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This guide represents the first effort to gather, in a practical and pragmatic manner, all relevant information related to the development and implementation of Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) Transformative Projects and Programmes. Countries can use this document for the identification and design of interventions to address land degradation, as well as to guide their dialogue with funding agencies and implementing partners. The guide  is intended for stakeholders involved in the design of LDN Transformative Projects and Programmes, particularly policy-makers, technical experts, international organizations, civil society organizations (CSOs) and the private sector.

his rapid review explores the application of available approaches and methods for assessing drought impacts and vulnerability. It is based on a series of interviews with expert practitioners from different drought-affected regions of the world. This was complemented by a brief review of the relevant published literature and a summary appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the range of assessment approaches available. At the present time, most of the available assessments still fall short in their consideration of the longer-term impacts and vulnerability associated with drought.

This publication includes a set of 14 case studies on the applications of United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) to geothermal energy from Australia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines and Russian Federation. The case studies are presented here to illustrate the application of the geothermal energy specifications for the uniform use of UNFC in different contexts. These application examples from different countries provide a range of scenarios in the classification of geothermal resources in a manner consistent with the classification of other energy resources.

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the status quo, recent developments and prospects of renewable energy markets within the UNECE area. 

Moreover, it examines the renewable policy promotion schemes put in place in the respective countries and offers recommendations for successful policy formulation and implementation. The report draws significantly on the results from two expert workshops with regional energy insiders conducted in November of 2017 in Bonn, from the UNECE Renewable Energy Hard Talks, multi-stakeholder dialogues held in Georgia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan, as well as on other recent publications and trends.

This report shows how uranium resources could create a platform for innovative engagement with the integrated challenge of natural resource management and climate action. The United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC), the comprehensive resource management scheme, provides the necessary tools and conditions for the redesign of the uranium resource pathway. 

This report argues that the conventional model of uranium as a mineral commodity needs to give way to a new model of uranium as a “critical energy material” for meeting the global sustainability objectives on energy and climate action.

This publication explores the progress in energy efficiency and renewable energy in selected countries of South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and in the Russian Federation. The study analyzes policy, legislative and regulatory frameworks, financial environment and level of awareness in the areas of energy efficiency and renewable energy from 2010 to 2018. It identifies existing gaps in the required frameworks and environment to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy investments in the countries. It also proposes a set of recommendations for necessary steps in achieving the long-term objectives for energy mix and meeting the ambitious related targets set by the countries. The Governments must address these barriers and deploy consistent and coherent energy policies and measures. Identifying and implementing such policies and measures can help in increasing investment and financing flows to energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

This booklet provides an overview of the nature and pace of the ongoing transition to low carbon electricity systems and discusses some of the inherent challenges. The booklet provides a reality check through selected indicators, notably in relation to income levels.1

This factsheet focuses on the CLEW framework for integrating different assessment approaches and methodologies and facilitating collaboration between policy analysts and planners dealing with climate, land, energy and water. 

This booklet focuses on the role and impacts of nuclear power on climate change.

The objective of this publication is to explore the diverse range of impacts on the energy sector resulting from gradual climate change (GCC) and the related shifts in extreme weather events (EWEs), as well as potential adaptation options. This publication presents three national case studies to show various possible framing and analytical techniques to tackle the challenges posed by these events in the energy sector.

The least developed countries (LDCs), landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS) are among the most vulnerable groups of countries in the world. They are disproportionately affected by the negative impacts of climate change due to their structural constraints and geographical disadvantage. In 2016, 13 out of the 15 countries with the highest vulnerability to natural hazards were from the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS groups.

The migration and climate change nexus is present across all three groups of countries. The programmes of action of LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS, namely the Istanbul Programme of Action, the Vienna Programme of Action and the SAMOA Pathway, point out the vulnerability of these countries to external shocks, including climate change, and recognize the role of migrants in the development of their communities through remittances, as well as transfer of skills and knowledge.

This paper aims to inform policymakers of the complex dynamics of climate-induced migration in LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS. It provides an overview of the migration and climate change nexus in each group of countries and proposes ways forward to address it.

This study results from the decision of States parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to produce a study on “The role that measures taken to implement the Convention can play to address desertification, land degradation and drought as one of the drivers that causes migration” (UNCCD 2017a). The study was commissioned to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), who worked in partnership with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI).

Climate change is a major concern for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In fact, almost 80% of SMEs currently expect the risks associated with climate change to have a significant impact on their business. But what can they do about this? What measures can SMEs put in place to better adapt to climate change and thrive in a changing environment? As a business-owner, knowing when and how climate change will affect your business is essential to identify climate-smart solutions that will lower the chances that climate change will negatively affect your enterprise. Becoming climate-smart will also provide your business with a number of benefits. In this e-course, we will introduce participants to the different steps of developing a climate adaptation strategy for their business.

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

– Provide logical and succinct arguments for the importance of taking actions to deal with climate change,

– Assess the various aspects of climate change at the enterprise level and identify measures and risks impacting on their enterprise,

– Prioritize what measures should be implemented in preparation for putting together a climate change strategy

You can directly access the e-course on the SME Trade Academy platform following this link.

This report is a contribution from the public health community to support the negotiations

of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It was written at the request of the President of the 23rd Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP23), Prime Minister Bainimarama of Fiji, to the World Health Organization (WHO) to prepare a report on health and climate change, to be delivered at COP24.

Global knowledge on the interconnection between climate change and health.

An overview of the initiatives and tools with which the national, regional and global public health community is supporting and scaling up actions to implement the Paris Agreement for a healthier, more sustainable society.

Recommendations for UNFCCC negotiators and policy-makers on maximizing the health benefits of tackling climate change and avoiding the worst health impacts of this global challenge.

The report is based on contributions from over 80 health professionals, academic experts, representatives of civil society and international agencies who have worked on climate change and health for over three decades.

This report has been prepared in response to informal requests by SIDS Member States and territories for WHO assistance in confronting the stark and dire situation which climate change has created in their countries and the impact it is having on their peoples. It is also the joint vision of Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, Prime Minister Frank Bainamarama of Fiji and President of the 23rd Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP23), and Ms Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, when they launched the SIDS Initiative at the COP in Bonn in November 2017. 

The World Food Programme (WFP) and Oxfam America (OA)launched the R4 Rural Resilience Initiative (R4) in 2011 to enable vulnerable rural households to increase their food and income security in the face of increasing climate risks. R4 builds on theinitial success of the Horn of Africa Risk Transfer for Adaptation (HARITA) initiative, pioneered in Ethiopia by OA, the Relief Society of Tigray (REST) and Swiss Re.

To support countries in the mitigation and management of climate risks, WFP is implementing innovative programme approaches to reduce losses and damages in the livelihoods of people who are faced with increasing climate extremes. The approach that has the biggest potential of closing the humanitarian funding gap is Forecast-based Financing (FbF).

This policy defines how the organization can contribute to the prevention of climate-induced losses and damages in food systems, and to the reduction of vulnerabilities in food insecure populations.

This study, commissioned by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Platform on Disaster Displacement (PDD), responds to a call by governments in Latin America and the Caribbean in the 2014 Brazil Declaration and Plan of Action to assess and provide guidance on the response in those regions to cross- border displacement in the context of disasters linked to natural hazards and climate change (hereinafter ‘disaster displacement’).2

This document sets out key legal considerations relevant for the protection of people fleeing conflict and famine affected countries, by outlining the applicability of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees1 and its 1967 Protocol2 (1951 Convention) as well as the broader refugee criteria included in the 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa (1969 OAU Convention).