climate policy

CACCI Policy Advocacy webinar on ESG in South-East Asia and Green-Digital Transformation

CACCI invites you to participate in the CACCI Policy Advocacy webinar to be held on Wednesday, December 14at 3:00PM Taipei Time. The 50-minute session will be moderated by Mangesh Lal Shrestha, YEGAP President.

The two relevant policy issues to be discussed are:

(1) ESG in South-East Asia: Policy Considerations for Improving Performance Across Sustainability and Social Parameters in the EV and Textile Industries by Mr. Arjun Goswani, Director, Public Policy, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

(2) How to Adjust to the Green-Digital Transformation: A Primer for CACCI by Prof. Dr. Güven Sak, Economic Policy Research of Turkey (TEPAV)

The two Executive Summaries can be downloaded HERE for your perusal. The two presentations will be followed by Q&A section. The session will conclude with Mr. Mangesh Lal Shrestha’s Closing Remarks. Your participation is free of charge. Moreover, we encourage you to share this invitation with your colleagues.

Please register HERE.

Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you at the webinar.

Sincerely yours,

David Hsu

Director-General, Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. 

CACCI Policy Advocacy webinar on ESG in South-East Asia and Green-Digital Transformation

CACCI invites you to participate in the CACCI Policy Advocacy webinar to be held on Wednesday, December 14at 3:00PM Taipei Time. The 50-minute session will be moderated by Mangesh Lal Shrestha, YEGAP President.

The two relevant policy issues to be discussed are:

(1) ESG in South-East Asia: Policy Considerations for Improving Performance Across Sustainability and Social Parameters in the EV and Textile Industries by Mr. Arjun Goswani, Director, Public Policy, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

(2) How to Adjust to the Green-Digital Transformation: A Primer for CACCI by Prof. Dr. Güven Sak, Economic Policy Research of Turkey (TEPAV)

The two Executive Summaries can be downloaded HERE for your perusal. The two presentations will be followed by Q&A section. The session will conclude with Mr. Mangesh Lal Shrestha’s Closing Remarks. Your participation is free of charge. Moreover, we encourage you to share this invitation with your colleagues.

Please register HERE.

Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you at the webinar.

Sincerely yours,

David Hsu

Director-General, Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com. 

Civil Society FfD List Sign-on Letter: Implementation of UN Resolution on International Tax Cooperation

Photo: https://csoforffd.org/

We invite you all to sign on to the letter, and the deadline for doing so is Friday 16 December 2022. You can find the letter here and the form to sign on is here

__________

To the kind attention of:

Permanent Representatives and Permanent Observers to the United Nations in New York

United Nations Secretariat, Agencies and Programmes

 

X December 2022

 

Subject: Implementation of UNGA Second Committee resolution on promotion of inclusive and effective international tax cooperation at the United Nations (A/C.2/77/L.11/Rev.1)

 

Your Excellencies distinguished representatives of UN Member States,

 

We, the undersigned civil society organisations and trade unions, strongly support and welcome the UNGA resolution on promotion of inclusive and effective international tax cooperation at the UN (A/C.2/77/L.11/Rev.1). We commend the Africa Group for its excellent leadership on this issue and for finally ensuring implementation of the long-standing demand of developing countries for a UN intergovernmental negotiation process on international tax. We urge all UN Member States to maintain and reinforce the spirit of international cooperation that resulted in the adoption by consensus of this historic resolution. 

 

Furthermore, we are writing to you with a call for all governments to work constructively towards the urgent and efficient implementation of the resolution. This includes: 

 

  1. Supporting a speedy approval in the UNGA Fifth Committee of the required budget allocation for the implementation of the resolution, in line with the related Programme budget implications analysis (A/C.2/77/L.75). The budget requirement, totaling US$ 432,700, was presented to Member States ahead of the adoption of the resolution. We now count on all UN Member States to stand by the consensus agreement reached with the resolution and confirm the allocation of the required resources. We also urge all UN Member States to keep in mind that international tax cooperation is urgently needed, not least to combat tax-related illicit financial flows, which are costing governments hundreds of billions of dollars in lost tax income every year. This must therefore be a matter of high importance and urgency.

 

  1. Supporting strong stakeholder involvement in the consultation process related to the UN Secretary General’s report as mandated by the resolution. We strongly welcome the fact that stakeholder consultation is explicitly included in the text of the resolution, and we stand ready to make our contributions. We, the undersigned civil society organisations and trade unions, bring in-depth knowledge from all regions of the world about the devastating impacts of the failure of international tax cooperation, including the continued bleeding of public resources in the form of illicit financial flows. We also bring concrete and specific proposals for solutions, including for how a future UN Convention on Tax could be designed. 

