mining

NGO Committee on Financing for Development regular monthly meeting

Join the NGO Committee on Financing for Development for their regular monthly meeting on November 4 from 1:00 – 3:00 pm EST at the Baha’i International Community Office at 866 UN Plaza, with Zoom access capabilities for those who are unable to attend in person. As the conference room can accommodate up to 25 participants, in-person attendance will be on a first come first served basis for those who have registered at this link by 4:00 pm October 31.

To attend virtually, kindly register to receive the Zoom access link here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZctdu6urD4qGdG5uqTnKvZAqzQHuY_QnaQq
 
The agenda, minutes of the last meeting, and resource material are being uploaded to the meeting folder here.
 
Note to members:
Save the Date for upcoming FfD workshop! The Committee’s annual workshop on FfD, titled “Financing for Development Post COVID” will be held on November 9 from 8:30 am – 10:00 am via Zoom. This workshop is being organized by the Executive Committee.  Interested participants are encouraged to register here.

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CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on Financing for Development is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. Likewise, 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.

Adequate reparation in the future LBI: The example of mining disasters

Join us for this official side event during the 7th session of the open-ended intergovernmental working group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights.

Examining the concrete situations in Marinduque Island (the Philippines) and Minas Gerais State (Brazil), panelists will interrogate whether articles in the current draft for the legally binding instrument would support the rights of victims to access justice, individual or collective reparations, and effective remedy.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sF_Md1ynQ1e4bYxqpoidqw

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. 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 Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit congocsd.wordpress.com.

9th Global Commodities Forum: Strengthening resilience in commodity dependent countries

Ninth Global Commodities Forum: Strengthening resilience in commodity dependent countries

The Global Commodities Forum will be held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, with physical and remote participation, from 13 to 15 September 2021. It will commence at 3pm on Monday, 13 September 2021. The ninth meeting of the Global Commodities Forum is jointly organized by UNCTAD and the Government of Barbados, in collaboration with their partners. It is held in the lead up to the 15th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, hosted by Barbados, to be held with remote participation from 3 to 7 October 2021 and the theme of which is “From inequality and vulnerability to prosperity for all.”

The Global Commodities Forum is a major multi-stakeholder meeting, at which participants can discuss pragmatic solutions to perennial problems in the commodity economy. It offers a unique platform at which to debate issues at the intersection of commodities and development, including food security, water management, the transition from fossil fuels and the greening of the mining sector. The theme of the 2021 Global Commodities Forum is “Strengthening resilience in commodity dependent countries.” Responding effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic and meeting development needs in the context of accelerating climate change processes are challenging many commodity dependent developing countries. How countries will adapt to a constantly evolving environment depends on their capacity to promote innovative economic and social development programmes. In this regard, international cooperation is crucial. The Global Commodities Forum will connect policymakers with practitioners to address current challenges and future opportunities for commodity dependent economies.

The Global Commodities Forum will help to frame international policy discussions on commodities, highlighting challenges and opportunities for developing countries, in particular commodity dependent developing countries. In this regard, four thematic sessions and a high-level round table will be organized. On day 1, the first session will be dedicated to agriculture, with a focus on the policy actions required to ensure food security, and the second session will examine the challenges related to access to water in the twenty-first century. On day 2, the third and fourth sessions will examine issues related to energy commodities and minerals, with a focus on energy transitions. On day 3, a high-level round table will be held on strengthening resilience.

Register & view the full program, including speaker biographies, here: unctad15.org/commodities-forum.

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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-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.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 Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com

High-Level Dialogue on Energy

UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced that he will convene the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy virtually on Friday, 24 September 2021, under the auspices of the UN General Assembly.

A series of Leadership Dialogues will feature Heads of State and Government as well as other global leaders, many of whom are expected to announce commitments in the form of “Energy Compacts,” aimed at achieving clean, affordable energy for all by 2030 (SDG7) and net zero emissions by 2050. More details about Energy Compacts can be found here.

The Dialogue will result in a global roadmap towards the achievement of SDG 7 by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050, building on the outcome of the Ministerial Thematic Forums and the reports of Technical Working Groups released in June.

