UN system side events: COP18

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

International Maritime Organization (IMO)

Action taken by international shipping to address climate change
Work to address GHG emissions from international shipping as part of sustainable maritime transport will be highlighted, including action taken to build capacity in developing countries.

IMO Side Event flyer [350 kb]

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Climate change and education - making the future work for you
Rio+20 reaffirmed that we need to embark on a more sustainable development path. To achieve this we need to change how we think and act, develop and implement educational and training programmes, and have our youth engage in these programs in order to secure green jobs and a green economy.

WMO/UNEP Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Climate change and disaster risk management
Drawing on the IPCC’s Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX), released in full in March 2012, this event examines the implications of climate-related disasters for society and sustainable development.

Programme [285 kb]

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Enabling Environments for Catalysing Private Sector Climate Finance
World Bank, IFC, and UNDP side event will examine how public institutions can create enabling environments to catalyse successful private sector intervention in climate finance. The panel will present best practices & lessons learned, focussing on approaches from Arab States and Asian countries.

WMO/UNEP Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation
Drawing on the IPCC’s Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation(SRREN), published in 2011, this event looks at the implications of the use of renewable energy for different groups of countries, both consumers and producers.

Speakers: Rajendra Pachauri, IPCC Chair; Chris Field, Co-Chair, IPCC Working Group II (video and phone link); Maarten van Aalst (Director, Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre); Øyvind Christophersen, Norwegian Climate and Pollution Agency; Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, IPCC Vice-Chair; Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, CEO, Lead Pakistan; Thomas Stocker, Co-Chair, IPCC Working Group I (phone link) and Renate Christ, Secretary of the IPCC

UNEP - Finance Initiative (UNEP FI)

Operationalizing the GCF Private Sector Facility - The Who and How of private finance mobilisation
To achieve transformational impact the GCF must be effective in mobilising private finance and shifting private sector behavior. There is still much ambiguity as to which types of private capital the GCF should aim to mobilise, which approach it should follow and which instruments it should deploy.

Speakers: Germany: Norbert Gorissen, Head of Division, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety Pakistan: Farrukh Khan, Lead Negotiator (tbc) Allianz Global Investors : Armin Sandhoevel, CEO, Allianz Climate Solutions / CIO, Infrastructure Equity and Renewable Energy SwissRe: David Bresch, Head, Sustainability & Political Risk Management National Australia Bank: Rosemary Bissett, Head of Sustainability Governance & Risk UNEP Finance Initiative: Remco Fischer, Programme Officer

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Integrated Spatial Data for Adaptation Planning
This side event will launch an initiative to establish a common spatial data framework for vulnerability analysis and adaptation planning, linking a wide range of relevant data using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The event will also showcase existing uses of spatial data for adaptation.

Speakers: Potential Partners: UNICEF, UNHabitat, IBM, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). 
Side event Flyer [291Kb]

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

The Emissions Gap, Its Implications and policy solutions for bridging the gap 

Presentations by: Joseph Alcamo (UNEP), Niklas Höhne (Ecofys), Joeri
Rogelj (ETH Zürich), Laura Segafredo (ClimateWorks Foundation)

Panelists from the European Commission, Germany, South Africa, Costa Rica, Marshall Islands

Moderator: Bert Metz (ECF)

Side Event Fyer

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

The tourism sector response to climate change:  mitigation and adaptation initiatives and strategies
Tourism represents over 5% of the global GDP and one in every 12 jobs worldwide. It will continue to grow and needs to adopt measures to reduce its contribution to climate change. Participants will present initiatives and future strategies to mitigate tourism emissions and adapt to climate change.

Side Event Flyer [1 Mb]

Global Environment Facility (GEF) 

Adaptation Fund at a critical juncture: Achievements and challenges with dwindling resources
Financing Adaptation and Accreditation

Speakers: Adaptation Fund Board Chair, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Adaptation Fund NGO Network

World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS)
The Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS), a UN system-wide initiative, will amplify the benefits from global to national levels of efforts to adapt to climate variability and change for improved health, water management, disaster risk reduction, agriculture and food security from 2013.