 

  1. Supporting a strong intergovernmental UN process to strengthen international tax cooperation. Through the resolution, all UN Member States have agreed to “begin intergovernmental discussions in New York at United Nations Headquarters on ways to strengthen the inclusiveness and effectiveness of international tax cooperation”. We strongly welcome this vital initiative, and stress the importance of moving forward with urgency. As stated in the adopted resolution, combating illicit financial flows is an essential development challenge, and developing countries are particularly susceptible to the negative impact of illicit financial flows. Therefore, we believe that the modalities for the foreseen process must be adopted as a matter of high priority, and this should take place no later than the seventy-eighth session of the UN General Assembly. Furthermore, we would like to stress the importance of ensuring that the modalities provide for a transparent and inclusive member state-led negotiation process with full participation of stakeholders, including civil society. 

 

Despite the fact that international tax rules and standards affect all countries and people of the world, there has until this point been no inclusive international body where all countries were able to participate on an equal footing in the decision-making on international tax matters. This injustice is at the heart of the failure of the international tax system, which has continued to be characterised by injustice, inefficiency, incoherence, unilateral actions and beggar-thy-neighbor policies. All countries have paid a high price for this failure, but the impacts on developing countries have been particularly hard. The UN remains the only truly universal body where all countries participate as equals, and the consensus adoption of the UN resolution, including the decision to begin intergovernmental discussions on international tax matters under the auspices of the UN, constitutes a truly historical shift towards fairness and inclusivity. 

The urgency of this matter cannot be overstated. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic and the “cost of living crisis”, the fight to increase domestic resource mobilisation and combat illicit financial flows has never been more vital. In 2021, the State of Tax Justice report estimated that countries around the world are losing over US$450 billion per year due to international tax dodging and abuse by multinational corporations and wealthy individuals. Faced with the challenges of financing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and combatting the global environmental crises, it is clear that the international community must take urgent action to strengthen international tax cooperation and stop the immense bleeding of public resources. 

We remain at your disposal if you would like to receive more information or would like to meet to discuss this issue further. 

 

Yours sincerely,

Civil Society Financing for Development Group (www.csoforffd.org)

 

Signatories

 

  1. Civil Society Financing for Development (FfD) Group
  2. Global Alliance for Tax Justice (GATJ): Alliance of five continental tax and fiscal justice networks in Asia (Tax & Fiscal Justice Asia), Africa (Tax Justice Network Africa), Latin America (Red de Justicia Fiscal de América Latina y el Caribe), Europe (Tax Justice-Europe) and North America (Canadians for Tax Fairness & FACT Coalition), collectively representing hundreds of organisations. 
  3. European Network on Debt and Development (Eurodad)

 

COP15 Faith Briefing

Dear colleagues,

With the CBD COP15 only a few weeks away, Bhumi Global is delighted to invite you to a briefing session on Tuesday 22nd November from 9:30am – 11am ET where we will review and discuss:

  • Updated multi-faith priorities for the Global Biodiversity Framework
  • Events planned by the COP15 multi-faith coordination group
  • How to apply for a side event at the multi-faith pavilion within the Action Zone
  • Multi-faith communications strategy for COP15

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5288392946?pwd=NEJpbUl3UHZhdWNnOWtNeEh5aXlYdz09

Meeting ID: 528 839 2946
Passcode: Bhumi

One tap mobile
+16469313860,,5288392946#,,,,*742521# US
+13017158592,,5288392946#,,,,*742521# US (Washington DC)

____________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values, and Global Concerns-NY, please visit csvgc-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org

COP15 Faith Briefing

Dear colleagues,

With the CBD COP15 only a few weeks away, Bhumi Global is delighted to invite you to a briefing session on Tuesday 22nd November from 9:30am – 11am ET where we will review and discuss:

  • Updated multi-faith priorities for the Global Biodiversity Framework
  • Events planned by the COP15 multi-faith coordination group
  • How to apply for a side event at the multi-faith pavilion within the Action Zone
  • Multi-faith communications strategy for COP15

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5288392946?pwd=NEJpbUl3UHZhdWNnOWtNeEh5aXlYdz09

Meeting ID: 528 839 2946
Passcode: Bhumi

One tap mobile
+16469313860,,5288392946#,,,,*742521# US
+13017158592,,5288392946#,,,,*742521# US (Washington DC)

____________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values, and Global Concerns-NY, please visit csvgc-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org

[deadline] Call for submissions to CoNGO consultation on resolution 1996/31

Attention dear NGO partners:

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) will hold consultations with organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC to discuss questions of interest to the Committee or to the organizations relating to the relationship between the NGOs and the United Nations in line with paragraph 61 (a) of ECOSOC resolution 1996/31. The consultations will take the form of written submissions and an interactive hearing which will be held in New York on 9 December 2022 from 10:00am – 1:00pm.

