants, including thuja and spherical spruce. Notable exotic coniferous species include Siberian cedar pine, Siberian fir, Weymouth pine, common fir, and also Menzies’ pseudotsuga, a tree native to North America.
Moscow is characterized by a rich biodiversity of natural areas. During a walk, city residents can feel the harmony of nature and recharge their batteries, as well as learn something new about the world of flora and fauna.
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UN refugee agency, UNHCR, on Thursday launchedthe Refugees for Climate Action initiative in a bid to mobilise the world’s forcibly displaced to join the fight against global warming.
Actor and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Theo James kicked the campaign off at the COP29 Climate Conference in Baku, alongside a group of eight displaced people with first-hand knowledge of how the climate crisis is impacting families.
The actor has been lending his voice to UNHCR’s urgent call to address the impact of record rising temperatures on displaced communities.
Passionate about climate activism, the refugees taking part in the initiative will be advocating for climate justice and demanding a voice in policy discussions.
The Refugees for Climate Action group was initially convened in 2023 by UNHCR to create a space where refugees and displaced communities on the frontlines of climate change could share their unique experiences and knowledge.
Theo James calls for more action
Following a recent visit to Mauritania, Mr. James said he was committed to supporting their efforts. His own grandfather was a refugee who fled Europe for the safety of Syria during World War Two: “I’ve seen the profound injustice of the climate crisis on refugees, and the urgency is real,” he said.
“Yet, I’ve also seen the resilience of those affected – refugees are finding solutions, and they must be heard”, he added, calling on leaders to put the displaced at the centre of the conversation.
Refugee climate activists
The network brings together refugees and displaced people from countries including Afghanistan, Yemen, Haiti, Bangladesh and Brazil, each with lived experiences of displacement interlinked with conflict and climate change, and who are already driving climate action initiatives in their communities.
“We refugees are on the frontlines of the climate crisis,” said Najeeba Wazefadost, a member of the group and founder of the Asia Pacific Network for Refugees (APNOR) who empowers Afghan women through solar energy to support their businesses.
“For us, climate change is not an abstract threat. It is a daily fight for survival, stability and dignity. We urge leaders to listen to our stories and to take decisive action that includes us, supports our resilience and empowers refugee-led solutions”, added Ms. Wazefadost, who fled Afghanistan in 2000.
Najeeba Wazefadost, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Asia Pacific Network of Refugees.
Impacts or war and climate emergency
Other members of the group include Mohammed Anowar, a Rohingya refugee based in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, who trains fellow refugees on flood resilience; Eman Al-Hamali, an internally displaced woman from Yemen, who leads a solar microgrid project providing affordable energy to vulnerable households in her community; and Ermano Prévoir, from Haiti, now living in Brazil, who is an agronomist looking at sustainable farming techniques to improve food security.
“As refugees and displaced people, we have intimately witnessed the profound impacts of war on our lives and communities – and now a global climate emergency,” said Opira Bosco Okot, a refugee climate activist living in Uganda, who uses communication technologies to advocate for refugee access to climate policy discussions.
In its first ever climate report released on Tuesday, UNHCR said three out of four forcibly displaced people worldwide – 90 million out of 120 million – lived in countries exposed to high to extreme climate change impacts.
UNHCR commitment
The initiative embodies UNHCR’s commitment to place displaced communities at the centre of climate action. The group will serve as a consultative body on climate issues, contribute to key global and local climate events, and work to ensure that the voices and perspectives of refugees and displaced people are integrated into UNHCR’s work and international climate discussions.
UNHCR provides members of the group with opportunities for training and capacity building, helping them sharpen their advocacy skills and expand their influence in key climate events such as COP29.
Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Elissa Slotkin (MI) are leading bipartisan legislation to extend federal funding and protections for the Great Lakes. The senators introduced the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2025 to reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) through 2031 and increase the program’s annual authorized funding levels from $475 million to $500 million. The GLRI is the most significant investment ever made to restore and protect our Great Lakes. The GLRI combines federal and nonfederal efforts to stop the spread of carp and other invasive species, restore coastline and habitats connecting our streams and rivers, clean up environmentally damaged Areas of Concern, and prevent future contamination. While providing vital support for these efforts, the GLRI also helps ensure we can address new and emerging threats to the Great Lakes.
“The Great Lakes are a national treasure and central to our economy, environment, and way of life in Michigan. Since its creation, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has made significant headway in cleaning up Areas of Concern, protecting vital habitats, and restoring coastlines around the Great Lakes Basin,” said Senator Peters. “This bipartisan legislation will provide GLRI with the resources needed to build on that success and help protect and preserve the Great Lakes for future generations of Michiganders. I’m proud to again help lead the charge to strengthen this essential program.”
