Organization Economic Cooperation and Development

Svenja Schulze, Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany, and Ángel Gurría, Secretary-General, OECD, share a laugh during the event on “Aligning Finance with the Goals of the Paris Agreement.” The following events were covered by IISD Reporting Services on Wednesday, 12 December 2018: Aligning Finance with the Goals of the Paris Agreement Adaptation: Moving from Today’s Lessons to Tomorrow’s Transformation GCF High-Level Side-Event: Successful Start. Ambitious Future Photos by IISD/ENB | Natalia Mroz / Diego Noguera For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Aligning Finance with the Goals of the Paris Agreement Presented by UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP-FI) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) A view of the room during the event This event considered how governments and financial institutions can work together on the transformative agenda needed to align financial flows with a low-emission, resilient future that effectively implements Article 2.1(c) of the Paris Agreement, which calls for making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate-resilient development. Fiona Harvey, Environment Correspondent, The Guardian newspaper, moderated the event. In a keynote address, Ángel Gurría, Secretary-General, OECD, stressed that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on 1.5°C (SR15) calls for bold climate action to prevent warming of over 1.5°C, and noted that implementation of the Paris Agreement has been “too cautious, too piecemeal, and too slow.” Noting the need for rapid transformations in the energy, urban and transport sectors, he highlighted the OECD, World Bank and UNEP Report entitled “Financing Climate Futures: Rethinking Infrastructure.” Gurría emphasized the importance of shifting incentives embedded in taxation to leverage private sector finance, and stressed that the Paris Collaborative on Green Budgeting focuses on a method where budgets are consistent with the need to lower carbon emissions. Satya Tripathi, Assistant Secretary-General, UNEP, underlined the importance of taking big risks to be able to finance climate actions to meet the 1.5°C target. He highlighted UN Environment’s role in leveraging private financing for forests, through initiatives such as the Tropical Landscape Finance Facility (TLFF) and stressed the need for people-centered actions to address development and climate change. He called for the banking sector to move beyond just profit margins, highlighting UNEP-FI’s Principles for Sustainable Insurance and Responsible Banking, which, he noted, creates a platform for “investing with a purpose.” Svenja Schulze, Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany, reiterated her country’s support to countries that are most affected by climate change and stressed the need to make global financial flows climate compatible. She highlighted the need for substantial investments in infrastructure and for changing the financial sector's mindset. Schulze called for a broader discussion on what is sustainable in order to mobilize more finance. Håvard Gulbrandsen, Managing Director, KLP Asset Management, said that institutional investors are prepared to ramp up investments in climate action, and stated that his company divested from coal and invested USD 1 billion per year towards renewable energy in Nordic countries. Highlighting that with the right incentives the money will come, he underscored the need to include large corporations in the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Noting that delegates are always asking who will pay the bill, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, Minister of Environment, Costa Rica, highlighted that mobilizing domestic resources to address the finance gap is in the country’s own interest. He stressed that to narrow the financial gap, the world first needs to stop polluting, and said that his country has been divesting from fossil fuel-based electricity and moving towards renewables. Laura Tuck, Vice President of Sustainable Development, World Bank Group, underscored the Bank’s commitment to increase ambition working with developing countries to integrate climate action in their financial planning, and supported the use of limited concession financing to areas in which it will have the biggest impact. She highlighted the Bank’s USD 20.5 billion lending for climate action and stressed the need to create markets where future investments are sustainable. Moderator Fiona Harvey, The Guardian Ángel Gurría, Secretary-General, OECD Satya Tripathi, Assistant Secretary-General, UNEP Svenja Schulze, Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany Laura Tuck, Vice President of Sustainable Development, World Bank Group Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, Minister of Environment, Costa Rica Håvard Gulbrandsen, Managing Director, KLP Asset Management Julia Bingler, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Participants applaud after Ángel Gurría’s address CONTACT Virginie Marchal, OECD | virignie.marchal@oecd.org MORE INFORMATION www.oecd.org http://www.oecd.org/environment/financing-climate-futures-9789264308114-en.htm Adaptation: Moving from Today’s Lessons to Tomorrow’s Transformation Presented by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) L-R: Jay L Koh, Global Adaptation and Resilience Investment Working Group (GARI); Andrew Steer, World Resources Institute (WRI); Emma Howard Boyd, Environment