Hello everyone,
We often focus on the substantive rules countries adopt - or fail to adopt. But operational decisions are equally important. The negotiations over budgets and work programmes are hard fought. They involve setting priorities in the most tangible way possible, since what is funded gets done. Budgets are vital. The expertise of the Secretariat staff, the work to convene Bureaus and to liaise with parties are now more important than ever and funded through the budgets.
The Week that Was
This week, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held its second “Extraordinary” meeting of the Conference of the Parties. It’s extraordinary indeed. The ordinary meeting is postponed due to the pandemic, and along with it, the finalization and adoption of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework. This extra-ordinary meeting “convened” to adopt the budget.
It’s also extraordinary in terms of its process. Parties are using the silence procedure to take these key decisions. The COP President emailed the draft decision to parties on Monday and set a deadline (Thursday) by which parties should, basically, speak now or forever hold your peace. Under these circumstances, even if only one party breaks the “silence” another round of circulating a draft and waiting for silent agreement must follow. Since one party did break the silence in the initial round, our ENB team is waiting along with other parties for the results of the second round.
Amid uncertainty as to who will lead the global trade club, the World Trade Organization turned its attention to sustainability. Trade and Environment Week convened in a series of events and workshops to showcase successful experiences on how to make global trade more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive. WTO members, international organizations, and stakeholders also exchanged ideas on the role of trade and the WTO in building back greener and better from the COVID-19 crisis. The SDG Knowledge Hub has provided daily coverage from the event.
The Week Ahead
The Vienna Convention on Ozone Depleting Substances will likewise focus on its budget and other operational issues, including the membership of key committees. Parties will also do their best to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Convention, often cited as one of the most successful environmental treaties to date.
The Climate Dialogues will convene next week, and many sessions are open to anyone who registers. The more publicly accessible events include the mandated events, like those where countries present their national reports, or discussions on agriculture under the Korovinia Joint Work on Agriculture. We expect more negotiation-like events to convene by invitation only. With several key issues left unresolved at the Chile/Madrid meeting last year, even small digital discussions could help parties inch towards one another.
On the Horizon
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council is boldly going ahead with a full agenda in a virtual format. Perhaps the first body to try this so far, the meeting will address operational and substantive issues and try to take decisions as would happen in a face-to-face gathering. This is key, as funding decisions at the GEF can help countries continue to work on a range of environmental issues even during the pandemic.
On December 12, the Paris Agreement on climate change will celebrate its fifth anniversary at the Climate Ambition Summit. Adopted to a long standing applause after a week of nocturnal negotiations, the Paris Agreement is the global framework for addressing climate change for the foreseeable future. Unlike the many bodies involved in sustainable energy, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement will be the centerpieces for the future of climate action. The Summit hopes to show that this approach can work through the announcement of new or updated pledges under the Agreement.
Anything we should be paying attention to? We’d love to hear your thoughts, email us at enb@iisd.org. Follow ENB on Facebook and Twitter. Jen and Lynn can be found on Twitter as well.
Jen Allan, PhD
Strategic Advisor, Earth Negotiations Bulletin
International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
SDG Knowledge Hub: sdg.iisd.org
ENB: enb.iisd.org
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