“Our Great Lakes power our Michigan economy, and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative ensures we are protecting our Lakes for generations to come,” said Senator Slotkin. “From controlling invasive species to responding to algal blooms to building up our waterways infrastructure – the GLRI is a critical tool. Time and time again the Trump administration has tried to zero out this program, and it’s more important than ever we protect it. It’s why I am honored to take up the mantle from Senator Debbie Stabenow, and work alongside Senator Peters to get this bill done.”
Since its inception, the GLRI has spurred tremendous progress in Michigan and throughout the Great Lakes region including nearly half of a million acres of habitat protected, restored, or enhanced, a five-fold increase in the successful cleanup and delisting of Areas of Concern, a ten-fold increase in the remediation of environmental and public health impairments, and reducing the threat of harmful algal blooms. The GLRI’s efforts have also resulted in economic returns of more than 3 to 1 across the region.
“The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is the most successful effort to protect and clean up our Great Lakes in U.S. history,” said Lisa Wozniak, Executive Director of Michigan League of Conservation Voters. “Our Great Lakes face emerging challenges, like toxic PFAS contamination, invasive species, rapidly warming temperatures and the impacts of climate change, which makes the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Act of 2025 more important than ever. Protecting our treasured Great Lakes, the source of drinking water for millions of people, is something all Michiganders can get behind, and we look forward to working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to get this legislation signed into law.”
“The simple fact is the GLRI funds critical projects that make life better for the millions of Americans that depend on the Great Lakes. It also delivers a positive economic return on the government’s investment in cleaner water and healthier communities. Senator Peters and Senator Young along with other Great Lakes senators have our gratitude for introducing this important bill,” said Joel Brammeier, Alliance for the Great Lakes President and CEO.
“The GLRI is a landmark program that is making significant progress in restoring the waters, ecosystems, economies, and communities that make up the Great Lakes region,” said Erika Jensen, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Commission. “The Great Lakes Commission applauds Senators Peters and Young for introducing this important legislation, which will safeguard the economic and environmental health of the Great Lakes region for generations to come.”
“This bill is a winner for millions of people in the region,” said Laura Rubin, Director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We thank Sens. Gary Peters and Todd Young for their bipartisan leadership and commitment to tackle the serious threats to our region’s drinking water, public health, jobs, and quality of life. Federal investments to restore the Great Lakes have been producing results, but serious threats remain. We look forward to working with the Great Lakes congressional delegation to pass this bipartisan bill that supports common sense solutions. If we scale back investments now, the problems will only get worse and more expensive to solve.”
“The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative provides critical investments in the health of the Great Lakes and the communities and businesses that rely on clean water. Communities across the region realize the lasting benefits of clean and healthy lakes, which attract visitors, create jobs, and sustain the Great Lakes way of life,” said Peter Laing, Great Lakes Business Network Co-Chair.
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2025 is also supported by the League of Conservation Voters, National Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club, National Parks Conservation Association, Council of Great Lakes Governors, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, American Great Lakes Ports Association, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, American Sportfishing Association, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, National Audubon Society – Great Lakes, Environmental Law & Policy Center, and other key stakeholders in Great Lakes protection.
Peters and Slotkin have been champions for the GLRI. Peters and Slotkin helped enact the single-largest-ever investment in the GLRI through the bipartisan infrastructure law to accelerate the restoration of nine high-priority areas in Michigan whose lakes, rivers and watersheds flow into the Great Lakes.
There can be “no life without healthy land as we cannot survive,” according to an Olympic athlete who has been attending a global meeting being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, focused on halting desertification and land loss and promoting the restoration and sustainable use of land.
Asmaa Niang, who is from Morocco, spoke to UN News at the UN Convention to Control Desertification (UNCCD) meeting known as COP16 and explained why as an athlete she has the “responsibility to give back and inspire others to protect the land.”
As a five-time African judo champion and Olympic athlete in Rio de Janeiro (2016) and Tokyo (2020) she knows a lot about resilience and how to defeat adversaries, experience she has used to fight desertification in Morocco and across the world.
“Judo is a sport based on the philosophy of leading a positive life, it is also a sport of resilience,” she said. “So, I have a responsibility to give back to society by using this experience to inform people about desertification issues and inspire them to action.”