Agency, UK; Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson, GEF; Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, the Netherlands; and Fekadu Beyene, Ethiopia This event brought together leaders in the public and private sectors to discuss solutions to address the urgency and scale of adapting to climate change by challenging conventional approaches, sharing real world lessons, and spurring innovative thinking for transformational change. Moderator Andrew Steer, WRI President and CEO and Global Center for Adaptation (GCA) Commissioner, opened the event by highlighting the need to increase political leadership on adaptation. Noting the urgency for transformation towards a sustainable and decarbonized society, Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson, stressed the need to challenge the way the world thinks about adaptation, including through: better systems thinking; pivoting international cooperation from conventional approaches that focus on mitigation; and paying more attention to the roles of science and innovation. She highlighted the need to change the mindset of the private sector, which presently seeks funds mainly for mitigation projects.    Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, the Netherlands, noted the establishment of the GCA in the Netherlands and stressed the importance of raising awareness on adaptation worldwide by integrating the social, economic and environmental agendas. She explained that the country’s nation-wide early warning system, developed and implemented with various stakeholders, involving local communities and the private sector, resulted in reducing the number of cyclone victims. Emma Howard Boyd, Environment Agency, UK, pointed to the importance of “adaptation resilience” as the foundation for addressing climate change impacts. She underscored the need to collectively create an “adaptation resilience” stream as a global initiative, by addressing mitigation and adaptation together in decision-making through an integrated approach. Fekadu Beyene, Environment Forests and Climate Change Commission, Ethiopia, noted the importance of increasing capacities of local actors on adaptation, including through: mainstreaming the adaptation agenda into different plans and actions; creating a shared vision; and providing financial support to local communities. He underscored the role of the international community in supporting developing countries to move forward with adaptation. Jay L Koh, Founder and Chair, Global Adaptation and Resilience Investment Working Group (GARI) and The Lightsmith Group, described GARI’s objective of bringing private sector perspectives on adaptation measures which value investment. Highlighting that the private sector has increasingly become aware of climate risks, including economic risk, Koh stressed the private sector’s role in data management on adaptation. In the ensuing discussion, participants considered: whether the GCA succeeds or fails depends on how much the Center can scale up adaptation actions worldwide; what transformation and a systems approach on adaptation mean on the ground; the need to include indigenous knowledge; the role of the private sector in measuring adaptation projects; and the linkage between development and adaptation. Andrew Steer, WRI Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson L-R: Fekadu Beyene, Environment Forests and Climate Change Commission, Ethiopia; Emma Howard Boyd, Environment Agency, UK; Jay L Koh, GARI; and Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, the Netherlands Fekadu Beyene, Environment Forests and Climate Change Commission, Ethiopia Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, the Netherlands Participants listen to the presentation A comment from the floor CONTACT Monica Fernandes, GEF | mfernandes@thegef.org MORE INFORMATION https://www.thegef.org/ GCF High-Level Side-Event: Successful Start. Ambitious Future Presented by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Family photo after the end of the event Hosted by the GCF, this event discussed the key priorities in accelerating climate finance to match the ambition and urgency needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.  Paul Oquist, GCF Board Co-Chair, opened by urging that raising ambition is key to avoiding even more catastrophic consequences of climate change. Oyun Sanjaasuren, GCF, moderated the event. Javier Manzanares, Executive Director, GCF, recapitulated the GCF’s programming, noting the global network of partnerships, which has approved USD 4.6 billion since the GCF began funding projects in 2015. Bill Hare, Climate Analytics, explained the necessity for continued and rapid renewable energy development, as well as major shifts in investment to leverage private funds.  Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, Egypt, countered that without public policy shifts from countries, the 1.5°C target will not be met, and called on the GCF to streamline its process to serve developing countries.  Teuea Toatu, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Kiribati, commended the GCF’s flexibility, breadth of support and multiple funding windows.  Mary Carrick, Department of Finance, Ireland, announced that her country has added USD 2 million to its USD 4 million GCF contribution. Yoshiaki Harada, Minister of the Environment, Japan, stressed that the GCF needs to hear experiences of how allocated funds are helping developing countries if the Fund is to continue supporting climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.  