Live event links & more details:
November 30, 2023 (17:30-18:30): Harmonious Coexistence with Nature: Smart Grid Systems
Location: IUCN Pavilion
Commission Member Lead: China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation
December 1, 2023 (19:00-21:00): Act 30 Informational Reception
Location: IUCN Pavilion
Commission Member Lead: IUCN PCA team – Aissa Traore
Description: A reception with a focus on sharing information about what Act30 intends to do and promoting our approach of co-designing and co-delivering with IPs and LCs.
December 2, 2023 (16:00-17:15): Empowering Women and Girls and Building Climate Resilience: How the biodiversity and reproductive health sectors can achieve greater results for people & planet.
Location: IUCN Pavilion
Commission Member Lead: Carina HIrsch and David Johnson, Margaret Pyke Trust and the IUCN Biodiversity & Family Planning Task Force
Aims of event:
- Promote the concept of FP2030 Commitments to environmental organisations
- Promote the concept of PHE programming to conservation organisations and PSI
- Launch the new publication about PHE, featuring PSI, Ipas and Conserve Global
- Mark inclusion of family planning in the new Global Species Action Plan
- Announce new conservation action plan, and its reference to RH, FP and PHE
- Further build a relationship with IUCN re increased references to reproductive choice.
December 2, 2023 (10:00-10:30): Press conference: Amplifying voices of hope and resilience
Location: Press Conference Room 2, Zone B6, Building 77, Blue Zone
Commission Member Lead: Brahma Kumaris
Speakers:
- Sister Jayanti, Addl. Admin Head of Brahma Kumaris
- Golo Pilz, Energy Adviser Brahma Kumaris
- Lindsey Fielder Cook, Quaker UN Office, Rep. for the Human Impacts of Climate Change
December 2, 2023 (19:00-21:00): IUCN Members, Commissions, and Partners Reception
Location: IUCN Pavilion, Thematic building 4 (TA4-135), Blue Zone
Description: This reception is one of the many events that will be hosted at the IUCN Pavilion, which aims to bring together the different parts of the Union for impactful engagements. In this way, we hope that the IUCN Pavilion becomes the Home of the Union at COP28.
December 3, 2023 (11:45-12:45): The linkages between Climate Change and Health: Harnessing the role of integrated approaches in addressing climate change impacts
Location: Ethiopian Pavilion, Blue Zone
Commissions Member Lead: Endashaw Mogessie
December 4, 2023 (9:30-10:30): Finance & Forests: Unlocking Innovative Financial Models for Natural Capital & Equitable Access
Location: IUCN Pavilion, Blue Zone
Commission Member Lead: Theresa Keith, FSC
Description: The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) will use its convening power as a member-based, global NGO to gather diverse actors and ideas from across the world of sustainable finance. We will bring multi-sector participants together to explore the latest in innovative financing models for forests and nature. The event will focus on the alignment of high-integrity standards and reporting mechanisms with natural capital investment strategies and on opportunities to de-risk large-scale investment in the forest sector. Central to this conversation will be the importance of data and impact verification and equitable access to funding by smallholders and Indigenous Peoples. Discussion and exchange will be encouraged among a panel of government, multilateral, Indigenous Peoples, corporate, financial, and civil society participants.
December 4, 2023 (18:30-20:00): An undervalued pathway to climate resilience: Investing in family planning to empower women and girls
Location: SE Room 5
Commission Member Lead: Carina Hirsch, Co-Chair IUCN CEESP Biodiversity and Family Planning Task Force
December 5, 2023 (9:30-10:00): Ethics at the Heart of the Energy Transition
Location: Press Conference Room 2, Zone B6, Building 77, Blue zone
Commission Member Lead: Brahma Kumaris
Speakers:
- Sister Jayanti, Addl. Admin Head of Brahma Kumaris
- Golo Pilz, Energy Adviser Brahma Kumaris
- Dr. Lorna Gold, CEO Faith Invest
December 5, 2023 (11:30-13:00): From Policy to Practice: Ethical Considerations and HR Implications for L&D Funding Arrangement
Location: SE Room 7, Blue Zone
Commission Member Lead: Brahma Kumaris, The Lutheran World Federation, All Africa Conference of Churches, Brahma Kumaris, and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Description: The event highlights the urgent need to integrate ethical principles, HR, and intergenerational justice into funding strategies for L&D. By fostering inclusive, just and equitable funding mechanisms, we can ensure that the most vulnerable are protected and future generations inherit a sustainable world. Speakers: G77+china negotiator on Loss and damage, Youth Voice from Africa & Asia, Government representative from Small Island Developing States, Representative from the Pacific Conference of Churches.
December 5, 2023 (14:45-15:10): Advocating for Inclusive Climate Action
Location: Bloomberg Green Summit Jumeirah Emirates Towers
Commission Member Lead: Meher M. Noshirwani, Chair of IUCN CEESP Gender Specialist Group
Description: How can we ensure diverse perspectives are central to climate solutions, particularly in communities disproportionately impacted by climate change? We’ll explore the intersection of climate action and gender equality, and ways to nurture grassroots-level action.