MINUSMA/Marco Dormino
Mali, in the Sahel, is facing desertification challenges
Globally, UNCCD says that “the future of our land in on the line,” as 100 million hectares (the size of Egypt) of healthy and productive land is degraded each year.
Droughts are hitting harder and more often and three out of four people in the world are projected to face water scarcity by 2050.
That loss of land is affecting people across the world and specifically nomad peoples in Morocco and other countries that Asmaa Niang has visited.
“Nomadic groups are a symbol of freedom,” she said, because of their peripatetic lifestyle. “In Morocco, Kenya and Mongolia, I have seen how desertification and drought has driven them to extreme vulnerability and changed their way of life,” adding that “their freedom is linked to our freedom, as we are all dependent on the land for our survival.”
UNCCD has been working with athletes since the Paris Olympic Games as part of its Sport4Land campaign, leveraging their celebrity and influence to advocate for communities affected by desertification and land loss, but also to highlight the local and global solutions to restore land and use it in a more sustainable way.
“Healthy land provides nearly 95 per cent of the food we eat. It gives us shelter, provides livelihoods and protects us from escalating droughts, floods and forest fires,” said UNCCD.
The policy makers, experts, the private and civil society sectors as well as youth and sportspeople who are coming together in Riyadh are focusing on a number of goals including accelerating the restoration of degraded land by 2030 and beyond.
“Restoring our land is about more than improving the environment,” according to UNCCD, “it’s about creating better quality of life, ensuring food security, and driving sustainable growth.”
Turkana County in the north of Kenya regularly faces drought conditions.
As droughts, floods and forest fires become more regular and intense across the world, population growth and unsustainable production and consumption patterns are fueling demand for natural resources.
By 2050, 10 billion people will share the planet and depend on healthy land for their livelihoods.
“I see people are engaged at this meeting,” said Judo Olympian Asmaa Niang, “and if everyone makes even just small changes, for example, changing their consumption patterns, eradicating plastic, then we can treat the earth in a kinder way and build greater resilience.”
Some one billion people globally under the age of 25 live in regions where they depend on the land and natural resources for jobs and livelihoods, according to the UN, but their future is increasingly under threat due to desertification and land degradation.
Across the world young and old are responding to this threat by adopting new approaches to working on the land that may not only prevent more degradation but may also provide new livelihood opportunities.
The issue of desertification, drought and land restoration are being discussed at a global meeting of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which continues in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, until 13 December.
UN News/Daniel Dickinson
Communities in southern Madagascar are planting sisal to protect the land from erosion and degradation.
Drawing a line in the sand in Madagascar
In the south of the island of Madagascar off the east coast of Africa, productive land has been lost at an alarming pace to sand driven inland across farmland by powerful seasonal winds.
The communities that live here are amongst the most vulnerable in Madagascar and as the sandy soils they farm become ever more degraded, they can no longer cultivate their land and their livelihoods are threatened.
But now, with the support of the UN, communities have been growing sisal plants, which are resistant to severe conditions and well adapted to a more arid environment.
When cultivated in grids, they can help to secure the topsoil and prevent further erosion. This means fewer sandstorms and more opportunities to work the land.
“Before on the land where we are standing there was nothing here, just sand. So, we could not grow our crops. But now, we have planted sisal which has been good for the village,” said Lydia Monique Anjarasoa.
Listen toThe Lid is Onpodcast fromUN Newsto find out more about how communities are holding back the winds of change.
Thadiq National Park manager Abdullah Ibrahim Alissa surveys saplings at a tree nursery in a desert area of central Saudi Arabia.
Regreening the desert in Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Ibrahim Alissa described how the arid land he grew up on to the north of the country’s capital, Riyadh, deteriorated and suffered the effects of desertification.
The land falls within the rocky Thadiq National Park, known for its sweeping valleys. As its current manager, Mr. Alissa took on a project to rehabilitate the 660-square-kilometre-park. This has involved planting 250,000 trees and one million shrubs as well as the construction of terraced dams to catch the area’s sparse rainwater.
“Through afforestation projects, protection and care, the area has completely changed,” said Mr. Alissa.
Restoring Thadiq National Park is part of Saudi Arabia’s wider plan to re-green huge swathes of desert at home and abroad. The push is designed to tackle drought, desertification and land degradation, which are threatening countries across West Asia and North Africa.
Three quarters of the arable land in the region is already degraded, and 60 per cent of the population is already experiencing water scarcity, a number set to increase by 2050.
Saudi Arabia has partnered with UNCCD to launch the G20 global land initiative, which aims to cut land degradation by 50 per cent by 2040.
