Background
The theme for the 2024 High-Level Political Forum, scheduled from Monday, 8 July, to Wednesday, 17 July 2024, underscores the imperative to “Reinforce the 2030 Agenda and eradicate poverty in times of multiple crises: the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient, and innovative solutions.” The HLPF will conduct an in-depth review of pivotal SDGs, including:
SDG 1 (End poverty)
SDG 2 (End hunger)
SDG 13 (Climate action)
SDG 16 (Peaceful and inclusive societies), and
SDG 17 (Means of implementation and Global Partnership for Sustainable Development)
Notably, the 2024 HLPF, following the 2023 SDG Summit, presents a unique opportunity to translate political commitments into tangible policy guidance and practical actions, steering the course for SDG implementation.
To support the HLPF review of SDG13, the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) of UN DESA, in collaboration with the UNFCCC secretariat and other relevant partners, organised an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on SDG 13, to advance the global action on climate change in synergy with the 2030 Agenda objectives on sustainable development.
Objectives
As we crossed the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and the first Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement, home to the implementation of SDG 13 on climate action, the urgency is clear to bridge the development and climate ambition gaps swiftly, while ensuring protection of nature and just and equitable transition pathways.
The EGM aimed to:
Identify challenges and opportunities for accelerating transformations.
Strengthen interlinkages between SDG13 with other SDGs and opportunities to leverage synergies and minimize trade-offs.
Share knowledge about success stories, good practices and lessons learned.
Suggest ways forward in terms of policies and regulatory frameworks, finance, innovation and technology, partnerships and coordinated actions at all levels.
Take stock of recent commitments on SDG 13, including through intergovernmental processes such the UNFCCC COPs, UNGA Summits, annual HLPFs, UN Biodiversity Conferences, and others.
The meeting gathered over 60 global experts, delineating strategic and actionable recommendations to assess progress on SDG 13 while ensuring co-benefits and synergies with other interlinked SDGs, thus shaping the global response to climate change and advancing sustainable, resilient solutions.
The experts represented UN system, governments, the private sector, academia, and civil society from all regions of the world, joining the EGM in person in Tokyo and virtually. The summary of EGM discussions will be prepared by the convening organisations, providing substantial contributions to the thematic reviews scheduled for the 2024 HLPF and shaping its outcomes. The discussions held during the EGM are integral to fostering a comprehensive and impactful approach to addressing the challenges and opportunities associated with SDG 13.
The EGM on SDG13 was convened by UN DESA and UNFCCC secretariat, co-organised with UN University. The meeting was hosted by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan with the support of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES).
Announcements
The outcome summary of discussion is now available here.
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)
- Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) 2023
- The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023: Special Edition
- Synergy Solutions for a World in Crisis: Tackling Climate and SDG Action Together
United Nations Climate Change (UNFCCC)
United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report Office (UNDP)
- Human Climate Horizons: latest release 2023
- Special Report of Human Security 2022
- Human Development Report 2023-2024: collective action (to be released)
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
- Nuclear Energy and Climate Change: Questions and Answers on Progress, Challenges and Opportunities
- Nuclear Energy in Climate Resilient Power Systems
- Nuclear Energy in Mitigation Pathways to Net Zero
- Climate Change and Nuclear Power 2022
United Nations University (UNU)
- Landscape Approaches to Ecosystem Restoration
- Accelerating Climate Action in Africa: Insights from the 2022 Voluntary National Reviews
- Closing the Gap on City Climate Finance in Developing Countries
- Climate Change Displacement and the Right to Education in Small Island Developing States
- Leaving No One Behind in Carbon Neutrality Strategies: Insights from Developing Countries in Asia and the Pacific
- Elevating the Environment in the Multilateral System
- Interconnected Disaster Risks Report 2023
- Ten New Insights in Climate Science 2023/2024
- Integrating Planned Relocation in National Climate Action: Five key insights for consideration by governments and policymaker
- Nature-based Solutions for integrated planning and implementation of disaster and climate risk management
- Inclusive planning processes to accelerate climate-just transformations
- Climate Risk Insurance - Considerations for Operationalizing Micro- and Meso-level Premium Support
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
- Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean 2023. Financing a sustainable transition: investment for growth and climate change action
- The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals: Halfway to 2030. Goals, targets and indicators
United Nations Commission and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
- Climate finance needs and flows in the Arab region
- Climate finance for water in the Arab region
- RICCAR - Arab Climate Change Assessment Report
- RICCAR - Future climate projections for the Mashreq region: summary outcomes
- Review of progress in the Arab region under the decade for sustainable energy
