Climate Change and Achieving the Millennium Development Goals

Olav KjorvenDirector, Environment and Energy Group

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Climate Change, Development and UNDP• Achieving the Millennium Development Goals is UNDP’s

core commitment• Sustainable development is the only path

Overview of UNDP’s Climate Change Strategy• Adaptation and mitigation are equally important

components• Reducing human vulnerability is our main focus

Building Partnerships within the UN System is Essential

Overview of Presentation

Climate Change and Development

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• It can no longer be considered just an environmental issue

• The vulnerability of the poor is increasing and millions are already at risk

• Climate change considerations must be mainstreamed into national development plans and policies – but has yet to feature strongly

• How can we meet the development aspirations of the poor in a carbon constrained world?

The Millennium Development Goals will be compromised • Past development gains will be put in jeopardy

Climate change is a major development issue

Climate Change and Development

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Climate Risks to MDGs

MDGs CLIMATE RISKS

MDG 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Depleted livelihood assets, reduced economic growth, and undermined food security.

MDG 2: Achieve universal primary education Reduced ability of children to participate in full-time education by loss of infrastructure, loss of livelihoods (forcing children to work), and displaced families.

MDG 3: Promote gender equality and empower women

Additional burdens on women's health and limited time to participate in decision-making and income-generating activities.

MDGs 4, 5 and 6: Reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases availability of potable water.

Greater prevalence of vector- and water-borne diseases, and heat-related mortality, declining food security, maternal health, and availability of potable water

MDG 7: Ensure environmental sustainability Negatively impacted natural resources and productive ecosystems

Climate Risks

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Climate Exposure of Donor-funded Development

II. UNDP Strategy

Bangladesh Egypt Tanzania Uruguay Nepal Fiji

Fiji

Aid flows affected by climate risk in redShaded areas indicate uncertainty.

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27%40%

Exposure of donor-funded development activities

Low estimate(12-50%)

High estimate(26-65%)

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UNDP Climate Change Strategy

A balanced mix of adaptation and mitigation

Adaptation focus entails a multi-pronged approach •Integrating adaptation into UN programmes •Mainstreaming adaptation into development plans•Piloting adaptation approaches

It is about reducing vulnerability and climate risks

Mitigation focus on achieving low greenhouse gas development pathways through market transformation•Key elements include: energy access for the poor, energy efficiency, land degradation/biocarbon, carbon finance, supporting technology diffusion and demonstration

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Adaptation Enabling Activities

National Communications (NCs)• Report on programmes to facilitate adaptation • Vulnerability and Adaptation assessment a starting point for

formulating strategies, plans, projects

National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) • Respond to vulnerability of LDCs and prioritize adaptation

measuresIntegrating climate change into country programmes in

collaboration with other agencies• Water sector, land management, health, energy policy• In some sector priority areas (health/agriculture) we work with

partners (WHO/FAO/UNEP)

II. UNDP Strategy

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UN Priority Policy Responses for Adaptation

Water Resources and QualityWater availability and supply maintained

Public HealthPublic health maintained or enhanced

Climate Change-Related Disaster Risk ManagementExposure and vulnerability to climate change-driven risks and hazards reduced

Coastal DevelopmentExposure and vulnerability of population, infrastructure & economic activity reduced

Agriculture and Food SecurityFood security and food production maintained or enhanced

II. UNDP Strategy

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Mitigation Strategy

Energy access is critical to achieving the MDGs• Two billion people still without access to modern energy • Providing access to modern energy services essential to

reducing land degradation and deforestation• Important to achieving health and education MDGs• Has important adaptation benefits and builds resilience • But we must deliver these services while minimising GHG

emissions

Energy efficiency is essential to sustainable development

• Huge economic development benefits• Enhances energy security• UNDP is delivering a wide range of programs in this area• Energy efficiency standards and labelling a key component

II. UNDP Strategy

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Mitigation Strategy

Delivering sustainable technologies• UNDP has a large portfolio of projects in renewable

energy technologies and resource management• Building technical and institutional capacities, creating

and enabling environment, regulatory and legal essential to supporting these technologies

• Combining adaptation and mitigation (through community level forestry/land rehabilitation) can have important MDG benefits

• Building a sustainable and reliable energy system is essential to achieving the MDGs

II. UNDP Strategy

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Mitigation Strategy

Carbon Finance has an important role to play• Traditional ODA funds insufficient to meet the poverty and

environment challenge• Carbon finance could augment financial flows and assist with

technology diffusion• Biosequestration opportunities must be urgently explored

The CDM has grown rapidly and offers much potential• But the benefits are unevenly distributed and sustainable

development has not featured strongly in the project mix• UNDP CDM Assessment Report identified many constraints• Our aim is to broaden the participation base, particularly for the

least developed countries• UNDP MDG Carbon Facility will target high sustainable

development benefit projects – deliver more MDG benefits

II. UNDP Strategy

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Building Partnerships

UNDP working with other agencies• Delivering a comprehensive and integrated package

of services essential

• UNDP is works in close partnership with UNEP

• We will continue to strengthen cooperation and integration of activities across all UN agencies

• Our global network of country offices provides an important delivery vehicle at the country level

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Conclusion

We must maintain a focus on the MDGs

• Climate change represents an unprecedented development challenge

• Reducing the vulnerability of the poor will be UNDP’s key focus

• The international community must respond to this challenge