The Third Global Conference on Strengthening Synergies between the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development took place on 20-21 July in Japan. This globally-significant conference concluded successfully, having welcomed more than 130 speakers from around the world. (https://www.un.org/en/climate-sdgs-conference-2022)
The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) played a major collaborative role in the planning and organisation of this conference, which was co-convened by UN DESA and the UNFCCC Secretariat, and hosted by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan, in partnership with the United Nations University (UNU).
In order to achieve both the SDGs and the 1.5-degree target of the Paris Agreement, it is critical to strengthen co-benefits and accelerate synergies between the SDGs and climate. The High-level Segment of the Conference, which began on 20 July at 20:00, was joined by Ministers including the Minister of the Environment, Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, heads of UN organisations and agencies, business leaders, scientists, and youth representatives. In their statements, stakeholder representatives emphasised the need for greater SDG and climate ambition.
Furthermore, IGES President, Kazuhiko Takeuchi, in his closing remarks, suggested an ambitious global goal for biodiversity, namely, Nature Positive in Biodiversity by 2030. He underlined that the scientific findings by the IPCC （Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), IPBES (The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services), GEO (The Group on Earth Observations) and other organisations, must be reflected in international policies and linked to the practice of “sustainable community development” in local communities.
Recognising the importance of taking action on synergies between climate change measures and the SDGs, IGES has played an active role in the previous two global conferences, with IGES President, Kazuhiko Takeuchi and others participating as speakers, and by organising follow-up events together with the Ministry of the Environment, Japan.
Outcomes of the Conference
Conference Background Note: The conference produced a highly informative Conference Background Note that was shared and discussed, highlighting important perspectives advancing climate-SDG synergies. IGES played a leading role in the preparation of this note, including compiling input from the members of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) and drafting the overall document.
This conference background note is developed for the Third Global Conference on Strengthening Synergies between the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The note aims to address two questions: 1) What is known about synergies and trade-offs? and 2) What can be done to consolidate existing and emerging knowledge on these...
Strengthened evidence-based action: The conference provided evaluation and evidence to strengthen evidence-based action. TAG members, including IGES, prepared an initial set of informative technical briefs, which have been shared via the conference website. They also contributed to codification and dissemination of knowledge on climate and SDGs synergies using the Climate & SDG Synergies Knowledge Platform as a digital platform.
Technical Advisory Group: https://sdgs.un.org/climate-sdgs-synergies
The Conference Summary: The Conference Summary aims to inform deliberations ahead of major 2022-2023 global processes, such as the UN General Assembly session in September, UNFCCC COP27 and the International Forum for Sustainable Asia and the Pacific (ISAP) in November, CBD COP15 in December, Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) in March 2023, High-Level Political Forum in July 2023, SDG Summit in September 2023, G7 Summit and ministers’ meetings in 2023 and other relevant platforms, thereby making a significant contribution to a better understanding and more effective promotion of synergies between climate action and sustainable development. The Conference Summary will officially be released soon.
Partnerships for transformation: Conference participants called for transformative partnerships, emphasising the importance of integrated, multi-stakeholder actions by governments, the private sector, civil society, academia, communities and individuals, all working together to deliver on the full potential of synergistic action to achieve the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement. In particular, it was recognised that youth must play a game-changing role in a multi-decade journey of transformation across the world. IGES assisted in providing young people with opportunities for meaningful engagement at the conference, including creating the opportunity to organise a special “Youth Day” side event and to present recommendations in the “The Way Forward” session.
Youth Day - Designing the future beyond the achievement of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 agenda -
For more information please contact:
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
Yuri Katsuike, Kanae Sho
Email: [email protected]