The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will hold its 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP 23) from November 6-17 in Bonn, Germany. Led by this year’s Presidency of Fiji, negotiators from nearly 200 countries will convene to advance implementation of the Paris Agreement. WRI’s experts will host or participate in the following events.

Climate Watch Press Conference

Climate Watch is a free and user-friendly online platform designed to empower policymakers, researchers and other stakeholders with the climate data, visualizations and resources they need to gather insightful information on national and global progress on climate change. WRI will hold a press conference at COP 23 to introduce the new tool and answer questions from journalists.

Date: Tuesday, November 7 from 1:00-1:30 pm

Location: Bula Zone 4, Theatre, Conference Room 2

Hosts: World Resources Institute

Speakers:Rob Bradley (NDC Partnership), Johannes Friedrich,and Eliza Northrop

Contact: Rhys Gerholdt

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Event Recording

Climate Watch: A Global Platform for Climate Action

This session will include an introduction to the NDC Knowledge Portal, a demonstration of Climate Watch and its benefits for different users, and remarks from Climate Watch partner organizations. The NDC Partnership was launched at COP22 to enhance cooperation so that countries have access to the technical knowledge and financial support they need to achieve large-scale climate and sustainable development targets. The Knowledge Portal and Climate Watch are two platforms that help fill this gap.

Date: Tuesday, November 7 from 4-5:30 pm

Location: EU Pavilion (Talinn Room)

Hosts: World Resources Institute, NDC Partnership

Speakers: Johannes Friedrich, Rob Bradley (NDC Partnership)

Contact: Katie Lebling, Johannes Friedrich

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Enhancement Options, Participatory Processes, and Rapid Implementation of NDCs

This official side event, hosted by WRI and partners, will present options for the enhancement of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement in the lead up to 2020. Attendees will discuss how countries can enhance the level of ambition in their NDCs through participatory processes that engage all levels of government and society.

Date: Tuesday, November 7 from 4:45-6:15 pm

Location: Bonn Zone, Meeting Room 10 (200) 

Hosts: World Resources Institute, Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, and ClimateWorks Foundation

Speakers: Taryn Fransen, Eliza Northrop

Contact: Kelsey Lopez

Understanding Impact: Approaches to Quantifying Sustainable Development Impacts and Non-State and Subnational Action Contributions to National Climate Targets

Please join us to explore guidance developed under the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) to better understand contributions of subnational and non-state actors to national climate targets; to account for social and economic benefits of climate action; and to evaluate the potential of policies to create transformational change for low-carbon and sustainable development outcomes.

Date: Thursday, November 9 from 9:00-11:00 am

Location: German Development Institute (DIE) Interconnections Zone

Hosts: World Resources Institute

Speakers: Paula Caballero, Katharina Lutkehermoller (New Climate Institute), Karen Holm Olsen (UNEP-DTU)

Contact: Cynthia Elliott

Mobilizing Capital for Landscape Restoration in Latin America with Initiative 20x20

Initiative 20x20, a country-led effort to restore land in Latin America and the Caribbean, will host this side event with the Forestry and Climate Change Fund and the European Investment Bank to recognize the role landscape restoration plays in fighting climate change and supporting economies. International partners will present projects supported by Initiative 20x20 investors, highlighting the business opportunity in financing restoration.

Date: Thursday, November 9 from 5:00-7:00 pm

Location: Luxembourg EIB Pavilion

Hosts: World Resources Institute, Forestry and Climate Change Fund, and European investment Bank

Speakers: Walter Vergara, Muhammad Ibrahim (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza), Ruben Echeverria (International Center for Tropical Agriculture)

Contact: Luciana Gallardo Lomeli, James Anderson

Unlocking the Green Climate Fund

In this session representatives from a variety of countries will share their experiences engaging with the Green Climate Fund and with climate finance “readiness” support.

Date: Friday, November 11 from 10:30 am-12 pm

Location: UNDP Pavilion

Hosts: World Resources Institute, UNDP, UNEP, and GIZ

Speakers: Karsten Sach, Frank Fass-Metz, Baikuntha Aryal, Aina Martin-Pepin, Makereta Konrote, Maia Tskhvaradze, Juvenal Ntacyo Muhumuza, Fitzroy James

Contact: Gaia Larsen

China’s Low-Carbon Cities: The Vision, Action and Expectation

This side event in the China Pavilion will promote exemplary examples of low-carbon cities and provide opportunities for city delegates, as well as Chinese and international research institutions, to share their experiences.

Date: Friday, November 10 from 2:00-3:30 pm

Location: China Pavilion

Hosts: National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation, Innovative Green Development Program, Energy Foundation China, and World Resources Institute

Speakers: Paula Caballero, Zhen Sun (National Development and Reform Commission - China), Aimin Ma (National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation - China), Ji Zou (Energy Foundation China), Qing Ye (Shenzhen Institute of Building Research), Peter Calthorpe (UN Habitat New Urban Agenda Independent Panel), Wee Kean Fong (moderator)

Contact: Wenyi Xi

Joining up implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement

This high-level event will gather national policy makers and non-state actors to discuss how they can advance their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement and their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in an integrated manner. Highlights from a forthcoming WRI-GIZ paper -- building on experience from the EU and 13 other countries to explore policy options for a "joined-up" implementation -- will inform the discussion. Speakers will also present two tools for mapping these NDC-SDG links – WRI's Climate Watch NDC-SDG database, and DIE and SEI’s NDC-SDG Connections Tool.