As part of the consultation process, all NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC are invited to submit their contributions and views on four key questions in the Concept Note ahead of the hearing via these instructions.

Instructions for submission of of Written Inputs:

  • Use the name of your organization as the document’s name.
  • The written submission should address the four questions outlined in the Concept Note.
  • Your submission to each question should not exceed 500 words.
  • To submit your written inputs, Log in to your NGO profile and under the “Correspondence tab” click on “New Message.” Attach the document to the email, and use “2022 Consultations with NGOs in consultative status-Written Submissions” as the email title/subject, and “Event/Meeting” as the category.
  • Please note that we are not able to accept other formats such as PDF,  jpeg, etc.
  • Press “send.” Please note that your submission is final; you will not be able to edit your statement submission or send multiple versions.
  • Kindly ensure that your written submission is finalized prior to sending the document.

Instructions on registering for participation at the Interactive Hearing will be made available in the coming weeks.

Your contribution is important! We appreciate your participation and commitment to NGO access at the UN.

[deadline] Call for submissions to CoNGO consultation on resolution 1996/31

Attention dear NGO partners:

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) will hold consultations with organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC to discuss questions of interest to the Committee or to the organizations relating to the relationship between the NGOs and the United Nations in line with paragraph 61 (a) of ECOSOC resolution 1996/31. The consultations will take the form of written submissions and an interactive hearing which will be held in New York on 9 December 2022 from 10:00am – 1:00pm.

As part of the consultation process, all NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC are invited to submit their contributions and views on four key questions in the Concept Note ahead of the hearing via these instructions.

Instructions for submission of of Written Inputs:

  • Use the name of your organization as the document’s name.
  • The written submission should address the four questions outlined in the Concept Note.
  • Your submission to each question should not exceed 500 words.
  • To submit your written inputs, Log in to your NGO profile and under the “Correspondence tab” click on “New Message.” Attach the document to the email, and use “2022 Consultations with NGOs in consultative status-Written Submissions” as the email title/subject, and “Event/Meeting” as the category.
  • Please note that we are not able to accept other formats such as PDF,  jpeg, etc.
  • Press “send.” Please note that your submission is final; you will not be able to edit your statement submission or send multiple versions.
  • Kindly ensure that your written submission is finalized prior to sending the document.

Instructions on registering for participation at the Interactive Hearing will be made available in the coming weeks.

Your contribution is important! We appreciate your participation and commitment to NGO access at the UN.

Leadership for Change: A Call to Action from Sisters Supporting Vulnerable Communities

This side event will address SDGs 14, 15, and 17 – under review at this year’s High-Level Political Forum – by featuring panelists with expertise in creating environmental initiatives that serve and support our planet’s most vulnerable communities. Panelists will include Sisters engaged in grassroots advocacy, speakers from civil society sharing best practices for partnerships around the SDGs, and representatives from Member States with experience of collaborating to make the 2030 Agenda a reality for all. With this event, we aim to model effective implementation of SDG 17, Partnerships for the Goals. UNANIMA and UISG are partnering to produce a concise and powerful call to action, drawing from the experiences of Sisters as development leaders, with concrete policy recommendations on achieving the relevant SDGs.

Join live here on July 7 at 1pm Eastern / 7pm CET:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82672796766?pwd=uuOs9L9gjyMT_WOZAq3SV38ZlU4CWs.1&mc_cid=13e5b4d572&mc_eid=e1bba69d46#success

Through this event, UNANIMA International and the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) will bring to Member States the distinctive voices of Catholic Sisters – women leaders supporting marginalized communities around the world – with a strong call to action on SDGs 14, 15 and 17, under review at this Forum.

The Goals:

SDGs 14 and 15 were established by the UN in 2015. Life Below Water aims to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.” Life on Land was created to “protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.” The Earth’s delicate ecosystems sustain and nourish life for all humans.

However, extractive industries, plastic pollution, and many other toxic practices are disrupting the relationship between people and our planet. Marginalized groups, Small-Island Developing States, and countries in the global south are particularly reliant on oceans and land for food security and wellbeing. Habitat loss caused by rising sea levels, deforestation, and other climate-related factors is wreaking havoc around the globe, forcing people to seek out temporary, crowded, and unsafe shelters where illness and infection spread quickly.