Svenja Schulze, Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany, announced that Germany is doubling its contribution to the GCF between now and 2020 in order to meet the joint goal of mobilizing USD 100 billion annually.  Rémy Rioux, CEO, Agence Française de Développement, cited the unique role of the GCF in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement in its capacity to mobilize willing actors and provide direct access to funds.  A representative from the Norwegian delegation, for Olva Elvestruen, Minister of Climate and Environment, Norway, called for further funding for REDD+. Terry McCallion, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, shared experiences about building capacity and skills at the policy level, especially around fragmented areas such as energy efficiency. Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven, Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany, called for the GCF to be a role model on gender issues in climate financing, and for GCF funding to be integrated into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).  Luis Alfonso de Alba, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the 2019 Climate Summit, pointed out the joint objective of the Climate Summit and the GCF: to increase ambition. He underlined that governments should accept the Paris Agreement as a necessary reality. Paul Oquist, GCF Board Co-Chair Javier Manzanares, Executive Director, GCF Teuea Toatu, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Kiribati Bill Hare, Climate Analytics Rémy Rioux, CEO, Agence Française de Développement Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, Egypt Mary Carrick, Ministry of Finance, Ireland Yoshiaki Harada, Minister of the Environment, Japan Panelists and participants during the event CONTACT Andrea Iro, GCF | airo@gcfund.org MORE INFORMATION https://www.greenclimate.fund/home Around the Venue

Members of civil society hold a demonstration on the 70th anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, reminding delegates of the human rights defenders who have lost their lives in defense of those rights Posted by IISD Reporting Services on Tuesday, 11 December 2018 As the Katowice Climate Change Conference began its second week, ministers and negotiators engaged in discussions on climate action before 2020 and climate finance. Throughout the day, the COP Presidency held dialogues with parties on several issues central to the Paris Agreement Work Programme (PAWP), including: Transparency; Cooperative approaches (such as the market mechanism); Finance; Global stocktake; Response measures; Compliance; Mitigation / nationally determined contributions (NDCs); Adaptation; and Technology. 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 reports, daily web coverage, and a summary and analysis from the Katowice Climate Change Conference – December 2018.   Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Pre-2020 Stocktake: High-level Meeting View of the dais during the high-level meeting Rachel Kyte, Special Representative of UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) Ovais Sarmad, UNFCCC Deputy Executive Secretary Michał Kurtyka, COP 24 President Miguel Arias Cañete, Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, European Commission Simon Stiell, Minister of Climate Resilience, the Environment, Forestry, Fisheries, Disaster Management, and Information, Grenada Inia Seruiratu, Minister of Agriculture, Rural and Maritime Development, and National Disaster Management, and High-level Climate Champion, Fiji Xie Zhenhua, Special Representative for Climate Change Affairs, China Edson Duarte, Minister of the Environment, Brazil Melissa Price, Minister of the Environment, Australia Karsten Sach, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety, Germany Kenichi Suganuma, Ambassador, Representative of the Government of Japan for Climate Change Fekadu Beyene Aleka, Commissioner, Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Commission, Ethiopia Kimmo Tiilikainen, Minister of the Environment, Energy, and Housing, Finland Henryk Kowalczyk, Minister of the Environment, Poland Ola Elvestuen, Minister of Climate and the Environment, Norway High-level Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Finance View of the dais during the session Lord Nicholas Stern, Chair, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Leader, Climate and Energy Practice, WWF International Yasmine Fouad, Minister of the Environment, Egypt Seyni Nafo, Standing Committee on Finance (SCF) Michael Eckhart, Managing Director, Global Head of Environmental Finance Corporate and Investment Banking, Citigroup Laura Tuck, Vice President for Sustainable Development, World Bank Nick Bridge, Special Representative for Climate Change, UK Rodolfo Lacy, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Rémy Rioux, Chairperson, International Development Finance Club Karolina Skog, Minister for the Environment, Sweden Naoko Ishii, CEO, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Naina Lal Kidwai, Commissioner, Global Commission on the Economy and Climate Javier Manzanares, Interim Executive Director, Green Climate Fund (GCF) Eneida de León, Minister of Housing, Territorial Ordering, and Environment, Uruguay Presidency Consultations throughout the Day Presidency consultations on global stocktake Presidency consultations on response measures Presidency consultations on matters relating to technology Civil Society Demonstrations In an