[2022] Side Events at UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 27)

Description 

From 6 to 18 November 2022, the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt will host the 27th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, with a view to building on previous successes and paving the way for future ambition to effectively tackle the global challenge of climate change.

For detailed information, please refer to the following COP27 official website: https://cop27.eg/#/

The United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD) will be organizing 2 side events during the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27). The side events will be a part of the SDG Pavilion hosted by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and the Korea Pavilion hosted by the Government of Republic of Korea.

Side Event #1

"Exploring approaches to mitigation target setting for NDC updates"

10 November 2022 / 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM / Korea Pavilion, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, countries agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions with intention of limiting global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels. According to the IPCC “Global Warming of 1.5°C” report, the global-mean temperature cannot avoid getting hotter to 1.5°C due to past human-induced emissions but warming greater than 1.5°C is depending on future rates of emission reductions. Therefore, the implementation of the Paris Agreement to curb the global temperature going higher than 1.5°C urgently requires a worldwide economic and social transformation in terms of managing greenhouse gas emissions.

As a major way of the drastic transformation to 1.5°C of warming, the Paris Agreement asks countries to update their 5-year circle of NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution) which is countries’ ambitious target for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. So far, all 193 parties have issued at least a first NDC. The Glasgow Climate Pact in 2021, the key outcome from COP 26, drives further action for countries to update and strengthen the targets in their NDCs in 2022 since there still remains large gap between the emissions cuts required to limit global warming to 1.5°C and the emissions reductions currently planned.

In this context, during the 27th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27), UNOSD will organize a side event that focuses on exploring experiences of various countries in setting their own emission mitigation targets in NDCs with a view to introduce the approaches used for different mitigation goal types including base year emissions goal, base year intensity goal, and baseline scenario goal. Countries will share their experiences, best practices, and lessons learned on setting their mitigation targets to support the participants to set the target tailored to their own circumstances through hands-on experiences.

Concept Note and Programme (updated as of 10 November 2022)

Speaker Biography (updated as of 10 November 2022)

Programme and Agenda

Moderator: Ms. Yujeong Kim, Senior Sustainable Development Officer, UNOSD

Opening Remark

• Mr. Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) - video message
• Mr. Chun Kyoo Park, Head of Office, UNOSD

Standard for National and Subnational Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goals

• Ms. Kelly Levin, Chief of Science, Data and Systems Change, Bezos Earth Fund

Experiences of Designing Mitigation Goal at National and Subnational Level

• Mr. Jongchul Bang, Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Research Center, Republic of Korea
• Ms. Antonella Piacentinni, Head of the Department of Mitigation at the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, Paraguay
• Mr. Sonam Tobgay, Chief Forestry Officer, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Bhutan
• Mr. Letsatsi Phinehas Lekhooa, COP27 Simulation Model Participant, Lesotho
• Ms. Fairda Malem, Head of Climate Change Cooperation Promotion Division, Department of Environmental Quality Promotion, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand

Supporting Countries to Enhance their NDCs through Ambition, Quality, and Process

• Ms. Amanda McKee, NDC Partnership

Side Event #2

"Enhancing Capacity of Developing Countries in the Asia-Pacific Region to Raise Climate Ambition"

14 November 2022 / 5:30 PM - 6:45 PM / SDG Pavilion, Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt

In many ways, the Asia-Pacific region is on the very frontline of climate change. Considering the importance of the region in achieving the goal of the Paris Agreement, there are growing needs for developing countries in the region to enhance their capacities to revise and update their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) commitments, develop long-term low emissions development strategies and implementation of enhanced mitigation plans aligned with 1.5 ° C pathway. This event aims to identify the capacity needs and gaps to accelerate more ambitious climate action and ultimately achievement of the SDGs by 2030. The event will also showcase some of the efforts to support government officials and experts in designing and implementing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

This workshop will be organized by the United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

Concept Note and Programme (updated as of 4 November 2022)

Programme and Agenda

Moderator: Ms. Yujeong Kim, Senior Sustainable Development Officer, UNOSD

Opening Remarks

• Mr. Chun Kyoo Park, Head of Office, UNOSD
• Mr. Sangmin Nam, Director, UNESCAP

Presentations

• Ms. Aneta Nikolova, Environmental Affairs Officer, Environment and Development Division, UNESCAP
• Ms. Virni Budi Arifanti, Research Center for Ecology and Ethnobiology, National Research and Innovation Agency, Republic of Indonesia
• Mr. Kyeong Doo Cho, Director General, Incheon Climate & Environment Research Center, the Incheon Institute, Republic of Korea
• Ms. Aida Maksut, Director, "SSDC"LLP, Kazakhstan
• Mr. Alex Wang, Executive Director, Global Committee on Social Business for Sustainable Development Goals