Stakeholders Participation

To bring together businesses, cities, foundations, youth and other civil society representatives to announce their own Energy Compact commitments and mobilize partnerships for transformative action, multi-stakeholder energy action pre-events are also being organized virtually on the mornings of 22 and 23 September, details to be announced.

Energy Compacts registration

All stakeholders are urged to submit their Compact commitments by 31 August, in order to ensure that they are reviewed and registered in time to be given visibility at the High-level Dialogue on Energy in September.

Recording of the Deep-dive Stakeholders Workshop on Energy Compacts (held on 19 August 2021) is now available here, with detailed presentation on how to prepare and submit your commitments. Find more about the process and submit your Energy Compact here.

Details on the Dialogue are to be announced shortly on the HLDE website.

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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.

Is Extractivism Compatible with Sustainable Development?

Please join us in the Mining Working Group’s side-event at the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development 2021.  Our speakers from the Philippines, Brazil, Bolivia and Democratic Republic of Congo will discuss the impacts of mining and extractive industries and initiatives in their communities to address poverty and human rights abuses brought about by extractive development.

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81514341374?pwd=TWdBSGdtNm1xWmlFZjI5Z0hFaFBodz09

Meeting ID: 815 1434 1374
Passcode: 826876

Spanish translation provided.

About the organizer:

The NGO Mining Working Group (MWG) is a coalition of NGOs that, in partnership with our members and affected local communities, advocates at and through the United Nations for human and environmental rights as related to extractive industries. The MWG addresses unjust and unsustainable extractive practices and policies through the lens of the rights of local communities and indigenous peoples and Earth’s carrying capacity. The MWG promotes a human and ecological rights framework as the foundation for sustainable and just natural-resource management, through: just and transparent international policies; national laws and practices that meet the highest international standards and obligations; and intervention to address violations. In this context the MWG also advocates for the use of economic benefits of resource extraction for the holistic and long-term social, economic, and sustainable development needs of local communities.

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CoNGO Notes: 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. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP.

COP26: Ramp Up Ambition!

Faiths Unite: Visions for Transformative Climate Action

A 3-part interactive online series organised by the Interfaith Liaison Committee to the UNFCCC Every Tuesday from October 27th to November 10th

The Interfaith Liaison Committee welcomes friends from around the world to learn, discuss and explore climate action in the run up to what should have been COP26. We welcome members from different religious communities, alongside scientists and policymakers, to meet and share their visions for faith-based climate action in 2020.

Join us for part 2 on Tuesday, Nov. 3 – COP26: Ramp Up Ambition!

4:00-5:30 pm GMT / 5:00-6:30 pm CET / 11:00-12:30 am EST

Register here.

The second event in a 3-part interactive online series organised by the Interfaith Liaison Committee to the UNFCCC. This webinar will discuss what needs to be on the agenda of COP26 and what does it mean for climate action now.

The postponement of COP26 creates a challenge to keeping up the tempo on climate action. States’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are not even close to ensuring global temperature rise remains below 2°C, let alone the necessary 1.5°C.

Inaction from governments is no longer an option. 2020 is the year when the GHG emissions curve must begin to fall in order to have a chance of attaining the Paris Agreement goals. Climate actions undertaken by States must contain a mechanism to compensate for loss and damage. Finance, technology transfer and capacity building for adaptation must be made available to least developed and climate vulnerable countries. Covid-19 has shown the world that there is finance available to respond to an emergency. The climate emergency needs to be met with the same determination. There is no real alternative – continuing to stall action will eventually lead to catastrophic loss and damage.

Moderator: Lindsey Fielder Cook, Representative for Climate Change, Quaker United Nations Office (Geneva)

Speakers:

  • Sarmad Iqbal, Islamic Relief Worldwide (Pakistan)
  • Neil Thorns, Chair of the Climate Coalition and Advocacy Director at CAFOD (UK)
  • Prof Joyashree Roy, Bangabandhu Chair Professor, Asian Institute of Technology, IPCC Author (Thailand)
  • Moema de Miranda, Churches and Mining, Franciscans, Brazil
  • Ovais Sarmad, UNFCCC Deputy Executive Secretary (Bonn)

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values, and Global Concerns, please visit csvgc-ny.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 Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@gmail.com. 

