The 36th Session of the Governing Council of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will focus on the theme "The power of partnerships in advancing smallholder agriculture in developing countries". Partnerships serve smallholder farmers in many ways from expanding their operations cost-effectively to providing access to knowledge, research and technology.
28 January 2013: The 20th session of the African Union (AU) Summit met from 21-28 January 2013, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, under the theme of “Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance.” Heads of State from 37 countries discussed a range of issues, including peace and security, maternal health, poverty, malaria, climate change, and the post-2015 development agenda.
22 January 2013: The Joint Research Initiative (JRC) of the European Commission (EC) has published a series of indicators on the impact of production, consumption and trade on the use of resources and pollution, as well as a set of country fact sheets applying these indicators in EU and other countries.
17 January 2013: The Government of the Cook Islands has submitted a Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) seeking support for implementation to pursue the objective of achieving electricity 100% based on renewable sources by 2020. The proposal includes an implementation plan to generate 50% of its energy production from renewables by 2015, phasing out its current diesel generator-dominated system.
The 14th meeting of the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (ICP) is to carry out an in-depth review of the oceans-related outcomes of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), and how those outcomes would impact and benefit international coordination and cooperation. The consideration of issues relating to sea-level rises and their impact on security and survival, particularly on low-lying coastal areas and island nations, against the background of sustainable development was also suggested by many delegations at ICP 13. They also proposed another theme for consideration, on aspects of marine scientific research related to sustainable development.
25 January 2013: The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), Tuiloma Neroni Slade, has released the Pacific Plan 2012 Annual Progress Report and its associated Reporting Annex. The documents highlight challenges faced by the region, and outline progress made towards greater regional integration and cooperation in various areas, including climate change, fisheries, gender equality and disability-inclusive development.
10 January 2012: The International Annual UN-Water Zaragoza Conference 2012/2013 reiterated that the challenges of climate change, poverty eradication, sustainable development and population growth require cooperation.
17 January 2013: In a lecture delivered at Stanford University, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described the current state of the world and "the future we must shape together." He outlined three ways to navigate our way through this "Great Transition," namely by advancing sustainable development, helping people meet their aspirations for democracy and dignity, and empowering women and young people.
17 January 2013: The International Water Summit (IWS) has had its inaugural meeting on promoting water sustainability in arid regions.
16 January 2013: Energy ministers and senior government officials from South American and Arab countries (ASPA) have adopted the Abu Dhabi Declaration on enhanced cooperation at the bi-regional mechanism's inaugural meeting on energy.
| Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) |
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| Conference Reporting Services (CRS) |