WFP/Pamela Gentile
In Niger, 1.8 million people are benefitting from World Food Programme (WFP) integrated resilience initiatives..
Harvesting hope in Niger
Climate change, land degradation, soaring price and conflict have made the already challenging lives of farmers in the Sahel region of Africa even more precarious, but communities have come together, with the support of the World Food Programme’s (WFP) integrated resilience programme, to cultivate a better life.
Foureyratou Saidou, a single mother of four and recent widow from the Tilaberi area of Niger, is one of around three million people in the region who have benefitted from the initiative, which promotes land rehabilitation, livelihood diversification, school meals, nutrition interventions and improved agricultural production and market access.
“In this garden, we now grow and harvest onions, tomatoes, lettuce and other vegetables that we eat and that we can sell in the local market,” she said. “Before, we didn’t have much to live for. Now we do, and we don’t want to leave.”
With better access to markets, Ms. Saidou is able to sell the food she does not consume at home and provide for her children.
WFP/Souleymane Ag Anara
An aerial view of WFP-supported community gardens in Niger’s Tillaberi region, which are part of a broader, multi-partner Sahel resilience initiative.
Brazil’s first-ever Minister of Indigenous Peoples and an initiative promoting sustainable agriculture in Egypt are among the six recipients of the 2024 Champions of the Earth award, announced by the UN EnvironmentProgramme(UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday.
The laureates were honoured for their outstanding leadership, brave actions and sustainable solutions to tackle land degradation, drought and desertification.
Protecting people and the planet
The Champions of the Earth award is the UN’s highest environmental honour and recognizes trailblazers from the public and private sectors, civil society and academia who are at the forefront of efforts to protect both people and the planet.
It has been presented annually since 2005, with122 laureates to date.
This year, nominations focused on finding champions who are restoring degraded land, increasing drought resilience and preventing desertification.
Honouring ‘extraordinary individuals’
UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen noted that almost 40 per cent of the world’s land is already degraded. At the same time, desertification is on the rise and devastating droughts are becoming more regular.
“The good news is that solutions already exist today, and around the world, extraordinary individuals and organizations are demonstrating that it is possible to defend and heal our planet,” she said.
“The efforts of the 2024 Champions of the Earth stand tall as a reminder that the fight to protect our land, our rivers and our oceans is a fight we can win. With the right policies, scientific breakthroughs, system reforms, activism, as well as the vital leadership and wisdom of Indigenous Peoples, we can restore our ecosystems.”
Meet the Champions
Sonia Guajajara, Brazil’s Minister of Indigenous Peoples, was honoured in the Policy Leadership category.
Ms. Guajajara has been advocating for Indigenous rights for more than two decades. She became Brazil’s first Minister of Indigenous Peoples and the country’s first female Indigenous minister in 2023. Under her leadership, 10 territories have been recognized as Indigenous land to ward off deforestation, illegal logging, and drug traffickers.
Amy Bowers Cordalis, an Indigenous rights advocate, received the award in the Inspiration and Action category
Ms. Cordalis is using her legal expertise and passion for restoration to secure a better future for the Yurok tribe and the Klamath River in the United States. UNEP said her work to restore the river ecosystem and encourage the adoption of sustainable fishing practices demonstrate how bold environmental action can bring significant positive change, while upholding Indigenous Peoples’ rights and livelihoods.
Gabriel Paun, a Romanian environmental defender, was honoured in the Inspiration and Action category.
Mr. Paun is the founder of Agent Green, a non-governmental organization (NGO) which has been helping save thousands of hectares of precious biodiversity in the Carpathians since 2009 by exposing the destruction and illegal logging of Europe’s last old growth forest.
He has received death threats and been physically attacked for his work in documenting deforestation in an area that is vital for the ecosystem and supports unique biodiversity such as endangered lynx and wolves.
Chinese scientist Lu Qi was honoured in the Science and Innovation category. He has worked in science and policy sectors for three decades, helping China reverse degradation and shrink its deserts
As Chief Scientist of the Chinese Academy of Forestry and founding President of the Institute of Great Green Wall, Mr. Lu has played a key role in implementing the world’s largest afforestation project, establishing expert research networks and partnerships, and boosting multilateral cooperation to stem desertification, land degradation and drought.
Madhav Gadgil, an Indian ecologist was named as the laureate in the Lifetime Achievement category. He has spent decades protecting people and the planet through research and community engagement.
“From landmark environmental impact assessments of state and national policies to grassroots environmental engagement, Gadgil’s work has greatly influenced public opinion and official policies on the protection of natural resources.
