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.
- 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 Government of Peru has formally requested the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to take on the role of coordinator of all projects and initiatives involved with the forestry sector in that country. Since 2011, FAO has worked closely with Peru's Environment and Agriculture Ministries, on a project called "National Inventory of Forests and Sustainable Forest Management of Peru in the Face of Climate Change."
- 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
- 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 10, 2012
- UNESCO-IOC, IUCN and Conservation International (CI) organized a side event on the margins of the Second Round of ‘Informal-Informal’ Rio+20 Negotiations titled "Blue Carbon: a Tool to Mitigate Climate Change and Preserve Key Marine and Coastal Ecosystems," which provided an opportunity to discuss and present a number innovative tools building on the work of the Blue Carbon Policy Framework.
May 8, 2012
- NEPAD and FAO have entered into a partnership to promote and improve the long-term sustainable management of both inland and marine fisheries and aquaculture, in support of regional efforts to achieve the MDGs. The partnership uses an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries and Aquaculture (EAF/EAA), and focuses on climate change adaptation and disaster risk management.
May 7, 2012
- SBSTTA 16 adopted 16 recommendations, including: a package on marine and coastal biodiversity, covering criteria for EBSA identification and prioritization, environmental assessments in marine and coastal areas, marine spatial planning and human impacts; and a package on biodiversity and climate change, covering biodiversity safeguards for REDD+, biodiversity considerations into climate-related activities, and geo-engineering.
- The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) held meetings of their trust fund committees and sub-committees to review the programmes carried out to promote climate resilience, renewable energy and forests. Participants approved new projects and reviewed progress on existing initiatives in Tonga, Dominica, Yemen, Ethiopia, Chile, Nigeria, India and Brazil.