Linking Criminal Justice & the SDGs: Corruption Creates Wicked Legacies at Hazardous Sites

10th Session of the Conference of the Parties UN – Vienna official side event

Link :  us02web.zoom.us/j/81890759866

Meeting ID: 818 9075 9866

Kenncode: 599775

Programme

Welcome & Introduction: Ilona Graenitz, Chairperson Vienna NGO Committee on Sustainable Development “Prerequisites for achieving the SDGs”

Presentation: Univ. Prof. Drin. Verena Winiwarter, BOKU, Institute of Social Ecology “Eliminating and cleaning up of wicked legacies at hazardous sites by supporting transparent, public information and fighting corruption, thus providing a sound basis for achieving the SDGs”

Follow-up activities and a question/answer session to follow.

About wicked legacies at hazardous sites:

Advancing towards the Agenda 2030 goals hinges on progress with target “16.5: Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms” Corruption can lead to significant and serious environmental problems, if it jeopardizes the care, maintenance and clean-up of toxic legacy sites. These environmental problems can in particular impact women. The event makes a case for action and calls for a debate on an additional SDG Target, respectively indicators to draw attention to the dangers of toxic legacy sites worldwide; particularly in abandoned mines. The SDGs can only be achieved, if stocks as well as flows of toxic substances and pollutants are reduced and finally eliminated. Abandoned toxic sites and mines present not only challenges to the environment and people, but also a growing threat, as mines worldwide may increasingly be used for storing CO2 with possibly hazardous results due to chemical reactions. It is of utmost importance to clean up this toxic legacy and manage related risks, as this process is particularly vulnerable to corruption. A panel of experts will offer insight into the risks of toxic legacy sites; the problems of developing legal framework to minimize long-term environmental contamination and its negative impact on human health; and discuss the challenges of minimizing corruption in issues involving specialized technical knowledge. In order to underpin the rule of law and to expedite legal action respecting the “Polluter Pays” principle, the founding of an international High Court for Environment and Health under UN auspices is proposed.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-New York, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org

[HLPF virtual side event] Green Economy & COVID-19 Recovery

PAGE (Partnership for Action on Green Economy) @ #HLPF2020

Green Economy & COVID-19 Recovery: Implications for the Decade of Action

Join the virtual conversation: How can a green economic recovery contribute to accelerated action on the Sustainable Development Goals?

As we enter the Decade of Action and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, we must unlock the opportunity to build a better tomorrow. Green recovery responses will not only address the root causes of the current crisis but also build resilience to future economic shocks and accelerate action towards the achievement of inclusive sustainable development.

Drawing on the unique expertise of the Partnership and its commitment to supporting action on green economy, this high-level panel discussion will connect how targeted policies and investments can create jobs and income while addressing global sustainability challenges. This conversation will rally around renewed commitment towards the Sustainable Development Goals and climate and biodiversity targets, highlighting the ways in which an inclusive green economic recovery can support the Decade of Action.

Register now: mailchi.mp/8928be644e7c/page-hlpf-registration

Moderation by: Nozipho Tshabalala, Conversation Strategist and Global Moderator

Distinguished Speakers:

  • Rita Schwarzelühr-Sutter, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany
  • Omar Paganini, Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining, Uruguay
  • Arifin Rudiyanto, Deputy Minister for Maritime Affairs and Natural Resources, Ministry of National Development Planning, Indonesia
  • Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Minister of Industry, Trade and green Digital Economy, Kingdom of Morocco
  • Sveinung Rotevatn, Minister of Climate and Environment, Norway, and President, United Nations Environment Assembly
  • Claudio Moroni, Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security, Argentina
  • Barbara Creecy, Minister of Forestry and Fisheries and Environmental Affairs of the Republic of South Africa
  • Inger Andersen, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme
  • Guy Ryder, Director-General, International Labour Organization
  • Li Yong, Director-General, United Nations Industrial Development Organization
  • Nikhil Seth, Executive Director, United Nations Institute for Training and Research

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information, on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development-NY, visit ngosonffd.org