“He is renowned for his seminal work in the ecologically fragile Western Ghats region of India, which is a unique global biodiversity hotspot,” said UNEP.
The SEKEM initiative in Egypt was honoured in the Entrepreneurial Vision category for helping farmers transition to more sustainable agriculture.
Its promotion of biodynamic agriculture plus afforestation and reforestation work has been transforming large swathes of desert into thriving agricultural business, advancing sustainable development across the country.
A woman carries a baby and a water container as she walks across arid land in Niger.
Restoring the world’s ecosystems
Roughly 3.2 billion people worldwide are currently threatened by desertification, according to UNEP. Additionally, by 2050, more than three-quarters of the world’s population is expected to be affected by droughts.
Led by UNEP and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and supported by partners, it aims to prevent, halt, and reverse the loss and degradation of ecosystems worldwide to revive billions of hectares of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
The announcement of the 2024 Champions of the Earth on 10 December coincides with Human Rights Day and the Resilience Day at the 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Farmers in Saudi Arabia are being encouraged to adopt new irrigation techniques as water and land resources are put under increasing pressure.
Mohamed Alnwairan stands in front of a verdant citrus tree which four months hence will bear his first harvest of limes.
A former businessman turned farmer, he has been cultivating land in Al Ahsa, in the eastern deserts of Saudi Arabia, for the last 15 years. Now, due to climate change and dwindling supplies of water, he is adopting new technology as well as a new crop.
“We are very proud of our limes in this part of Saudi Arabia. You can feel the citrus oil on your hands when you touch them,” he told UN News. “They remind us of our childhood, and now I have the chance to grow them commercially.”
Mr. Alnwairan looks across his small farm which is located in an oasis near the city of Hofuf. It is approximately a thousand square metres, and the sandy soil is dotted with some 120 two-metre-high trees that have been growing for almost four years.
UN News/Daniel Dickinson
A farm worker tends to a lime tree irrigated through smart technology.
Smart irrigation
“On my left are trees which have been irrigated using innovative techniques and to the right are the ones I have been hand watering using traditional methods,” he said. “The irrigated trees are thriving more.”
The difference in colour, shape and sturdiness is noticeable, and their robust health is largely due to the way they have been watered.
Mr. Alnwairan’s farm is piloting what is known as smart irrigation, a resource-efficient approach to growing crops, which is being promoted in this region by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
He uses an app on his smartphone to monitor the soil and track and deliver the water his lime trees need to flourish. When it rains, sensors register the damp conditions and pause scheduled water provisions. If the trees are not getting enough water, the app can instruct a greater water flow, if necessary, all remotely.
UN News/Daniel Dickinson
Mahmoud Abdelnabby is an irrigation extension expert with FAO.
Water stress
Water used to be plentiful in the oasis farmland, but reduced rainfall due to climate change and the cultivation of water-thirsty rice, a local specialty, has driven the water table lower making water more problematic and pricier to access.
Mr. Alnwairan had to stop farming rice on another nearby plot when the water in his well fell to 300 metres below ground.
Mahmoud Abdelnabby, an irrigation expert with FAO, said that “smart irrigation can reduce water consumption by 70 per cent and is more sustainable for the environment.”
Farmers don’t currently have to pay for water, but automation provides other savings as fewer farm workers are needed to water the trees, a time consuming and onerous job during the intense heat of the Saudi growing season.
The technology whilst advanced is readily available on the local market and although financial investment is required, “it pays off in higher yields and a lower wage bill,” according to FAO’s Mr. Abdelnabby.
FAO/Mohammed Saud Alhumaid
Mohamed Alnwairan (centre) explains how his farm has benefited from smart irrigation techniques.
Land lost
As the climate continues to change across the desert lands of Saudi Arabia and drought conditions increase in frequency, farmers are also fighting desertification and the loss of productive land.
Jaffar Almubarak, who works for the Saudi Irrigation Organization, an FAO partner, said, “smart irrigation is part of an integrated response to climate change, which includes soil management and the choice of crops,” adding that “such an approach can maximise the use of water, but also help to rehabilitate land and work against desertification.”
In December 2024, global leaders from governments, international organizations, the private sector and civil society came together in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, under the auspices of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to discuss solutions to drought, land loss and land restoration.
Globally, up to 40 per cent of the world’s land is degraded, which has dire consequences for the climate, biodiversity and people’s livelihoods.
Like farmers across the world, Mr. Alnwairan exercises his long experience and expertise to increase his crop yields, driven by necessity and opportunity.
