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Highlights for Tuesday, 9 July 2019 On the first day of HLPF 2019, discussions focused on SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Posted by IISD Reporting Services on Tuesday, 9 July 2019 Four years after implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) started, the 2019 meeting of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) opened to take stock of progress, gaps, and obstacles. Inga Rhonda King, President, UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), highlighted why this HLPF session is particularly important in her opening address: it is the last meeting in the HLPF’s first cycle, marking the conclusion of the review of all 17 SDGs, discussion on four themes, and presentation of 142 voluntary national reviews; it will send messages to the SDG Summit in September 2019; it will start discussions on how HLPF did in the past four years, and what changes are needed; and it will reflect on collective progress in SDG implementation, globally, regionally, nationally, and locally. Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General of Economic and Social Affairs, introduced the UN Secretary-General’s SDG progress report, which notes that while there is progress, the global response has not been sufficient thus far. Speakers highlighted the need for more empowerment, courage, inclusivity, and equality.In the afternoon the HLPF reviewed SDG implementation and interrelations among goals, focusing on SDG 4 (quality education). A presentation on the progress made revealed a “global learning crisis”, with a low proficiency rate amongst school children in reading and mathematics despite increased enrollment rates, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Solutions proposed by speakers included not only reforms of the education sector, but a transformation of mindsets to make educational systems more inclusive; integration of the vision of SDGs, including global citizenship and sustainability, in curricula; and “dramatically” improving working conditions for teachers.For more details on the day's events and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from HLPF 2019. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary and analysis report from the meeting, which is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Opening Plenary Panel speakers during the opening plenary that focused on 'How far we are from achieving the SDGs?' (L-R): Najat Maalla M'jid, UN Secretary-General's Special Representative on Violence Against Children; Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General, Economic and Social Affairs; Valentin Rybakov, Vice-President, ECOSOC; Inga Rhonda King, President, ECOSOC; Emer Herity, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA); Chris Skinner, Author and Commentator, UK; and Yolanda Joab Mori, One Young World Ambassador, Micronesia. Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General, Economic and Social Affairs Najat Maalla M'jid, UN Secretary-General's Special Representative on Violence Against Children Chris Skinner, Author and Commentator, UK Inga Rhonda King, President, ECOSOC Yolanda Joab Mori, One Young World Ambassador, Micronesia Delegates applaud the statement by Yolanda Joab Mori who commented "We don’t need more power, we need more courage." Progress, Gaps, and Obstacles: Are We on Track for Leaving No One Behind? Panel speakers during the session 'Where do we stand?' (L-R): Robin Ogilvy, Special Representative and Permanent Observer of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to the UN; Marta Acosta, Auditor General, Costa Rica; Julio Santaella, President, National Institute of Statistics and Geography, Mexico; Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General, Economic and Social Affairs; Emer Herity, UN DESA; Moderator Minh-Thu Pham, Executive Director, UN Foundation; and Thomas Brooks, Chief Scientist, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Julio Santaella, President, National Institute of Statistics and Geography, Mexico Moderator Minh-Thu Pham, Executive Director, UN Foundation Using the interactive platform Sli.do to encourage participation from the audience, a word cloud was created highlighting the key issues that delegates think need to be discussed. Marta Acosta, Auditor General, Costa Rica Thomas Brooks, Chief Scientist, IUCN Robin Ogilvy, Special Representative and Permanent Observer of OECD to the UN Panel speakers for the session 'Who is at risk of being left behind?' (L-R): Stephen Chacha, Co-Founder, Tanzania Data Lab, and Africa Philanthropic Foundation; Jarkko Turunen, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Asia and Pacific Department, Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC); Inga Rhonda King, President, ECOSOC; Emer Herity, UN DESA, Secretariat; Moderator Nikhil Seth, Executive Director, UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR); and Sarah Charles, Senior Director for Humanitarian Policy and Advocacy, International Rescue Committee (IRC). Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary, ECLAC Moderator Nikhil Seth, Executive Director, UNITAR George Khoury, Vice-Chair, National Association for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (NARD), Lebanon Lucas Chancel, Co-Director, World Inequality Lab, and coordinator of the World Inequality Report 2018 Discussion on SDG 4 - Quality Education A video produced by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) was screened at the start of plenary to highlight the importance of all people, especially children, having access to quality education. Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development John McLaughlin, Deputy Minister, Education and Early Childhood Development, Canada Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO Shashwat Sapkota, Statistics Division, UN DESA Moderator Henrietta Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF Lead discussants Susan Hopgood, President, Education International, and María José Monge, President, Monge Foundation, Costa Rica Lía Burbano Mosquera, speaking on behalf of LGBTI, NGOs, and UN Volunteers Kazuhiro Yoshida, Co-Chair, SDG-Education 2030 Steering Committee Manuele Bertoli, Switzerland Sam Barratt, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Around the Venue Delegates gather for the start of HLPF 2019. Inga Rhonda King, President, ECOSOC, speaks with delegates. Delegates review a document at the start of the afternoon session. Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General, Economic and Social Affairs Delegates from the Russian Federation Delegates from Zambia Members of the Women's Major Group wear blue scarves symbolizing "Austerity drop-out: life-long learning and education for all."