GFCS Side-event - Concept note [19 kb]

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

UN Support for Charting Climate Change Mitigation Strategies
The Durban Platform redefines the framework in which Parties need to consider their national mitigation potentials, costs, commitments and related flexibility mechanisms. UN organizations present their support to Member States to mitigate GHG emissions from energy systems

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

From Peru to the Philippines, UNEP Presents Grassroots Solutions to the Impacts of Climate Change

Seeds of Knowledge Provides Lessons Learned From 17 Countries for a Sustainable Environment
Media advisory [92Kb]

Global Environment Facility (GEF)

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

High Level Event on Technology Transfer and Finance
The event will focus on existing initiatives supporting climate technology transfer and financing. It The will discuss (i) the role of development banks through the finance centre approach, and (ii) experiences and views on facilitating technology transfer with private sector engagement, and how the public sector resources could be effectively utilized.

Speakers: Dr. Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson, GEF; Dr. Bindu Lohani, Vice President, Asian Development Bank; Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director, Interim Secretariat, Green Climate Fund; Dr. Ryutaro Yatsu, Vice Minister of the Environment, Government of Japan; Ms. Mafalda DUARTE, Chief Climate Change Specialist, African Development Bank; Dr. Lu Xuedu, Advisor on Climate Change, Asian Development Bank; Dr. Craig Davies, Senior Manager – Climate Change Adaptation, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; Mr. Claudio Alatorre, Senior Climate Change Specialist, Inter-American Development Bank; and other speakers, to be confirmed.

International Telecommunication Union (ITU))

The Broadband Bridge: Linking ICTs with Climate Chnage for a Low Carbon Future 
The event will put a special focus on the solutions being promoted within the Arab region, signaling the launch of the Arabic translation of the report “The Broadband Bridge”, produced by the Broadband Commission for Digital Development under the chairmanship of Hans Vestberg, CEO of Ericsson.
Event Flyer
Broadband bridge-in numbers

World Health Organization (WHO)

Norway

Building Sustainable Health Systems: Focus on Climate Resilience
The side event will present the ongoing Public Health community initiatives to support countries in building their capacity to assess climate risks to health, address them through strengthening interventions, and monitor progress through indicators of climate resilience.

United Nations (UN)

UN System: Sustainable Solutions for Climate Action
This High-level event, co-hosted by the UN Secretary-General, as Chair of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) and the State of Qatar, will showcase people-centered sustainable solutions for climate action by the UN system, with emphasis on food security in dry lands.
Programme

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Experience and Outlook on Climate Technology Transfer
Technology and innovation is key to climate change mitigation and adaptation. How can the UN system support the Technology Mechanism to help developing countries develop, adapt and use environmentally sound technologies.

FAO/UNDP/UNEP UN-REDD Programme (UN-REDD)

UN-REDD Programme: Meeting country needs for concrete progress through REDD+ readiness
Witness Norway and Viet Nam’s joint declaration–first REDD+ Phase II agreement supported by the Programme; learn about the value of our collaborative country-driven approach responding to country needs, and hear countries innovative approaches and achievements in safeguards and legal preparedness.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Building capacity for effective national planning and the deployment of clean technologies
Technology development and transfer is at the heart of the UNFCCC process. The side event will showcase experiences with building national capacity and strengthening skills development for TNAs, TAPS and NAMAs in developing countries through south-south learning and international cooperation.

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Carbon policies
This session will focus on carbon policies, their design, trade impact and environmental effectiveness. It will refer to practical examples of domestic policies, e.g. carbon pricing measures, support measures to promote access to renewable energy, and carbon labelling schemes.

Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)

The role of the UN in achieving Climate-Smart Agriculture
Adapting agriculture to climate change is a necessity and Climate-Smart agriculture is promoted as THE way to achieve it. This event will host a dialogue on how an inclusive Climate-Smart agriculture can sustainably increase productivity, foster food security and promote resilience of ecosystems.
Programme

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Sustainable Innovation Forum 2012

With global attention set to be firmly focused on Qatar during COP18, the Sustainable Innovation Forum will concentrate on actions, solutions and leadership as well as the challenges and opportunities that exist for increased sustainable development. The forum will once again feature high-level government and private sector panelists via three C-level plenary sessions to discuss how to greater mobilise public-private-partnerships (PPPs), the challenges of sustainable urbanization with an ever-increasing population, and the latest advances in technology and innovation.

World Food Programme (WFP)

UN-system: Managing disaster risks and extreme events under a changing climate
Disasters and extreme events affect all aspects of human development. With climate change, disaster risk is set to increase and become a serious obstacle to development. This side event will host a dialogue on why reducing vulnerability and managing disaster risks is a priority for adaptation.