13 June
2008: Four parallel meetings took place between 2-13 June 2008, in Bonn,
Germany, under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Kyoto
Protocol. The second session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term
Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA), which was launched in Bali,
started its substantive work in Bonn, while the resumed fifth session of the Ad
Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the
Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) began the process of listing issues for further
negotiation, particularly on the Kyoto Protocol’s market-based mechanisms and
on carbon sinks.
13
June 2008: Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting of finance ministers for
the Group of Eight (G8), held in Osaka, Japan, World
Bank President Robert B.
Zoellick presented two new climate investment funds built to support the
UNFCCC’s efforts to address the effects of, and mitigate, climate change.
19
June 2008: Speaking at the twenty-fifth African Regional Conference,
Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Jacques
Diouf, underlined the challenges of climate change and the recent rise in food
prices for African agriculture.
13 June
2008: The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Conference convened for its
ninety-seventh session from 28 May-3 June in Geneva, Switzerland. In a report
submitted to the Conference entitled
“Decent Work, Some Strategic Challenges Ahead,” ILO Director-General Juan Somavia recognizes that, although the
organization does not have a mandate on climate change per se, the changes in the economy will impact employment.
17 June 2008: On the occasion of 2008 World Day to Combat
Desertification and Drought, celebrated on 17 June, the Global Mechanism (GM)
of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) emphasized that “the
current strategy and policy debates around climate resilience, sustainable
agriculture and food security point to the conclusion that none of these global
challenges and threats to human well-being should be tackled in isolation, but
as part and
parcel of development programming at country level, supported
by effective
international policy making processes.”
19 June 2008: As part of its efforts to support the UN
Climate Neutral Initiative, the UN International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO) has released a web-based tool that identifies the carbon dioxide
emissions from a given flight.
It is a particular pleasure to have this opportunity to share some of
my thoughts through the inaugural edition of this bulletin – which I
hope will become a vibrant medium of communication and exchange in the
period ahead – as we each do our part to keep the promise we made in
Bali and to realize success in Poznań and then Copenhagen.
While the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) process is the official ‘home’ for climate policy
negotiations, the road to Copenhagen will increasingly witness the
acceleration of initiatives across the United Nations system and the
intergovernmental sphere. System-wide initiatives on climate change
reflect a commitment across the UN family to support the UN
Secretary-General’s commitment to play a leadership role in supporting
the international community’s current efforts to address climate
change, using the Bali Action Plan and Roadmap, and to ensure that all
parts of the UN contribute to a solution.
14 June 2008: G8 Finance Ministers, meeting
in preparation for the Summit of the G8 Heads of State and Government in
Hokkaido-Toyako, met from 13-14 June 2008, in Osaka, Japan, and agreed to the “G8
Action Plan for Climate Change to Enhance the Engagement of Private and Public
Financial Institutions.” In their final statement, Ministers supported the
launch of new Climate Investment Funds (CIFs) by the World Bank, which will
complement existing bilateral and multilateral efforts, until a post-2012
framework under the UNFCCC is implemented.
10 June 2008: The
European Project on Ocean Acidification (EPOCA) was launched on 10 June 2008.
This EU research project is a consortium of over 100 scientists from 27
organizations in nine countries to address ocean acidification. Its goal is to
document ocean acidification, investigate its impact on biological processes,
predict its consequences for the next 100 years, and advise policy-makers on
potential thresholds or tipping points that should not be exceeded.
13
June 2008: Speaking at the UN Association-UK in London, United Kingdom, UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gave a speech entitled “Securing the Common Good:
The United Nations and the Expanding Global Agenda.”
17
June 2008: In a message on the occasion of UN World Day to Combat
Desertification, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
highlighted the role of poor farmers and herders in stopping or reversing land
degradation in areas affected by desertification.
13
June 2008: The WFP Executive Board has adopted a new four-year strategic plan to address hunger needs arising from recent
food price increases and shortages, as well as to fight hunger more strategically.
May 2008: This Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) publication, edited by Shardul
Agrawala and Samuel Fankhauser, provides a critical assessment of adaptation
costs and benefits in key climate sensitive sectors, as well as at national and
global levels.
June 2008: The latest IPCC Technical Paper on Climate Change
and Water will be presented at World Water Week, scheduled to take place from
17-23 August 2008, in Stockholm, Sweden.
CLIMATE-L.ORG is a knowledge management project for international negotiations and related activities on climate change run by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), which is fully responsible for the content posted on CLIMATE-L.ORG. Information on United Nations activities is provided in cooperation with the UN system agencies, funds and programmes through the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) Secretariat.
13 June
2008: Four parallel meetings took place between 2-13 June 2008, in Bonn,
Germany, under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Kyoto
Protocol. The second session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term
Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA), which was launched in Bali,
started its substantive work in Bonn, while the resumed fifth session of the Ad
Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the
Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) began the process of listing issues for further
negotiation, particularly on the Kyoto Protocol’s market-based mechanisms and
on carbon sinks. 
International Institute for Sustainable Development
