COP27 Event Explores Next Steps for Synergistic Action for Climate and SDGs

On 16 November 2022, UNU-IAS contributed to an event at the Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Change Conference (COP27) discussing how to deliver synergies in climate action and efforts to achieve the SDGs. The event brought together stakeholders and experts who participated in the Third Global Climate and SDGs Synergies Conference, which was held at UNU in Tokyo in July 2022. They reflected on the key recommendations from the conference, exploring ways to advance the agenda for climate action and the SDGs through intergovernmental processes, including the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the UN General Assembly, and COP28.

The event was organised by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), at the COP27 SDGs Pavilion. The speakers included representatives of the Ministry of the Environment of Japan (MOEJ), the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), the African Development Bank, Investec, the Children and Youth Constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and indigenous youth.

UNU-IAS expert Akio Takemoto (Programme Head) participated in a panel discussion, highlighting that just transition was at the core of synergetic action. He provided examples such as ensuring clean energy access for vulnerable people, involving the public in land development for mega-solar projects, addressing biodiversity loss and pollution caused by mining rare metals, and the context of the global food system. Dr Takemoto stressed the importance of youth empowerment, introducing recent activities of UNU-IAS to engage youth in Kanazawa City and Shibuya City in Japan. He also highlighted the institute’s contribution to capacity development through its new postgraduate degree specialisation on the Paris Agreement.

Other speakers called for an evidence-based approach with proper monitoring to avoid trade-offs and maximise synergies, a holistic approach in financing, bottom-up planning through meaningful engagement of youth as a part of solutions, and enhancing access to information for youth and vulnerable communities.