- Trends and Impacts in Conflict Settings No. 7: Climate, peace and security in the Arab region
- Nature-based solutions for climate resilience
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
- World Investment Report 2023 (in particular chapters 1 and 4 - which also includes results and recommendations relevant for SD17)
- SDG Investment Trends Monitor
- Global Investment Trends Monitor
- FDI in the LDCs Special Report
UN-Habitat
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
- Climate-related development finance to agrifood systems - Global and regional trends between 2000 and 202
- Achieving SDG 2 without breaching the 1.5 °C threshold: A global roadmap, Part 1 – How agrifood systems transformation through accelerated climate actions will help achieving food security and nutrition, today and tomorrow, In brie
- Loss and damage and agrifood systems – Addressing gaps and challenges
- The State of Food and Agriculture 2023. Revealing the true cost of food to transform agrifood systems
- Taking stock of good practices, initiatives, and tools for food system transformation through Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans
- Press release/summary of FAO engagement at COP28 (look in particular to FAO Global Roadmap on achieving SDG2 without breaching the 1.5C° threshold)
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
- GAR Special Report 2023: Mapping resilience for the Sustainable Development Goals
- Global status of multi-hazard early warning systems 2023
- Moving Back from the Edge: Changing the status quo for the most vulnerable and excluded in international climate action
- Closing climate and disaster data gaps: New challenges, new thinking
- Financing disaster risk reduction in humanitarian and crisis settings
- Strengthening risk analysis for humanitarian planning
- Financial arrangements for addressing losses and damages: A disaster risk reduction primer
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)
- International Efforts Using Space for Climate Action
- United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs & the Sustainable Development Goals
United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UNOHRLLS)
- SDG7 Policy Briefs in support of the UN HLPF 2023
- Improving Access to Finance for the Least Developed Countries
- Report Scaling Up Renewables in Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs)
- Final Report: Promising Sectors for Economic Transformation of Small Island Developing States
World Health Organization (WHO)
- COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health
- Compendium of WHO and other UN guidance on health and environment
- Latest publications on nutrition and food safety can be found here
UN Women
- Progress on the SDGs: The Gender Snapshot 2023
- Feminist climate justice: A framework for action
- A gender-responsive just transition for people and planet
- The climate–care nexus: Addressing the linkages between climate change and women’s and girls’ unpaid care, domestic, and communal work
UN Office of the Special Advisor for Africa
- Policy brief: Exploring the Role of Green Hydrogen on Africa's Energy Mix
- State of Tech Series: Exploring the Role of Green Hydrogen in Africa’s Energy Mix
- Road to COP27: Why Africa cannot be complacent on energy, climate change
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
- SDG Digital Acceleration Agenda
- Measuring digital development Facts and Figures 2023
- Green Digital Action track at COP28
- Early Warnings for All (EW4ALL) initiative
- Home: Environment and Climate Change
- Digital solutions
- Climate change
- E-waste
- Energy efficiency
- Greening ITU
- Green Digital Action
- ITU’s Latest reports and publications
UNICEF
- Progress on Children’s Well-being: Centring child rights in the 2030 Agenda
- UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s General Comment No. 26 on child rights and the environment with a special focus on climate change
- NDCs and Child Sensitivity data platform
- Child-sensitive climate policies for every child
- Children’s Climate Risk Index
- The coldest year of the rest of their lives. Protecting children from the escalating impacts of heatwaves
- Children’s Environmental Health Collaborative
- COP28 U-Report
- Youth Led Action on Advocating for Climate Education (UNICEF Sierra Leone)
- Changing Childhood: The Other Climate Crisis
- Green Words
United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
- Unlocking the G20’s Green Public Procurement Potential (UNIDO, LeadIT)
- Driving consistency in the greenhouse gas accounting system
- Compliance and programme evaluation for Green public Procurement
- Target setting for green public procurement programs
- Standards and evaluation guidelines for green public procurement
- Fostering industry transition through green public procurement
The World Bank
Official opening
Opening remarks:
- Mr. Daniele Violetti, Senior Director, Programmes Coordination, United Nations Climate Change (UNFCCC)
- Mr. Minoru Takada, Secretary, UN-Energy secretariat, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)
Welcome remarks:
- Mr. Yutaka Matsuzawa, Vice-Minister for Global Environmental Affairs (MOEJ)
- Ms. Shinobu Yume Yamaguchi, Director, United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS)
- Mr. Yasuo Takahashi, Executive Director, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
Special update:
- Mr. Kotaro Kawamata, Director, International Strategy Division, Global Environment Bureau, Ministry of the Environment of Japan (MOEJ) - Presentation
Session 1: Key challenges and opportunities for accelerating transformations
This session brought together a multi-stakeholder group of experts to assess progress, challenges and opportunities for achieving SDG 13 in support of addressing the interconnected crises of nature, development, biodiversity, food-water-energy security, and others.