Highlights for Thursday, 27 June 2019 On the last day of the Bonn Climate Change Conference, many countries, including those most vulnerable to climate change, remind delegates that 'science is not negotiable.' The last day of the Bonn Climate Change Conference started slow, to allow parties to work through difficult issues, and ended smoothly, as parties adopted the outcomes of the meetings.In a much-awaited decision on the Special Report on 1.5°C of Global Warming (SR1.5), the SBSTA “expressed its appreciation and gratitude to the IPCC and the scientific community for responding to the invitation of the Conference of the Parties (COP) and providing the SR1.5, which reflects the best available science.” The decision reflected a razor-thin compromise between the many parties who wanted to celebrate the scientific achievements of the report and the few who expressed concerns with the report.Groups of developing countries that are vulnerable to climate change defended the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) SR1.5, saying “listening to science not a choice, but a duty.” Wearing t-shirts that exemplify their message, the Environmental Integrity Group, declared “Science is not negotiable.”Parties agreed to several outcomes, including: Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture: New Zealand will host an intersessional workshop on sustainable land and water management, and strategies and modalities to scale up practices and technologies to increase resilience and sustainable production; The terms of reference for the review of the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage associated with climate change impacts was adopted. This sets out the scope of the review of the WIM to take place at the Santiago Climate Change Conference in December 2019. Nairobi Work Programme: The Programme will prioritize thematic areas in its work on adaptation and vulnerability to climate change, namely: extreme weather events, drought, forests and grasslands, oceans, and agriculture and food security. Article 6 (markets and non-market approaches): Countries brought together their work from Katowice to forge a path forward. They agreed to proceed on the basis of texts put together by the Co-Facilitators. As decision looms in Santiago, countries will arrive with an agreed basis for negotiations. The meeting was gavelled to a close at 10:07 pm.The next meeting of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is in December in Santiago, Chile. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the Bonn Climate Change Conference - June 2019, which is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Consultations throughout the Day The room is filled to capacity during the SBSTA Chair's consultations with Heads of Delegations. SBI informal consultations on administrative, financial and institutional matters: Programme budget for the biennium 2020–2021. Co-Facilitators and the Secretariat of the SBI/SBSTA informal consultations on the terms of reference for the 2019 review of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts (WIM) share a moment as the session concludes. Family photo of the SBSTA contact group on matters relating to Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Delegates huddle informally in the corridors. SBI Closing Plenary SBI Chair Emmanuel Dlamini, eSwatini, closes the SBI plenary. Abdullah Tawlah, Saudi Arabia Ammar Hijazi, Palestine, speaking on behalf of the G-77/China SBSTA Closing Plenary After a week-long heatwave across Europe, SBSTA Chair Paul Watkinson, France, closes the SBSTA plenary with the same image that he showed at the opening plenary: the Keeling Curve, a graph of the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere. Ana Villalobos, Costa Rica, speaking on behalf of the Independent Association of Latin America and the Caribbean (AILAC) Lois Young, Belize, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Franz Perrez, Switzerland, speaking on behalf of the Environmental Integrity Group (EIG) Ian Fry, Tuvalu, speaking on behalf of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Ovais Sarmad, UNFCCC Deputy Executive Secretary Stella Gama, SBSTA Rapporteur SBSTA family photo. Joint Closing Plenary View of the dais during the closing plenary. Ion Cîmpeanu, EU Kunzang, Bhutan, speaking on behalf of the LDCs Majid Shafiepour, Iran, speaking on behalf of the Like-minded Developing Countries (LMDCs) Martine Badibanga