“I’m considering adopting smart irrigation across my farm to focus on mainly the cultivation of lime, for which I have a ready market,” he said.
If other farmers follow his lead, water supplies will go further in these arid lands while cultivation will help to slow down desertification.
Nepal is exposed to a range of natural hazards, such as floods, landslides, droughts, and severe weather events including lightning storms. Nepal’s population is very vulnerable to the impacts of climate change as it largely relies on agriculture, tourism and natural resources, with a shift towards services and away from agriculture in recent years. The accelerated melting of the glaciers in the Himalayas increases the risk from related hazards such as glacial lake outburst floods and avalanches. It also impacts the availability of water and hydropower for 2 billion people downstream of major Asian rivers originating in the Himalayas in the longer term. Nepal is further prone to earthquakes as it is located above the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. Environmental sustainability, climate and disaster resilience are a priority of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027 for Nepal, including a focus area on the reduction of vulnerabilities, disaster risk reduction, preparedness and effective response and recovery. The Results Group on Disaster Risk Reduction is co-chaired by WFP and UNDP, who coordinate closely with the Resident Coordinator’s Office and the Humanitarian Country Team. Leaving no-one behind and the localization of sustainable development efforts cut across the four priorities of the Framework and translates into targeting the most vulnerable through household-level data gathering and supporting social protection systems.
The United Nations organizations are supporting Nepal’s localised approach to resilience building and disaster risk reduction at the federal, provincial, and local levels of government. Close and sustained cooperation at all levels of government since the federalisation in 2017 has led to the creation of disaster risk reduction plans that are implemented with government resources, with the United Nations organizations mainly being requested to provide specialised technical support.
An innovative system of providing single entry points for government officials is the Provincial Focal Point Agencies concept, which nominates one of the UN organizations present at the provincial level as the focal point to liaise with provincial governments, relay information, convene development partners around the request for support, and hold coordination meetings. The Provincial Focal Point Agencies are supported in their function through a direct line of communication with the UN Resident Coordinator. This concept has already demonstrated its efficiency for disaster risk governance and emergency management. For example, during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when travel restrictions were in place and around 100,000 migrant workers were returning to Nepal at once, the conditions in more than 1,000 quarantine sites were assessed by locally-based development partners. At the request of the Government of Nepal, the Provincial Focal Points Agencies reached out to the partners, trained them on the survey provided by the Government, and the assessment of quarantine sites was completed within two weeks.
In 2023, the Promoting Action for Disaster Risk Governance and Working to Achieve Preparedness for Risk Reduction through Technical Assistance in Nepal (PARIWARTAN) project concluded. It was implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in consortium with the National Society for Earthquake Technology – Nepal, Practical Action Consulting, and Lutheran World Federation. It provided technical assistance to the three tiers of government (federal level, 7 provinces, 753 local levels) in implementing the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act in a coordinated and inclusive manner. The Disaster Risk Management Localization Manual: An Operational Training Manual for Disaster Risk Management Capacity Building of Local Governments was developed in close coordination with the Government of Nepal. More than 19,900 government officials were trained on disaster risk reduction and management in all 753 local level municipalities that supported strengthening community resilience. The training has spurred local government actions such as the formulation or amendment of legal documents, standards and guidelines to implement disaster preparedness and response activities, the increase of budgets allocated for disaster risk management, the formation of disaster risk management committees, as well as a shift in focus from response to preparedness prioritizing multiple hazards prevalent in the local context.
Over the last 10 years the United Nations Country Team has built a unique and innovative research partnership with a consortium of universities to provide new forms of evidence to guide disaster risk governance. This consortium, called Sajag-Nepal, includes organisations in Nepal, the UK, Canada, and New Zealand. Working together, the consortium and the Resident Coordinator’s Office have pioneered a new scenario ensemble[1] approach to understanding hazards, enabling risk-informed contingency planning for both the annual monsoon and for infrequent large earthquakes. For earthquakes, the Resident Coordinator’s Office worked with researchers to develop an ensemble of possible impacts in a future earthquake, irrespective of where that earthquake occurs. This ensemble now forms the basis of both cluster contingency plans and provincial preparedness planning. For the monsoon, Sajag-Nepal researchers are using data on past monsoon impacts recorded in the government’s portal to anticipate the possible pattern of impacts in the next monsoon, helping the humanitarian clusters and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) to develop a more informed preparedness plan. The research has also developed a novel way of anticipating landslide impacts during the monsoon using 14-day rainfall forecasts. The Resident Coordinator’s Office is exploring the use of this approach as a readiness trigger for possible anticipatory action. The project is also using participatory mapping in several landslide-prone areas of Nepal to understand how people move and how their exposure to landslides varies over different time scales – with the ultimate goal of being able to better map the risks that residents face in these communities.