December 5, 2023 (16:45-18:15): Banking on Climate: Going Beyond Climate Finance
Location: UNFCCC Side Event, Blue Zone
Commission Member Lead: Theresa Keith, FSC
Description: This side event will make the case for a holistic approach in tackling climate change and its impacts. It seeks to explore the possibilities of going beyond finance in achieving climate and sustainable development goals to include enhanced policy, innovative technology and capacity building, and new financing mechanisms. It will feature multidimensional perspectives from speakers representing governments, MDBs, private and non-profit institutions to motivate the creation of a collaborative ecosystem and community on holistic approaches to climate change.
December 5, 2023 (16:00-17:00): Empowering Women in Climate Workshop
Location: Bloomberg Green Summit Jumeirah Emirates Towers
Commission Member Lead: Meher M. Noshirwani, Chair of IUCN CEESP Gender Specialist Group
Description: Women play a crucial role in building a sustainable future. We’ll discuss how women across the globe can drive measurable climate impact and overcome gender-related roadblocks to unlock their power.
December 6, 2023 (11:30-12:30): Visionary Leadership for the Transition to Clean Technology
Location: Faith Pavilion, Blue Zone, Section T2
Commission Member Lead: Brahma Kumaris
Description: Join our innovative session to engage with clean technology experts and faith-based organizations, uncovering the latest advancements and possibilities for informed decision-making. A visionary mindset is needed to inspire sustainable practices within communities, with faith leaders playing a pivotal role in connecting faith and environmental stewardship with clean technologies like solar power and wind energy.
Speakers:
- Abdulla Mohammad Baobeid, Climate Change Co-ordinator, Nahda Makers, Yemen
- Caitlyn Hughes, Executive Director, Solar Cookers International
- Golo J. Pilz, Germany Energy Advisor Brahma Kumaris, Initiator of India-One solar thermal power plant; India/Germany
- Kenneth Nana Amatoeng, Elder of church of Pentecost and President of Abibimman Foundation, Ghana;
- Moderator Sonja Ohlsson, Brahma Kumaris Focal Point to UNFCCC
December 7, 2023 (14:00-17:00): Universities’ Debate on Climate Change: Organized by the Ministry of Culture and Youth
Location: Green Zone, Youth Pavilion
Commission Member Lead: Dr. Suzan Shahin (from IUCN-SSC, SULi)
December 8, 2023 (18:00-18:40): Climate Change Research Network (CCRN): A Climate Policy-Science Workshop: A Gap Analysis on Climate Change Research in the UAE
Location: Blue Zone, UAE Pavilion
Commission Member Lead: Dr. Suzan Shahin (from IUCN-SSC, SULi)
December 9, 2023 (9:00-9:40): A presentation on the Namibia Nature Foundation focusing on our conservation and sustainable development work in Namibia
Location: Namibia Pavilion
Commission Member Lead: Priscilla Mundilo
December 9, 2023 (11:30-13:00): Youth Rising in Solidarity for Environmental Defenders and Safeguarding Lives, Nature and the Future
Location: SE Room 5
Commission Member Lead: David N. Munene
December 9, 2023 (12:45-13:45): Nature Based Solutiom: Panacea or problem? A debate on the future of biodiversity conservation, climate adaptation, and resilience
Location: Ethiopian Pavillion, Blue Zone
Commission Member Lead: Endashaw Mogessie
December 10, 2023 (12:45-13:45): Climate change Adaptation and Food, Agriculture and Water Nexus: Local Actions and Smallholder Farmers Livelihood
Location: Ethiopian Pavillion, Blue Zone
Commission Member Lead: Endashaw Mogessie
December 11, 2023 (13:15-14:25): The Role of Scientific Research and Research Networks in Climate Change Collaborations and Youth Education, Experts’ Panel and Students’ Panel Discussion
Location: Green Zone, Greening Education Hub
Commission Member Lead: Dr. Suzan Shahin (from IUCN-SSC, SULi)
December 12, 2023 (10:00-11:30): What if water could talk? Meeting of Waters
Location: Entertainment + Culture Pavilion
Commission Member Lead: Charlotte Qin, Meeting of Waters
Description: Meeting of Waters is a youth-led art collective that would like to “give water a voice” in the desert at COP28 UAE – United Nations Climate Change Conference. The collective brought together young professionals from the fields of culture, science, humanitarianism and water policy and utilises artistic methodology to illustrate that water is more than just a resource but an embodied source of life interwoven into the culture and history of human civilisation.
December 12, 2023 (11:30-12:30): Pathways to Transform: Safeguarding the Cryosphere through Mindset and Lifestyle Shifts
Location: Cryosphere Pavilion, Blue Zone
Commission Member Leader: Brahma Kumaris
Description: The urgently needed transformations for safeguarding the cryosphere will only occur with fundamental changes to our mindsets. Such a shift in perspective will lead to reinventing lifestyles, building long-term resilience, and taking a regenerative approach for future pathways. In this intergenerational and cross-sector dialogue, we will discover actionable strategies to make eco-conscious choices that positively impact the cryosphere and contribute to a safe operating space.
Speakers:
- Prof. Mark Lawrence, Scientific Director at the Institute for Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) Potsdam
- Pam Pearson, Director, International Cryosphere Climate Initiative
- Golo Pilz, Brahma Kumaris, Adviser Renewable Energy
- (Moderator) Sonja Ohlsson, Climate Coordinator, Brahma Kumaris