action organized by ACT Alliance and Christian Aid, participants call for COP 24 to produce an ambitious, robust, balanced, and comprehensive rulebook As the US hosts a side event discussing the role of 'clean coal' and carbon capture and storage technologies, people storm out of the event and flood the hallways, calling to "keep fossil fuels in the ground" Youth from the Asian region enact a drama about the devastating impacts of climate change and the need to finalize the 'Paris Agreement Rulebook' at COP 24: while the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015, there has been an increase in the number and intensity of typhoons around the world and they warn of potentially fatal impacts by 2030 if action is not taken now Around the Venue Press conference with Laurent Fabius, COP 21 President, Michał Kurtyka, COP 24 President, and Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, COP 20 President Michał Kurtyka, COP 24 President Joanna Dafoe, Canada, speaks with Patricia Fuller, Ambassador for Climate Change, Canada UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa speaks with Sergio Bergman, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Argentina Laurent Fabius, COP 21 President, speaks with Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, COP 20 President Melissa Price, Minister of the Environment, Australia, speaks with delegates Michał Kurtyka, COP 24 President, and UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa A delegate visits the Earth Negotiations Bulletin website to keep track of negotiations Nicola Tollin, University of Southern Denmark, speaks with delegates As an alternative to burning fossil fuels, an exhibition show how rubbish can be turned into carbon and used to make houeshold products Art on display as part of an exhibition that shows the human dimension of climate change  

A sign on display around the venue On the second day of the second UN World Data Forum, participants attended a variety of parallel sessions addressing the Forum’s six themes: innovations and synergies across data ecosystems; leaving no one behind; building trust in data and statistics; how far have we come?; understanding the world through data; and new approaches to capacity development for better data. The day opened with a session addressing the political economy of statistical capacity, during which panelists noted previous speakers’ comparisons of statistics to water, oil, currency, or an otherwise-vital force, noting that we only tend to recognize when it is missing or of poor quality. Additional issues raised during this session included the need to: think of data as the soft infrastructure of development; capture the benefits from data driving action at local level; engage statisticians in the preparation and presentation of Voluntary National Reviews; and participate in the review of the SDGs process that will take place in the context of the 2019 meetings of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). UN World Data Forum participants also engaged in discussions on whether National Statistical Offices (NSOs) will exist in 2030, arriving at the answer of yes, due to their ability to deliver consistency over time and space, high standards for accuracy, and independence. A discussion on gender data impact stories considered the relationship between a single human story and the data that describe a broader story that has the potential to influence policymakers towards more gender responsive policies. Additional sessions on Tuesday addressed: trust in data; capacity building for a number of communities, including diplomats and policy-makers; the contribution of data to the lives of children and migrants; community-based data collection; the data revolution and cooperation; Earth observation applications; civil registration and digital identity; and statistical literacy.During the evening, the host country treated participants to a performance of “La Perle” – a show that combines artistic performance, creative imagery and ground-breaking technology. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily digital coverage and a summary report from the UN World Data Forum 2018, which is availabe 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 Morning Plenary Participants during the morning plenary José Antonio Mejía Guerra, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Hernán Muñoz, National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC), Argentina Michel Mouyelo-Katoula, African Development Bank (AfDB) Haishan Fu, Development Data Group, World Bank Group Oliver Chinganya, Director, African Centre for Statistics, UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Philipp Schönrock, Director, Centro de Pensamiento Estratégico Internacional (CEPEI) Thomas Gass, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) Parallel Sessions Throughout the Day Panel speakers for the session "Gender Data Impact Stories: From Data to Action" (L-R): Shaida Badiee, Managing Director, Open Data Watch; Henriette Jansen, UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Asia; Fredrick Makumbi, Uganda Principal Investigator, Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020; Emily Courey Pryor, Executive Director, Data2X; Daniela Ligiero, Executive Director and CEO, Together for Girls; Marjo Bruun, Director General, Statistics Finland; Rajesh Mirchandani, Chief Communications Officer, UN Foundation; and Nina Rabinovitch Blecker, Data2X Henriette Jansen, UNFPA Asia Fredrick Makumbi, Uganda Principal