Kamunga, Democratic Republic of the Congo, speaking on behalf of the Coalition for Rainforest Nations (CfRN) Sandra Leticia Guzman Luna, Mexico, speaking on behalf of the EIG Mohamed Nasr, Egypt, speaking on behalf of the African Group Gareth Williams, Australia, speaking on behalf of the Umbrella Group Felipe Andres Gutierrez, Climate Justice Now!, and Paula Tassara, Climate Action Network (CAN), speaking on behalf of the Environmental NGOs (ENGOs) Jisun Hwang, Local Government and Municipal Authorities (LGMA), and Juan Carlos Jintiach, Indigenous Peoples Organizations Dolphine Atieno Magero and Tomasz Ferenz, Youth NGOs (YOUNGOs) Around the Venue Delegates meet informally in the corridors as they wait for the closing plenary to begin. Delegates read the draft conclusions. Ayman Shasly, Saudi Arabia, speaks with his delegation. Representatives of the EIG wear shirts saying "science is not negotiable." Representatives from AOSIS working on loss and damage, and adaptation. YOUNGOs family photo. SBI Family Photo: Katia Simeonova, SBI Coordinator; SBI Chair Emmanuel Dlamini, Laurence Pollier, UNFCCC Secretariat; and Vanessa Matarazzi, UNFCCC Secretariat Ana Villalobos, Costa Rica, and SBSTA Chair Paul Watkinson, France Katia Simeonova, SBI Coordinator Federica Fricano, Italy, speaks with a delegate. Ulrik Lenaerts, Belgium Vladimir Uskov, Russian Federation Delegates between sessions The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) team covering the Bonn Climate Change Conference: Rishikesh Ram Bhandary, Nepal; Nancy Williams, US; Jen Allan, Canada/UK; Bernard Soubry, Canada; Beate Antonich, Germany; and Kiara Worth, South Africa

Highlights for Wednesday, 26 June 2019 In a civil society demonstration focused on loss and damage, youth representatives warn about the dangerous impacts of climate change and call for urgent action to be taken to protect future generations. On the penultimate day of the Bonn Climate Change Conference, much remained unresolved. Huddles and high-level engagement became the modus operandis of the day.Parties continued to discuss issues, from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on 1.5°C to the budget, with limited progress. Discussions on the reporting formats that will operationalize the enhanced transparency framework under the Paris Agreement moved along in closed-door sessions. The Chair of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) held a two-hour meeting with the heads of delegations to try to work out remaining issues before the closing plenaries tomorrow. Similarly, the budget inched toward agreement as time started to run out.While delegates worked on brackets and re-worked text on the screen, other participants engaged in action-oriented exchanges to share lessons and catalyze new actions. A special event titled “Driving Change Together-Special Joint Event on Multilevel Action” focused on e-mobility and adaptation. The Thematic Expert Meeting on Adaptation wrapped up today, with participants continuing to grapple with the question of how to engage the private sector in building resilience to the effects of climate change while safeguarding local communities.A third special event, new for the UNFCCC and convened by the Paris Committee for Capacity-building and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OCHCR), focused on the implications of climate change for the full enjoyment of human rights.Looking ahead to the Santiago Climate Change Conference, several participants worried that the COP may become bogged down in the technical details of the issues discussed here, many of which reflect deep political divides. But some delegates noted that political guidance could help negotiators, and help build momentum on climate action before the Paris Agreement’s start date in 2020.For more details on the day's events and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB). IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the Bonn Climate Change Conference - June 2019, which is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Consultations throughout the Day Delegates gather for the SBSTA informal consultations on matters relating to Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Delegates huddle during the SBSTA informal consultations on research and systemic observation. SBI/SBSTA informal consultations on matters relating to the forum on the impact of the implementation of response measures serving