28 February 2013: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) held a series of high-profile discussions looking at hunger in the context of a growing population and climate change.
27 February 2013: The World Bank has granted the "Green Team Award" to the Sahel and West Africa Program in Support of the Great Green Wall Initiative (SAWAP/GGWI), in recognition of its work in 12 African countries to address land degradation, climate change adaptation and mitigation, as well as biodiversity and forests.
28 February 2013: Referencing a recent report from the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), an op-ed from leaders of the World Food Programme (WFP), the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and others underscores the links among climate change, hunger and poor nutrition.
27 February 2013: Naoko Ishii, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Global Environment Facility (GEF), noted the importance of a dialogue with the next generation of leaders regarding the GEF's role in transformational change during an address at the Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
25 February 2013: The UN Office for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) has announced it is assisting the Government of Palestine in establishing its first national disaster loss database. UNISDR is conducting disaster assistance training with 100 government, non-governmental, and UN agency participants.
February 2013: A new report of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN (FAO), titled "Biofuels and the Sustainability Challenge," addresses the issue of biofuel sustainability based on a global assessment of major commodities and feedstocks. The report is guided by the need to understand the economic, environmental and social sustainability dimensions of biofuels, and how these elements can be used to address the challenges of land-use change, food security and climate change.
21 February 2013: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has released the Third African Environment Outlook (AEO-3) Summary for Policy Makers, commissioned by the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN). The report focuses on the links between environment and health, and includes subsections on: air quality; biodiversity; chemicals and waste; climate change and variability; coastal and marine resources; freshwater and sanitation; and land.
20 February 2013: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Environmental Alert Service (GEAS) has published the February 2013 issue of its bulletin, which focuses on harmful substances, hazardous waste, and ecosystem management. The newsletter addresses the potential environmental damage caused by dust storms, stressing the need to put in place effective early warning systems.
15 February 2013: The UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), through its Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAP), has partnered with East Africa's Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to promote the use of geospatial technologies to improve disaster reduction in East Africa.
The 2013 annual World Day to Combat Desertification will focus on the slogan “Don't let our future dry up.” The day is celebrated on 17 June, to mark the conclusion of negotiations on the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). This year's theme of drought and water scarcity takes into account that 2013 is also the International Year of Water Cooperation. World Day to Combat Desertification 2013 will seek to create awareness about the risks of drought and water scarcity in the drylands and beyond, and to call attention to the importance of sustaining healthy soils as part of the post-Rio+20 agenda and post-2015 development agenda.
| Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) |
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| Conference Reporting Services (CRS) |
