G8 Development Ministers Highlight Climate Change-Development Link [viewed]
April 2008: G8 Ministers and senior officials responsible for development cooperation met from 5-6 April 2008, in Tokyo, Japan, along with representatives from Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Republic of Korea, South Africa, the ASEAN Secretariat, the AU Commission, the OECD, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank. The meeting was held with a view to provide political input and support to the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV), the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit, the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Accra, Ghana, the UN high-level meeting on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and the Follow-up Conference on Financing for Development in Doha. Ministers addressed the development agenda for the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit, and held outreach sessions on: expanding partnerships for development; climate change and development; and human security and the achievement of the MDGs.
The plenary sessions of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Board will convene from 7-9 and 16-17 April 2008. 
The newest edition of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) flagship publication, the UNESCO Courier, focuses on climate change. 
Discussing the need to protect against the damaging effects of climate change, Michel Jarraud, Secretary General of the World Meterological Organization (WMO), emphasized the importance of “African National Meteorological and Hydrological Services … as actors of development… particularly with regard to evaluating and monitoring the environment, preparing for natural hazards, and… climate change.” 
2 April 2008: Many speakers addressed links between climate change and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) during the UN General Assembly's two-day thematic debate entitled “Recognizing the achievements, addressing the challenges and getting back on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.” In her opening remarks to the 1-2 April 2008 thematic debate, Asha-Rose Migiro, UN Deputy Secretary-General, highlighted many speakers' concern that climate change could thwart achievement of the MDGs.
International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Vice-President Kanayo Nwanze told participants at the first annual meeting of the African Union/United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia, that “A concerted, coordinated and collective effort is the most effective way to tackle the triple scourge of poverty, climate change and high food prices and to guarantee a sustainable future for women, marginalized groups and smallholder farmers in Africa.” 
The UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) will be organizing an International Symposia on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Climate Change, to take place in Kyoto, Japan, from 15-16 April, and in London, UK, from 17-18 June. 
Before his speech to the European Parliament on climate change and global security, Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said during an interview that, the many looming security threats related to climate change include conflicts over water and changes in agricultural demands as weather changes and extreme events force mass movements of people. 
The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) announced that World Tourism Day 2008 will focus on Tourism's response to the challenges of climate change. It will be a yearlong campaign that will focus on increasing awareness of the Davos Declaration Process and encouraging its implementation by all stakeholders at a global level. 
