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Least Developed Countries Group Push for Decisive Climate Action at United Nations General Assembly

  09/23/2017 - 11:13 am | , , , ,
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23 September – At the UN General Assembly in New York, the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group calls on heads of state and government to reaffirm their pledge to tackle climate change by committing to fair and concrete climate solutions to protect all people and the planet. The theme of this year’s UN General Assembly debate – ‘Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet’ – is a reminder of the importance of safeguarding a liveable world for ourselves and future generations.  Continue reading →

LDC Watch session at WTO Public Forum in Geneva on 26 Sept

  09/15/2017 - 10:43 am | , , , , , ,
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(13 September 2017): LDC Watch, the umbrella group representing NGOs from Least Developed Countries, is holding a working session on ‘An Inclusive Global Trade System In The Face of Changing Trade Landscape’ at the WTO Public Forum. It is Working Session 6, on Tuesday, 26 September, 11.30-13.00 in Room D, at the WTO Building, Geneva. The general theme of the Public Forum 17, (26-28 September) is ‘Trade Behind the Headlines’ on making trade work for more people and ensure that the trading system is as inclusive as possible. Continue reading →

Development deficit feeds Boko Haram in northern Cameroon

  09/07/2017 - 3:17 pm | ,
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7 September Mbom Sixtus (IRIN), One of the main reasons Boko Haram has been able to gain a foothold and recruit thousands of young people in the Far North Region of Cameroon is its relative lack of development and employment opportunities. Since Boko Haram began to launch attacks in northern Cameroon in 2014, more than 2,000 people have been killed and at least 155,000 forced to flee their homes. Continue reading →

Early results: Did private outsourcing improve Liberia’s schools?

  09/07/2017 - 2:54 pm | ,
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  An independent evaluation of a project in Liberia that outsourced the management of nearly 100 schools to mostly international private operators has revealed that student learning improved by up to 60 percent during its first year. However, the evaluation also raised serious concerns about the financial sustainability and cost effectiveness of the program, and the privatisation of education.

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Asian CSOs have grave concerns about accreditation of Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd. (BTMU) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to Green Climate Fund given their involvement in coal-fired energy projects

  07/07/2017 - 10:21 am | , ,
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Songdo, South Korea, 7 July 2017: More than 60 civil society organisations from Asia have signed an open letter expressing their ‘grave concern’ about the request from the Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd. (BTMU) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to be accredited to the Green Climate Fund. They cite the fact that BTMU and JICA are among the most actively and heavily involved financial institutions in the financing of fossil fuels, particularly coal. They have left a trail of dirty energy funding too long and too wide to include here, but which stretches across several Asian countries.  Continue reading →

Tackle climate change LDC Group tells leaders in run-up to G7 meeting

  07/06/2017 - 4:05 pm | , , , ,
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As G20 leaders prepare to meet in Hamburg on 7-8 July 2017, the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group calls on heads of state and government to reaffirm their commitments to tackling climate change by committing to ambitious climate action and support for the most vulnerable countries. The theme of Germany’s G20 presidency is ‘Shaping an Interconnected World’. This is extremely relevant to the issue of climate change: a truly global problem requiring a global, collaborative solution.  Continue reading →

Regional Consultation of West African CSOs on from LDCs

  07/06/2017 - 3:54 pm | , , ,
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22 June, Dakar, Senegal: The regional consultation of West African LDCs on graduation from LDC Criteria in reference to the IPoA and the Agenda 2030 took place in Dakar, Senegal on 21 and 22nd June 2017. It was attended by representatives from CSOs and progressive experts of West African Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The meeting, jointly organized by LDC Watch and ARCADE concentrated on four thematic areas, vital for West African LDCs: Poverty, Conflict and Development , Climate Change and Adaptation: Agriculture , Food Security and Food Sovereignty and Trade, Technology Transfer and International Cooperation. Continue reading →

Bangladesh needs global help to tackle climate change

  06/18/2017 - 9:54 am | , ,
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Association for Social Transformation Trust Bangladesh, at UNHCR annual dialogues in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday sought global assistance for the country to cope with the climate change impacts.
‘Bangladesh needs huge international assistance to cope with the impact of climate change though the country is investing bigger amounts,’ Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, representative of COAST Bangladesh, said at the dialogues, according to a message received here on Saturday.
Chowdhury, who presented a case study from Bangladesh, said that climate change would make one third area of the country vulnerable to inundation, creating unbearable population density leading to huge economic and social security threat though the country is hardly responsible for climate changes.
Other speakers at the discussion laid emphasis on global solidarity and cooperation in respect of climate displacement especially its two global compacts – refugees and migration.
The event titled ‘Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities in the Global Compacts’ was held in Geneva International Conference Centre on the eve of ongoing UNHCR annual dialogue.
It was moderated by Atle Solberg from Platform on Disaster Displacement.
Besides Rezaul Karim Chowdhury of COAST, Neil Turner from Norwegian Refugee Council, Sarnata Reynolds from Oxfam USA and Marine Frank from UNHCR took part in the dialogue as panellists.
Neil Turner from Norwegian Refugee Council called for durable solutions, predictability for responding to the large movements and responsibility sharing mechanism in respect of two global compacts – refugees and migration.
Sarnata Reynolds from Oxfam USA, depicted how climate displacement is creating problems for women and children who are already vulnerable in developing countries. Climate displacement is also eroding social capitals, she added.
Summing up the dialogues, Atle Soleberg, the moderator, mentioned six points in need, which are policy coherence, relevancy of the issues for implications in both the compacts, breaking of climate impacts to different groups of population with different types of vulnerabilities, better preparedness with anticipation and predictability, responsibility and sharing of burden in regional and international level, and global solidarity in this regard. – See more at: