UN Global Climate Action
8 November 2022
High-Level Champions' Newsletter
Special Edition for COP 27
Today’s Key Announcements at COP27
Today’s Key Announcements

COP27 President Sameh Shoukry will announce the Sharm El Sheik Adaptation Agenda to enhance resilience for 4 billion people living in the most climate vulnerable communities by 2030. The Adaptation Agenda is the first comprehensive global plan to rally both States and non-State actors behind a shared set of 30 Adaptation Outcomes that are required by the end of this decade across five impact systems: food and agriculture, water and nature, coastal and oceans, human settlements, and infrastructure, and including enabling solutions for planning and finance.

To take stock of progress, the High-Level Champions will today publish their ‘Yearbook of Global Climate Action 2022’. Action by businesses, investors, cities, states, regions and civil societies continues to increase, with 34 Race to Resilience partners from 139 countries taking action to build the resilience of 2.9 billion people, while 26 Race to Zero partners have mobilized more than 11,000 non-State actors. The Global Climate Action Portal, recording a jump of 78% in actors from Asia-Pacific and of 67% from Africa, is evidence that climate action is becoming better distributed across the globe.

The Africa Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI) will be launched by the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), Sustainable Energy for ALL (SEforALL), and UNECA. ACMI aims to expand Africa’s participation in voluntary carbon markets by setting an ambition for the continent and developing a roadmap of action programs that will be implemented over the next few years to meet that ambition. The UN Climate Change High-Level Champions are supporting partners in this initiative. 

Progress on Finance Sector Deforestation Action (FSDA) – a results-driven collaborative of over 35 financial institutions representing more than $8.9 trillion in assets under management – has been announced. Signatory investors are stepping up engagement with companies and policymakers to tackle commodity-driven deforestation while also increasing investments in nature-based solutions (NbS) and promoting convergence across climate and nature-related initiatives. Momentum increases as signatories implement commitments (including engaging with companies) and new investors join, reflecting a growing understanding of the importance of addressing emissions from deforestation as well as the opportunity of investment.

First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon confirms an additional £5 million of funding to tackle loss and damage - The funds take Scotland’s commitment to addressing loss and damage caused by climate change to £7 million and will enable communities to take direct action to address the impacts of loss and damage. 

In addition, in collaboration with the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions and the Global Resilience Partnership, the Scottish Government today launches a report on practical action to address climate losses and damages for the most vulnerable people and nations. The report identifies the urgency to mobilise increased finance from public and private sources and presents innovative ideas to do this – from debt relief and philanthropy, to private investment.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The year since COP26 has presented us with ever more unavoidable proof of the increasing impact of climate change on lives across the world. The suffering of those who have contributed least to climate change is, unequivocally, an issue of climate justice. Climate change, as the floods in Pakistan, drought in the Horn of Africa and wildfires scattered across continents show, threatens fundamental human rights of life, health, food, water. We cannot uphold human rights without addressing loss and damage – urgent practical action must deliver support to the most vulnerable now. 
 
This Scottish Government report does not, and cannot, provide all the answers. Rather it is a synthesis of insights reflecting the deep expertise and experience of the delegates that came together at the conference. I hope it plays a part in escalating loss and damage action, at COP27 and beyond.”
Marrakech Partnership Events

For more information and webcast, access here


Global Climate Action High-Level Event (Opening) 
Location: Plenary 2/Ramses 
Time: 2-3pm

Speakers

Sameh Shoukry, COP27 President, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab 
Republic of Egypt 
Simon Stiell, UNFCCC Executive Secretary
Mahmoud Mohieldin, UN Climate Change High Level Champion, COP27
Nigel Topping, UN Climate Change High Level Champion, COP26 
Yuriko Koike, Governor of Tokyo 
Bogolo Kenewendo, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion's Special Advisor, Africa Director
Sophia Kianni, Executive Director, Climate Cardinals; Member, UN Secretary-General's Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change
Shemara Wikramanayake, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Macquarie Group
Ann Dumaliang, Co-Founder, Masungi Georeserve
Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, Chief Executive Officer, Naspers South Africa


African Carbon Markets Initiative
NB. This event is invitation only but is available to livestream: https://unfccc.int/event/africa-carbon-markets

Location: Ibis (Action Room 1)
Time: 8:00-9:30am


Thinking Outside The Shell: Towards The Sustainable Blue Future We Need
Location: Nature Pavilion 
Time: 8:30am - 10:00am
Speakers:
Moderator: Loreley Picourt, Executive Director, Ocean and Climate Platform, Focal Point for the Global Climate Action on Ocean and Coastal Zones.  
Victor Gustaaf Manoppo, Director General of Marine Spatial Planning, Republic of Indonesia.
H.E. Peter Thomson, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean
Moderator: Anna-Marie Laura, Director of International Government Relations at Ocean Conservancy.
Amjad Abdulla, Head of Partnerships, IRENA
Benjamin Sykes, Head of Environment, Consenting and External Affairs, Orsted
Remi Parmentier (Director, Varda Group)
Siddarth Shekhar Yadav (Ocean Youth Fellow, UN Climate Change High-Level Champions)

Moderator: Erik Giercksky, Head of the Action Platform for Ocean, UN Global Compact

Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director General, FAO
Rocky Tirona, Vice President Fish Forever, Rare
Wenche Gronbrekk, Director of Strategy, Partnerships and External Relations, Seabos
Manuel Pulgar Vidal, Global Leader of Climate & Energy at WWF and interim chair of the IUCN Climate Crisis Commission.
Razan Al Mubarak, President, IUCN




Driving Delivery on Paris Commitments through Data
Location: Ibis (Action Room 1) 
Time: 10:00am - 11:30am

High-level side event on the recommendations on the high-level Experts Group on Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities
Location: Ibis (Action Room 1) 
Time: 3:30 - 4:30pm 
UN Climate Change | Global Climate Action | Race to Zero | [email protected] | unfccc.int