COP 26 in Glasgow began with a whimper, as many were disappointed by the lack of progress on climate at this weekend’s G-20 summit in Rome. Still, there were some big announcements as the conference got underway.
Happening today: The future of global development, poverty, and inequality hinge on how the world responds to the twin challenges of climate and the COVID-19 pandemic. Tune in today at 8 a.m. ET (1 p.m. CET) as we explore how climate, health, and other global challenges can be financed by a variety of actors — from corporations to international development finance institutions. Join us here.
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The most prominent commitment made on COP 26’s first day came from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who announced that the world’s second most populous country would reach net-zero emissions by 2070.
Other notable news from COP 26 so far includes the launch of a United States global climate resilience plan, which President Joe Biden said would “serve as a comprehensive framework to mobilize U.S. government resources and expertise in support of climate adaptation.”
The United Kingdom also announced it might add an extra £1 billion ($1.4 billion) to its climate finance contribution, though that’s dependent on the nation’s finances, while Scotland announced £1 million for loss and damage — a climate policy area that has historically been more contentious than adaptation. Meanwhile, Barbados called attention to the plight of small island states, asking for more Special Drawing Rights to be issued every year for climate change adaptation.
Today, more announcements are expected, including a $19 billion pledge to end deforestation by 2030 that’s co-signed by Brazil.
Read: COP 26 World Leaders Summit: 5 takeaways for the development sector
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Tree’s company
Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the U.K., and the U.S., along with 17 grant-making organizations, announced Monday that they would commit $1.7 billion to support Indigenous and local communities in protecting tropical forests. The funding will be provided from 2021 to 2025.
And a portion of the $5 billion commitment recently made by a group of grant-making organizations — known as the Protecting our Planet Challenge — to conserve and protect 30% of land and 30% of the oceans by 2030 will also be wrapped into the pledge.
Read: Philanthropies, governments pledge $1.7B to Indigenous climate efforts
Big spenders
Since the publication of the COP 26 presidency’s Climate Finance Delivery Plan last month — detailing how and when high-income countries could reach the $100 billion climate finance goal — the Devex data team has combed through climate finance data, often complex to track, to provide a rundown of donor funding information. What they found was that almost 80% of the $34.4 billion bilateral overseas development finance for climate objectives came from the top five climate donors.
Devex Pro: The top 5 climate donors
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Ongoing struggle
More than two months since the collapse of the Afghan government, many U.S.-based development employers are still working to secure visas and a safe route out for their local staff.
Emma Smith reports that Paul Foldi, vice president of international development affairs at the Professional Services Council, estimates that a minimum of 10,000 aid staff and their family members are still trapped in the country.
Many employers have been trying to help get their staff out via special immigrant visas, but applicants have to provide a slew of documents — some of which they may have been destroyed for security reasons. Meanwhile, a coalition of 103 NGOs sent a letter yesterday calling on the Biden administration to prioritize evacuating vulnerable Afghans.
Read: How US employers can support the evacuation of Afghan staff
+ Explore all our coverage of aid and development assistance for Afghanistan.
Need to know basis
Way back in July, news leaked that Cathy Russell, director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, was in the running to take over as executive director of UNICEF when Henrietta Fore steps down. Since then we've heard ... not a whole lot.
The lack of buzz about any additional candidates gives little reason to expect that this appointment process will challenge the historic precedent that gives U.S. presidents de facto power to hand-pick the leader of the United Nations agency.
The U.N. is not showing its cards either. When my colleague Michael Igoe asked to see a shortlist of candidates or a timeline for choosing one, Farhan Haq, the secretary general's deputy spokesperson wrote back: “We don’t provide shortlists or numbers for the candidates for senior UN posts. We will announce the SG’s decision once it has been made.”
In other news
In a letter sent to the U.N. Human Rights Council yesterday, 48 countries are calling for a special session to discuss the violent crackdown on protesters in Sudan following the country’s military takeover last week. [Al Jazeera]
On Monday, WHO relaunched the recruitment process for a panel that will investigate the origins of COVID-19, hoping for more biosecurity experts. [The Telegraph]
The U.N. headquarters in Geneva has opened its new extension, which was partially funded by the Swiss government. [Swiss.info]
Michael Igoe contributed to this edition of Devex Newswire.
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About the author
Stephanie Beasley@Steph_Beasley
Stephanie Beasley is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global philanthropy with a focus on regulations and policy. She is an alumna of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and Oberlin College and has a background in Latin American studies. She previously covered transportation security at POLITICO.
