Climate Change and Achieving the Millennium Development Goals

1. Climate Change and Achieving the Millennium Development Goals Olav Kjorven Director, Environment and Energy Group

2. Climate Change and Development Overview of Presentation • 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

3. Climate Change and Development Climate change is a major development issue • 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

4. Climate Risks Climate Risks to MDGs

5. II. UNDP Strategy Climate Exposure of Donor-funded Development Aid flows affected by climate risk in red Shaded areas indicate uncertainty. Fiji Bangladesh Egypt Tanzania Uruguay Nepal Fiji

6. Exposure of donor-funded development activities Low estimate(12-50%) High estimate(26-65%)

7. 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

8. II. UNDP Strategy 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 measures • Integrating 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)

9. II. UNDP Strategy UN Priority Policy Responses for Adaptation • Agriculture and Food Security • Food security and food production maintained or enhanced • Water Resources and Quality • Water availability and supply maintained • Public Health • Public health maintained or enhanced • Climate Change-Related Disaster Risk Management • Exposure and vulnerability to climate change-driven risks and • hazards reduced • Coastal Development • Exposure and vulnerability of population, infrastructure & • economic activity reduced

10. II. UNDP Strategy 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

11. II. UNDP Strategy 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

12. II. UNDP Strategy 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

13. 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

14. 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