“No single SDG or the SDGs as a whole will be successfully implemented if we do it within silos. […] Just to give an example: Health and well-being partly depend on nutrition and food-security, which depend on agriculture and fisheries, which in turn depend on the state of the land, oceans, and seas and other issues like conservation and the environment – with climate change as an overarching and cross-cutting factor.”
H.E. Mr. Ronald Jumeau, Ambassador for Climate Change and Small Island Developing State Issues, Seychelles, moderating a panel on "Ensuring that no one is left behind - Food security and sustainable agriculture, climate action, sustainable oceans and terrestrial ecosystems - adopting a nexus approach" at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, 12 July 2016.
You can watch the full panel discussion including Mr. Jumeau's remarks here.
In some areas of the world, including Central America, rising sea levels and declining agricultural productivity due to climate change are expected to trigger major migratory flows, especially within countries. The role of policy-makers is it to promote local solutions while engaging in regional cooperation for a preventative approach.
What outcomes do the agreements achieved at COP24 hold for cities and regions? Despite the decisive part the so-called non-state actors play in achieving the international climate goals, their role hasn't been formally recognized by the UNFCCC.
The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, concluded in October 2016, has entered into force on January 1st, 2019. Its 65 signatories are now on the fast track to significantly reducing the use of harmful greenhouse gases in the production of cooling devices, representing a major step towards achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. After a season of unsatisfying climate negotiations, the amendment's implementation marks a time of action and reminds the international community why climate diplomacy ultimately pays off.
In many ongoing armed conflicts, water has been used as a weapon of war, but it can also be a strong instrument of peace.