May 17, 2012
- FAO and partners have launched the "Organic Soils and Peatlands Climate Change Mitigation Initiative" at the UNFCCC Climate Talks in Bonn, Germany. At the launch event, FAO released the initiative's first publication on guidance for mitigation from peatlands, which includes summaries of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions quantification methodologies.
- The FAO soil survey project for Tanzania was presented at the UNFCCC Climate Talks in Bonn, Germany. FAO noted that while soil carbon models are available for Europe, the US, Canada and Japan, the assessment will allow the testing and calibration of soil carbon models for applicability in East Africa.
- The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has released the first Africa Human Development Report, which examines why hunger continues to be so prevalent in the region and puts forward a series of policy recommendations across the development agenda.
- A new World Bank report on Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Soils presents a review of knowledge and methodologies to assess the impact of different land management practices on soil carbon sequestration rates across the world.
- The Food and Agriculture Organization's 31st Regional Conference for the Near East is focusing on food waste, climate change impacts and the creation of a regional trust fund for agricultural development. Climate change discussions are expected to focus on freshwater, fisheries, and forestry and land use management.
May 16, 2012
- According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the proposed FTT could generate about US$48 billion across the Group of 20 (G20) countries at a lowest rate, and up to US$250 billion per year at a highest rate.
- During the 11th session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), Olivier de Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, stressed that indigenous peoples’ food rights were under "serious threat" given the increased pressure on their lands through food production, carbon credit schemes and the search for fossil fuels.
May 15, 2012
- The UN Pavilion highlights the work of 24 UN bodies and international organizations, to raise Expo visitors' awareness on: marine pollution from oil; marine litter; deep seabed marine biodiversity; over-fishing; and the impacts of climate change on oceans and coasts. International Exposition 2012 (Expo 2012) is taking place in Yeosu, Republic of Korea, under the theme "Oceans and Coasts: Connecting Our Lives, Ensuring Our Future—The Choice is Yours."
May 14, 2012
- Progress on agriculture and food security can and should be pursued in major international policy venues such as the G20 and the Rio+20 Earth Summit and through national and sectoral initiatives. But the UNFCCC is the only global venue for an integrated policy response to climate change – and the complex interactions of climate change with sustainable agriculture and food security challenges demand more than unilateral, single-sector responses.
- UNDP has released its regional human development report for the Asia-Pacific region, with a special focus on LDCs, including several SIDS, and their climate change-related challenges. The environmental vulnerability index, developed by the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC), UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and their partners, describes Kiribati, Maldives and Tuvalu as among the most vulnerable countries to extreme environmental shocks.