the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement. SBI informal consultations on arrangements for intergovernmental meetings. Delegates stand against the walls and sit on the floor during the SBSTA informal consultations on the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C. SBSTA Chair Paul Watkinson, France (far right), consults with the Co-Facilitators and Secretariat during the SBI/SBSTA informal consultations on terms of reference for the 2019 review of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts (WIM) Members of the G-77/China huddle outside of the informal consultations on methodological issues under the Paris Agreement. Technical Expert Meeting on Adaptation At the start of the Technical Expert Meeting on Adaptation (TEM-A), delegates begin with playing a version of the game 'rock-paper-scissors' as a way to highlight the difficulties of achieving a coordinated approach between different stakeholders. Throughout the day, four sessions were held: adaptation planning and financing at different scales; financing commercialization of adaptation technology solutions; financial instruments to mobilize private sector engagement in climate resilience; and outlook to the remaining 2019 technical examination process on adaptation. Jaime Webbe, Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) Moderator Donna Mitzi Lagdameo, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre Shiv Seewoobaduth, Mauritius Rebecca Nadin, Overseas Development Institute (ODI) Gebru Endalew, Ethiopia Crispus Mugambi, CARE International Special Joint Event - Driving Change Together High-level speakers for the special joint event Driving Change Together - Multilevel Action Focusing on E-Mobility and Adaptation. Ashok-Alexander Sridharan, Mayor of Bonn Ion Cîmpeanu, Romania Martin Frick, Senior Director for Policy and Programme Coordination, UNFCCC Secretariat, moderated the session. Maciej Mazur, Polish Alternative Fuels Association Sandra Leticia Guzman Luna, Mexico Local municipal authorities and the high-level speakers take a family photo before breaking out into two discussion groups focused on adaptation and e-mobility. COP 25 Presidency Meeting with Observers Carolina Schmidt, Minister of the Environment, Chile, and COP 25 President-designate Henrique Fernandes, Youth NGOs (YOUNGOs) Felipe Andres Gutierrez, Climate Justice Now! Bridget Burns, Women and Gender Sandra Maria Hanni, Business and Industry NGOs (BINGOs) Building Capacity for Integrating Human Rights into Climate Action Panel speakers during the event Iván José Véjar Pardo, COP 25 Presidency Sébastian Ducyk, Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) Benjamin Schachter, OHCHR, and Jennifer Hanna, Paris Committee on Capacity-building (PCCB) Estebancio Castro Diaz, Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform Facilitative Working Group (LCIPP FWG) Notes are taken during three break out groups focused on: how the integration of human rights and related themes contribute to more effective climate policies and to higher ambition in terms of mitigation and adaptation; identifying the key capacity-building needs and gaps of different stakeholders; and what key capacity-building solutions and good practices exist that can be replicated. Civil Society Demonstrations As the WIM negotiations struggle to reach textutal agreement, members of YOUNGO demonstrate in the corridors, highlighting the severe health impacts that will be felt with an increase of temperature and call for developed countries to listen to the needs of developing countries, and to open up new streams of finance to address climate change. Delegates 'die' due to the severe health impacts that will be experienced at extreme temperatures. UN interns demonstrate outside the building calling for better labor rights and pay. Around the Venue A delegate watches the live schedule to keep track of the day's events. Budget Co-Facilitators Talieh Wögerbauer, Austria, and Kishan Kumarsingh, Trinidad and Tobago Carolina Schmidt, Minister of the Environment, Chile, and COP 25 President-designate, arrives at the venue. A delegate reads the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) to keep track of the negotiations. Delegates read the draft conclusions during the IPCC consultations. Delegates from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia consult informally. Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Indigenous Peoples Conference staff around the venue.