Climate injustice – including the loss of homes, biodiversity, and essential food and water supplies – is one of the most pressing obstacles to achieving the SDGs. Indigenous and local communities suffering from changes to their environments can often provide solutions to the challenges we face below water and on land: their insights will be essential in caring for the Earth as we approach 2030.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship at the United Nations, please visit  ngocsw.org. For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit  ngocsw-geneva.ch.

Leadership for Change: A Call to Action from Sisters Supporting Vulnerable Communities

This side event will address SDGs 14, 15, and 17 – under review at this year’s High-Level Political Forum – by featuring panelists with expertise in creating environmental initiatives that serve and support our planet’s most vulnerable communities. Panelists will include Sisters engaged in grassroots advocacy, speakers from civil society sharing best practices for partnerships around the SDGs, and representatives from Member States with experience of collaborating to make the 2030 Agenda a reality for all. With this event, we aim to model effective implementation of SDG 17, Partnerships for the Goals. UNANIMA and UISG are partnering to produce a concise and powerful call to action, drawing from the experiences of Sisters as development leaders, with concrete policy recommendations on achieving the relevant SDGs.

Join live here on July 7 at 1pm Eastern / 7pm CET:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82672796766?pwd=uuOs9L9gjyMT_WOZAq3SV38ZlU4CWs.1&mc_cid=13e5b4d572&mc_eid=e1bba69d46#success

Through this event, UNANIMA International and the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) will bring to Member States the distinctive voices of Catholic Sisters – women leaders supporting marginalized communities around the world – with a strong call to action on SDGs 14, 15 and 17, under review at this Forum.

The Goals:

SDGs 14 and 15 were established by the UN in 2015. Life Below Water aims to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.” Life on Land was created to “protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.” The Earth’s delicate ecosystems sustain and nourish life for all humans.

However, extractive industries, plastic pollution, and many other toxic practices are disrupting the relationship between people and our planet. Marginalized groups, Small-Island Developing States, and countries in the global south are particularly reliant on oceans and land for food security and wellbeing. Habitat loss caused by rising sea levels, deforestation, and other climate-related factors is wreaking havoc around the globe, forcing people to seek out temporary, crowded, and unsafe shelters where illness and infection spread quickly.

Climate injustice – including the loss of homes, biodiversity, and essential food and water supplies – is one of the most pressing obstacles to achieving the SDGs. Indigenous and local communities suffering from changes to their environments can often provide solutions to the challenges we face below water and on land: their insights will be essential in caring for the Earth as we approach 2030.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship at the United Nations, please visit  ngocsw.org. For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit  ngocsw-geneva.ch.

COP26, Fossil Fuel Divestment and a Just Transition for All

Around the world, faith institutions are supporting a just transition from fossil fuels to clean energy by divesting from fossil fuel companies and investing in climate solutions.

More than 500 faith institutions have made fossil fuel divestment commitments, including the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the Methodist Church of Great Britain, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, American Jewish World Service, the Islamic Society of North America and Sydney Buddhist Centre. In 2020, the Vatican recommended that Catholic institutions divest from fossil fuel companies.

Join this interactive webinar the week before COP26 in Glasgow to hear from inspiring leaders on the steps that faith institutions are taking on fossil fuel divestment and investment in climate solutions.

The webinar will highlight the recent call from Southern African Anglican Bishops for an immediate end to oil and gas exploration in Africa. You will also hear from faith institutions demonstrating leadership on investment in climate solutions, including the Church of Sweden.

We are delighted to welcome the following speakers:

  • Keynote speaker: Bishop William Nolan, Bishop of Galloway and Lead Bishop on the Environment for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Scotland
  • Bishop Hugh Nelson, Bishop of St Germans in the Diocese of Truro (Church of England): The Diocese of Truro decision to divest from fossil fuels and invest in renewable energy
  • Rev. Dr. Rachel Mash, Environmental Coordinator of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (Green Anglicans): The call of Southern African Bishops for an immediate end to fossil fuel exploration in Africa
  • Gunnela Hahn, Head of Responsible Investment, Church of Sweden: Fossil fuel divestment and investment in climate solutions
  • Sunita Viswanath, Co-Founder of Hindus for Human Rights and GreenFaith Fellow
  • Richard Brooks, Climate Finance Director, stand.earth
  • James Buchanan, Bright Now Campaign Manager at Operation Noah, will join the speaker panel for the Q&A

Webinar chair: Prince Papa, Africa Programs Coordinator at Laudato Si’ Movement

It will provide an opportunity to find out how your Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish or other faith organization can join the next global divestment announcement in the spring of 2022.

This webinar is organized by Laudato Si’ Movement, Operation Noah, World Council of Churches, Green Anglicans and GreenFaith.

Register here!

__________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org

1 2