The Strengthening Urban Preparedness, Earthquake Preparedness and Response in Western Regions of Nepal (SUPER) project is being implemented by a UNDP, UNICEF, UN Women consortium along with local implementing partners across three provinces and four municipalities in Western Nepal. The project works in close coordination with the NDRRMA at the federal level, as well as with provincial and local level decision makers. The project uses the earthquake scenario ensembles that were co-created by the Resident Coordinator’s Office and the Sajag-Nepal team. It enhances and institutionalizes municipal and provincial preparedness for urban and earthquake risks in 3 provinces and 4 municipalities in the western regions of Nepal. It does so by enhancing the understanding of risk, preparedness measures, reducing risk, including through reinforcing building codes and retrofitting practices. The project works with multiple stakeholders at all three federal tiers, including the community, private ector, academia, international governmental organizations, UN organizations, the Nepal Red Cross Society, and international and national non-governmental organizations.
As the government has ownership of the project and provides it with a budget in its annual plans the sustainability of the work is ensured. The project results are delivered under the leadership of respective government authorities and include impact modelling of potential earthquake scenarios, vulnerability and capacity assessments, strengthening Emergency Operation Centres and capacity building – for example supporting the development of earthquake contingency plans for clusters (such as Health, Protection, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), which were developed with the leadership of relevant provincial ministries and were referred to extensively during the 2023 Jajarkot earthquake response.
The SUPER consortium collaborates with the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, and partners such as WHO, WFP, and IFRC to strengthen humanitarian architecture and cluster mechanisms in provinces, also through the development of cluster contingency plans. This strengthening proved very effective in response to the Jajarkot earthquake in 2023. For example, the implementation of the Health Contingency Plan was endorsed within the same day, and all sectoral information was efficiently relayed by WFP as the Provincial Focal Point Agency. The project has been working towards enabling gender equality, disability and social inclusion mainstreaming in disaster risk reduction through developing a checklist for disaster preparedness, as well as a gender-responsive costing framework for earthquakes and urban flooding, conducting a women’s safety audit together with women-led community-based organizations, and a simulation exercise on resource pooling with gender-responsive considerations.
Nepal has a UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) Anticipatory Action pilot framework to provide collective anticipatory humanitarian action to people at risk of predicted severe monsoon flooding with delivery planned through UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women, WFP and WHO in partnership with the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) and national NGOs and in close collaboration with the federal, provincial and local authorities.
Also, IOM, jointly with the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS), Tribhuvan University’s Central Department of Population Studies (CDPS) and the National Planning Commission have established a Migration School in 2023, a two-week academic forum to foster collaboration among educational institutions, policymakers and experts on human mobility, including climate and disaster displacement.
[1] scenario ensembles: estimation of the likelihood and scale of future hazard impacts, determining locations where impacts are most likely to occur, along with the average and worst-case impacts for all locations, so that both emergency relief and disaster risk reduction activities can be prioritized; source: Robinson, T.; Rosser, N.; Densmore, A.; Oven, K.; Shrestha, S.; Guragain, R. (2018) Use of scenario ensembles for deriving seismic risk
Costa Rica is highly vulnerable to hydrometeorological hazards such as floods, hurricanes, storms, droughts and water scarcity[1], which are exacerbated by climate change. In 2023, Costa Rica was both affected by heavy rains and by drought. Due to its location in between two tectonic plates, it is also prone to tectonic and volcanic activity. Based on a co-creation exercise with UN organizations operating in Costa Rica, led by the United Nations Resident Coordinator, the resilience of people, communities, institutions and the territory has been made a strategic priority of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027. The results group for this priority is co-chaired by IOM and UNDP, and links to the inter-agency coordination group on Disaster Risk Management chaired by UNDP, the United Nations Emergency Team (UNETE). The United Nations organizations in Costa Rica are adopting an integrated approach to looking at climate and disaster risks and place importance on being attentive to the particular vulnerabilities of certain groups such as migrant populations, people with disabilities, indigenous people, etc.