Moderator:
- Ms. Meagan Fallone, Founder, Step Up AdvisErs, Ltd. & Executive Adviser Climate Justice, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, CARE
Scene-setting presentation:
- Mr. Luis Gomez Echeverri, Emeritus Research Scholar, IIASA, co-lead of the Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergy
- Ms. Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, Professor, Central European University, Vice Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - Presentation
Moderated Roundtable:
- Mr. Youba Sokona, Former Vice-Chair, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
- Mr. Norichika Kanie, Professor, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University
- Mr. Xiaohua Zhang, Director of China Program, Climate Works Foundations
- Ms. Azadeh Farajpour Javazmi, Founder, BetterSoil
- Mr. Paul Vaaler, Professor and John and Bruce Mooty Chair in Law & Business, University of Minnesota (online)
- Ms. Laura Turquet, Policy Advisor and Deputy Chief of Research and Data, UN Women (online)
- Ms. Meena Bilgi, Representative of the Asia Pacific Regional CSO Engagement Mechanism (online)
- Ms. Suchismita Mukhopadhyay, Lead Advocacy, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (online)
- Ms. Joy Hernandez, Representative of Workers & Trade Union Major Group, International Trade Union Confederation for Asia Pacific (ITUC-AP) (online)
Session 2: Tackling the interlinked crisis of climate, nature, and development
This session brought together all experts to discuss how to ensure poverty eradication, food security, peace, inclusive societies, equitable finance, coherent policies in a challenging world of climate catastrophes through mitigation and adaptation measures.
The discussion aimed to provide insights for integrated solutions, related to both vertical and horizontal policy integration, for long-term, cost- effective and participatory impacts.
Moderator:
- Ms. Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson, Chairperson, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, Former Chief Scientist, World Health Organization (WHO)
Scene-setting presentation:
- Mr. Felix Creutzig, Professor, Technical University of Berlin - Presentation
- Mr. Kazuhiko Takeuchi, President, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
Moderated Roundtable:
- Mr. Akio Takemoto, Head of Programme and Administration, United Nations University (UNU)
- Ms. Romchat Wachirarattanakonrkul, Human Rights Officer on Climate Change and the Environment Office, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
- Mr. Daihei Mochizuki, Chief of Mission, International Organization on Migration (IOM) Tokyo
- Mr. Eriko Hibi, Director of FAO Liaison Office in Japan, Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)
- Mr. Shizuka Hashimoto, Member of the IPBES MEP, Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
- Ms. Chantal Umuhoza, Women’s Major Group Representative, Tanga Community by SPECTRA
- Mr. Animesh Kumar, Head of the UNDRR Bonn Office, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) (online)
- Ms. Ann Skelton, Chair, UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (online)
- Ms. Princess Mthombeni, Thought Leader and Founder of Africa4Nuclear (online)
- Ms. Anjana Das, Senior Energy Advisor, Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe) (online)
- Ms. Aditi Mukherji, Director, CGIAR Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Impact Platform (online)
- Ms. Aisha Raheem, Founder, FarmsZ2u (online)
- Mr. Jean-Luc Chotte, Senior Research Director, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) (online)
Session 3: Means of implementation of SDG 13
This session brought all experts to provide concreate suggestions to enhance means of implementation of SDG 13 in support of climate action and other SDGs.
This session also summarized the discussions of the experts and provide clear inputs to the HLPF thematic review of the SDG 13 in July.
Moderator:
- Mr. Kaveh Guilanpour, Vice President for International Strategies, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES)
Scene-setting presentation:
- Mr. Måns Nilsson, Executive Director, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) - Presentation
- Mr. Ma Jun, Director, Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE)
Moderated Roundtable:
- Mr. Yannick Glemarec, Former Executive Director, Green Climate Fund, Director of Research, International Research Center on Environment and Development (CIRED) (online)
- Mr. Junichi Fujino, Program Director, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
- Ms. Misa Kemmiya, Director General for Sustainability Management, Japan International Cooperation Agency
- Ms. Haruka Toyama, Major Group on Children and Youth Representative, Japan Youth Platform for Sustainability (JYPS)
- Ms. Isabella de Roldão, Deputy Mayor and International Relations Coordinator, Government of Brazil
- Ms. Josephine Uranza, Regional Coordinator, Technical Cooperation and Implementation Division, Asia and Pacific Section, International Maritime Organization (IMO)
- Mr. Tatsuya Yanase, Environment and Climate Change Specialist, Asian Development Bank (ADB)
- Ms. Stephanie Hellweg, Deputy Head of Institute of Environmental Engineering and member of International Resource Panel (online)
- Mr. Henri Paillere, Head Planning and Economic Studies Section, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (online)
- Ms. Joni Pegram, Climate & Environment Policy Specialist, UNICEF (online)
- Ms. Maria Theresa N. Lauron, Women’s Major Group Representative, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (online)
- Ms. Jaejong Del Ser, Carbon Finance Co-Lead, CIFAR Alliance (online) Mr. Vikram Sarbajna, Founder, Agtuall (online)
- Mr. Qi Shuguang, Professor in Engineering/Vice Chief Engineer of CTTL-systems, China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (online)
- Mr. Alaaeldin Sayed Sayed Ewase, Researcher in Climate Change Adaptation, Environmental Affairs Agency, Ministry of Environment of Egypt (online)
- Ms. Amelia U. Santos-Paulino, Chief, Investment Research Section, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) (online)
Way Forward and Official Closing: HLPF and Beyond
Summary of the discussion highlights and key messages
- Ms. Bahareh Seyedi, Senior Sustainable Development Officer, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)
Closing remarks
- Mr. Daniele Violetti, Senior Director, Programmes Coordination, United Nations Climate Change (UNFCCC)
- Mr. Minoru Takada, Secretary, UN-Energy secretariat, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)
Group Photo (in person participants)