Investigator, Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 Panel speakers for the session "Will National Statistical Offices Exist in 2030: And if they do still exist what will they look like?" (L-R): Claire Melamed, Executive Director, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data; Ola Awad, President, Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS); Zachary Mwangi Chege, Director General, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS); Rob Bumpstead, UK Statistics Authority; Oliver Chinganya, Director, African Centre for Statistics, UNECA; and Stefan Schweinfest, Director, Statistics Division, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) Ola Awad, President, PCBS Stefan Schweinfest, Director, Statistics Division, UNDESA Panel speakers for the session "Data and diplomats: capacity development for diplomats and policy-makers in the data age" (L-R): Javier Teran, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA); Katharina Höne, DiploFoundation; Maria Fasli, Director, Institute for Analytics and Data Science; Graham Nelson, British Diplomatic Service; and Grace Mutung’u, Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) Maria Fasli, Director, Institute for Analytics and Data Science Javier Teran, UNOCHA Panel speakers for the session "Earth Observation Applications for the Sustainable Development Goals: Opportunities for Scaling Successful Methods" (L-R): Argyro Kavvada, Executive Secretary, Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Earth Observations for the Sustainable Development Goals (EO4SDG) Initiative; Robert Ndugwa, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat); Jillian Campbell; UN Environment Programme (UNEP); Enrique Ordaz, National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), Mexico; Marc Paganini, European Space Agency (ESA); and Robert Chen, Director, Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) Argyro Kavvada, Executive Secretary, GEO EO4SDG Initiative Marc Paganini, ESA Panel speakers for the session "Integrating Civil Registration and Digital Identity: Emerging Best Practices" (L-R): Bill Anderson, Development Initiatives; Haishan Fu, World Bank’s Development Data Group; Josie Perez, Philippine Statistics Authority; Anette Forsingdal, Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration, Namibia; Anir Chowdhury, Cabinet Office Policy Advisor, Bangladesh; Edward Duffus, Plan International; and Philip Setel, Vital Strategies Josie Perez, Philippine Statistics Authority Anette Forsingdal, Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration, Namibia Panel speakers for the session "Analytics for Public Good" (L-R): Sabir Said Rashid Al-Harbi, Director General, Gulf Cooperation Council Statistical Center (GCC-Stat); Aisha Bin Bishr, Director General, Smart Dubai; Mete Guney, Mastercard; Robert Kirkpatrick, Director, UN Global Pulse; and Alexandra Mousavizadeh, CEO, Decima Global Aisha Bin Bishr, Director General, Smart Dubai Mete Guney, Mastercard Panel speakers for the session "Follow the data: Building better data systems for better health" (L-R): Kelly Henning, Bloomberg Philanthropies; Philip Sete, Vital Strategies; Yusuf Murangwa, Director General, National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR); Anir Chowdhury, Cabinet Office Policy Advisor, Bangladesh; Lola Dare, President, Centre for Health Sciences Training, Research and Development (CHESTRAD) Nigeria; and Richard Delaney, Vital Strategies Anir Chowdhury, Cabinet Office Policy Advisor, Bangladesh Lola Dare, President, CHESTRAD Nigeria Panel speakers for the session "Matchmaking for the Data Revolution: Bringing Data Producers and Users Together" (L-R): Dierdre Appel, Open Data Watch; Paige Kirby, Development Gateway; Ayush Ariunzaya, Chairwoman, National Statistical Office, Mongolia; Natalia Carfi, Open Data Charter; and Harpinder Collacott, Development Initiatives Natalia Carfi, Open Data Charter Ayush Ariunzaya, Chairwoman, National Statistical Office, Mongolia Panel speakers for the session "Building strong National Statistical Systems - The Case of Business (and other) Register Data" (L-R): Omar Seidu, Ghana Statistical Service; Silja Emmel, Statistics Denmark; Haakon Olderbakk, Brønnøysund Register Centre; Hanan Abbass, Central Bureau of Statistics, Sudan; Omurbek Ibraev, National Statistics Committee, Kyrgyzstan; Anne Abelsæth, Statistics Norway; Rasmus Larsson, Statistics Sweden; Benson Karugu Ndungu, Kenyan National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS); and Lasse Sandberg, Statistics Norway Rasmus Larsson, Statistics Sweden, and Benson Karugu Ndungu, KNBS Omurbek Ibraev, National Statistics Committee, Kyrgyzstan, and Anne Abelsæth, Statistics Norway Plenary Session: Increasing Trust in Data and Statistics Moderator Rajesh Mirchandani, Chief Communications Officer, UN Foundation Shaida Badiee, Managing Director, Open Data Watch Georges-Simon Ulrich, Director-General, Federal Statistical Office, Switzerland Martine Durand, Director of Statistics and Chief Statistician, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Nnenna Nwakanma, World Wide Web Foundation Audience members participate in the session by completing different surveys with live results Around the Venue Participants between sessions Around the exhibition area Participants engage with an interactive display A drone on display in the exhibition area A participant from the UAE engages with a robot The peak of the Burj Al Arab, the third tallest hotel in the world, seen from the venue