A pronounced local leadership on emergency response, recovery, and resilience building is evident in Costa Rica. After the canton of Acosta was devastated by Storm Nate in October 2017, the roughly 20,000 inhabitants of that mountain community were cut off for days, without water, electricity or access to food or medicine. As the rest of the country had also been affected, the Acosta community prioritised self-help and formed a solid local network that first focused on bringing food and medicine to those who were most affected by the storm and, once the emergency was over, mounted a community-led recovery process. At the beginning of 2018, more than 400 people, including community leaders, representatives of institutions, farmers, students, young people, and older adults, decided that the path to recovery should be oriented towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
A Cantonal Development Plan was elaborated that focuses on recovering and rebuilding in a sustainable manner and on providing opportunities to all – especially to those most affected by climate and hazard events. A key component of the plan was the development of resilient infrastructure, while at the same time ensuring environmental protection. Experiences like Acosta’s inspired 32 municipalities (out of 82) to join a Network of Cantons Promoting the Sustainable Development Goals. This programme is led by the Ministry of Planning, the Municipal Development and Consulting Institute, with the support of the United Nations. Cantons are provided advice and toolboxes to articulate the Sustainable Development Goals at the local level, as well as a platform to share good practices with other participating local governments. This network has become a space for close cooperation between local governments and national government institutions, and international partners to identify solutions to the challenges of sustainable development in each community. Supporting communities to implement the Sustainable Development Goals at the local level is a priority commitment of the United Nations entities in Costa Rica. The support to the network also links with Child-Friendly Cantons and Senior-Friendly Cities initiatives that UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organization are promoting to strengthen the capacities of the cantons in addressing the needs of these groups.
The United Nations development system is supporting the localized approach to recovery and resilience building in Costa Rica through programmatic activities such as UNDP’s recently completed multi-year programme for strengthening the capacities of Rural Aqueduct Associations (ASADAs) that was implemented with the leadership of the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA), with financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). In Costa Rica, more than 15,000 volunteer community water managers are engaged to secure the water supply to nearly 30% of the population. Often in steep, mountainous terrain, water pipes need to be installed above ground and sometimes across rivers. To make infrastructure more resilient, PVC pipes were replaced by polyethylene tubes, which are thicker, more flexible and more resistant. Hydrants were installed to attend to possible fires, meteorological stations were installed for better water availability forecasts and supporting existing watershed Early Warning systems. Communities were encouraged to take better care of their environment. Meters were installed in each home and users were subsequently charged by consumption, which reduced the overall water consumption. Capacity building for geolocating the water infrastructure was undertaken in order to facilitate monitoring and recovery operations in the future.
Inter-agency contributions to disaster risk reduction and resilience building in 2023 further include IOM’s inputs on human mobility and climate change, and UNDRR’s partnership with Costa Rica’s National Commission for Risk Prevention and Emergency Response (CNE) and other national partners in carrying out a systemic risk assessment with the aim to inform risk governance and support efforts to ensure critical infrastructure resilience. More than 100 senior government officials, technical staff and practitioners worked together throughout 2023 to quantify risks associated with key hazards – such as floods and seismic events – across different sectors, including livelihoods, water and sanitation, energy and road infrastructure, schools, and health centres. This work helped the Government of Cost Rica to identify ways to safeguard public infrastructure and public services from future disaster risk. As a result of this thorough analysis, some 60% of Costa Rica’s critical road corridors, and a similar proportion of its bridges, were found to be vulnerable to flood risk – just one example of crucial information that will inform decisions about mitigation investments. Recommendations were formulated for enhancing the governance of strategic infrastructure such as electricity, hydrocarbons, roads and bridges, railroads, water and sanitation, health, education, and postal services. The integration of systemic risk analysis and the principles of infrastructure resilience into risk governance marks the inception of a transformative new stage in risk-informed and multistakeholder disaster risk reduction, empowering decision-makers with invaluable insights, fostering a paradigm shift towards risk-informed investment and robust multisectoral engagement.
In September 2023, Costa Rica invited an inter-agency mission (with expert support from UNDP, IOM, UNOPS, UNHCR, UNDRR, UNFPA, UNICEF, and UNESCO) through the Capacity for Disaster Reduction Initiative (CADRI) to undertake a capacity assessment mission in Costa Rica. The aim of the mission was to provide actionable recommendations to assist the government in advancing its overall risk management agenda, with a particular focus on further enhancing cross-sectoral recovery efforts in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The recommendations will serve as inputs for the development of the National Framework for Disaster Recovery, which is in the process of development under the leadership of the CNE with support from UNDP. The results and recommendations of the CADRI mission will further be reviewed by the United Nations Country Team with a view to identifying other actions where UN organizations may provide support to the national authorities in its disaster risk reduction and resilience building efforts.
