WGEO Panel Discussion
Speakers:
Mr. Sangmin Nam, Director, Environment and Development Division, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Mr. Fataï Aina, Executive Director, Friends of French-speaking Africa (AMAF-BENIN), Benin
Mr. Martial Bernoux, Senior Natural Resources Officer, Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, Food and Agriculture Organization
Mr. Davis Buyondo, Journalist/Audio Producer, Been At; Vision Group (New Vision)
Nature-based solutions (NBS) offer a cost-effective and sustainable approach to addressing climate change. By harnessing the power of natural ecosystems, NBS can provide a range of benefits, including climate mitigation, adaptation, and biodiversity conservation. Recent reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)[1] emphasize the importance of NBS in addressing climate challenges and achieving sustainable development goals.
Investing in NBS can yield significant returns in terms of climate mitigation, adaptation, and ecosystem services. However, it is essential to consider the specific context and needs of different regions when implementing NBS projects. Key factors to consider include:
How can investments in nature-based solutions be effectively leveraged for climate change adaptation and mitigation?
What are the benefits and challenges of investing in these solutions?
How can multi-stakeholder partnerships enhance the implementation of nature-based solutions?
WGEO Panel Discussion
H.E. Nilda Borges Da Mata, Minister, Ministry of the Environment, Sao Tome and Principe
Mr. Tristan Tyrrell, Programme Officer, Convention on Biological Diversity
Ms. Diann Black-Layne, Director, Department of Environment, Antigua and Barbuda
Ms. Osprey Orielle Lake, Founder and Executive Director, Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network
Mr. Davis Buyondo, Journalist/Audio Producer, Been At; Vision Group (New Vision)
Biodiversity loss is a major global crisis with far-reaching consequences, including climate change, food insecurity, and human health risks. Protecting biodiversity is essential for building resilience to climate change and ensuring a sustainable future. Recent reports by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) highlight the urgent need for biodiversity conservation and restoration.
Biodiversity plays a critical role in climate regulation, carbon sequestration, and ecosystem resilience. Protecting and restoring biodiversity can help to mitigate climate change impacts, such as extreme weather events, sea-level rise, and water scarcity.
Key strategies for biodiversity conservation include:
What are the most critical strategies for protecting biodiversity to enhance climate resilience?
How can conservation efforts be aligned with local and global climate action plans?
What role does community involvement play in successful biodiversity conservation initiatives?
Panel Discussion by UNDP, WGEO Development Partner
Peter Thomson, UNSG Special Envoy for the Ocean
TBC
TBC
Catherine Wong, Global Team Leader – Climate and Security Risk, UNDP
Climate change is increasingly recognized as a major threat to global peace and security, particularly for vulnerable coastal areas and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), where the impacts on food and water security, human mobility, and livelihoods are especially pronounced. UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ visit to the Pacific in August 2024 brought global attention to the severe implications of such impacts on the region, highlighting the urgent need for collective and cross-border and ross-regional actions.
UNDP and partners recognize that these coastal regions face a unique convergence of risks due to rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and the degradation of marine ecosystems. These challenges not only threaten local economies and livelihoods but also intensify existing unique risks, such as illegal fishing, trafficking, and migration.
Coastal insecurity and illicit activities at sea and waterways can compound risks for already climate vulnerable coastal communities, with wider impacts on drivers of conflict, fragility and instability inland. Coast guard capabilities are often under-resourced; for instance, coastal countries in Africa with vast coastline, has only a limited number of vessels for patrol and combat, compared to their peers in developed countries.
In the SIDS, extreme climate risks are compounded by limited resources, geographic isolation and constraints that determine an over reliance on external partners and capacities. In the Pacific, Coast Guards and security sector play a significant role in regional cooperation for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercises.
Interactions between climate change and drivers of unique coastal insecurity exert far-reaching effects with those on inland insecurity still little understood, as is the case of related gendered impacts and the role of women, despite their increased engagement including in West African artisanal fisheries or in coastal adaptation and marine ecosystem restoration in the Pacific.
There is a need to deepen the understanding of the links between climate change effects and threats to security, to the coastal and maritime spheres across different regions, and to translate this knowledge into policy and action. Integrated approaches to coastal security risks in the climate, peace and security field can offer opportunities for innovative cross-border and cross-regional partnerships which target the most vulnerable.
This panel discussion aims to deepen understanding of how climate change threatens security at sea and in coastal areas across different regions. Representatives from vulnerable countries and regions will share firsthand perspectives on key challenges and risks including food and water insecurity, illegal activities, and human mobility.
The event will explore practical partnership and actions that could translated cross-border, outlining a roadmap to translate this knowledge into policy and programming, with a focus on opportunities for capacity development, and innovative partnerships to support vulnerable coastal communities and SIDS.
Register for this sessionWGEO Panel Discussion
H.E. Thoriq Ibrahim, Minister of Climate Change, Environment & Energy, Maldives
Dr. Kenrick Williams, Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management, Belize
Mr. Sebastian Osborn, Global Policy Manager, Mercy for Animals, France
Ms. Maxine Joselow, Climate Reporter, The Washington Post
The world’s oceans play a crucial role in regulating the climate and providing essential ecosystem services. However, they are facing unprecedented threats from human activities and climate change, including pollution, overfishing, and ocean acidification.
Protecting and restoring marine ecosystems is essential for building climate resilience and ensuring a sustainable future.
Recent reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)[1] highlight the urgent need for ocean conservation and climate action. By protecting marine ecosystems, we can mitigate climate change, adapt to its impacts, and secure a sustainable future for generations to come.
Enhancing ocean resilience and marine conservation requires a multifaceted approach that addresses the root causes of ocean degradation.
Key strategies include:
What strategies are essential for enhancing the resilience of ocean ecosystems?
How can marine conservation efforts be integrated with broader climate action strategies?
What role does international collaboration play in successful marine conservation and resilience?
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