Date: Friday, November 10 from 4:30-6:00 pm

Location: German Pavilion

Hosts: Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Deutsche-Indische Zusammenarbeit (DIZ), and World Resources Institute

Speakers: Paula Caballero;  Ingrid Gabriela Hoven (German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development - BMZ) (tbc);  Patricia Espinosa (UNFCCC) (tbc);  Juan Carlos Arredondo (Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources, Mexico) (tbc); Wilberforce Kisamba-Mugerwa, (National Planning Authority, Uganda) (tbc); Imme Scholz (German Development Institute - DIE); Mathilde Bouyé; Johannes Friedrich; and Hannah Janetschek (German Development Institute - DIE)

Contact: Mathilde Bouye

America’s Pledge

At this event, California Governor Jerry Brown and UN Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change Michael Bloomberg will showcase what U.S. subnational and non-state actors are doing to reduce emissions and build a clean energy economy. The first analysis of those aggregate climate commitments, developed by WRI and the Rocky Mountain Institute, will be unveiled at the U.S. Climate Action Center on Saturday, November 11.

Date: Saturday, November 11 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Location: U.S. Climate Action Pavilion (WASI)

Hosts: America’s Pledge

Contact: Andrew Pickens

Maintaining U.S. Engagement in Climate Finance

This event will bring together U.S. climate leaders to discuss opportunities for the U.S. to remain engaged in climate finance. Since the announcement that the U.S. administration intends to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, climate initiatives among states, cities, and businesses have flourished in the United States. These actors are increasingly focused on finance in order to fully support the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Date: Saturday, November 11 from 12:00-1:30 pm

Location: U.S. Climate Action Pavilion (WASI)

Hosts: Center for American Progress, World Resources Institute, CDP, Mississippi River Cities & Towns Initiative

Speakers: Gwynne Taraska (CAP), Al Gore, Manish Bapna (WRI), Senator Jeff Merkley (Oregon), Governor Terry McAuliffe (Virginia), Mayor Frank Klipsch (Davenport, Iowa), Dan Zarrilli (City of New York), Valerie Smith (Citi), Kevin Rabinovitch (Mars, Inc.)

Contact: Joe Thwaites

Marrakech Partnership Industry Day

Representatives from leading companies will share how bold commitments to reduce emissions are driving innovation, growth and risk management within their businesses, followed by a discussion exploring how governments can create policies that enable companies to deliver further climate action, faster.

Date: Sunday, November 12 from 4:45-6:15 pm

Location: tba

Hosts: We Mean Business coalition and Science Based Targets initiative

Speakers: Sara Goulartt (EDP), Alberto Carrillo Pineda (CDP)

Contact: Cynthia Cummis, Caroline Holtum, Sarah Savage

Global Data to Drive Climate Resilience and Action: An Introduction to Climate Watch and PREP

The event, hosted by WRI, will provide an overview and walk-through of two online data platforms, Climate Watch and PREP, to demonstrate how these platforms can benefit adaptation and resilience practitioners, particularly those in vulnerable regions such as small island developing states (SIDS).

Date: Monday, November 13 from 2:30-3:30 pm

Location: Fiji Pavilion

Hosts: World Resources Institute

Speakers: Christina Chan, Johannes Friedrich

Contact: Katie Lebling

Climate Smart Agriculture as a Systemic Response to Climate Change

WRI’s Andrew Steer will moderate a panel discussion on how countries are using “climate smart” agriculture to adapt and build resilience to climate change. Attendees will hear how innovative technologies are transforming every link in the food chain, reducing the climate impacts of agriculture and helping to ensure countries’ food security.

Date: Monday, November 13 from 2:30-3:30 pm

Location: Climate Action Domes, DHL Post Tower Lawn

Hosts: UNEP and Sustainable Innovation Forum

Speakers: Andrew Steer (moderator), Gemedo Delle (Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change - Nigeria), Naoko Ishii (Global Environment Facility), Thoriq Ibrahim (Ministry for Environment & Energy - Maldives, Alliance of Small Island States)

Contact: Gretchen Ellison

Champions for Climate Action: The NDC Partnership

Attendance at this event is by invitation only; open to the press. For media inquiries, contact Andrea Risotto. Ministers and heads of organizations from NDC Partnership member countries will gather at this event to share their experiences working together to achieve their climate and sustainable development targets. WRI’s Andrew Steer will speak alongside other organization heads and country ministers.

Date: Tuesday, November 14 from 6:00-7:00 pm

Location: Deutsche Welle

Hosts: NDC Partnership Support Unit

Contact: Andrea Risotto

Strengthening the Paris Agreement through Innovation in Open Government

This panel event brings together government and civil society representatives leading efforts to guarantee transparency, effective public participation and accountability as means to strengthen implementation of the Paris Agreement. It will examine the role of the Open Government Partnership, the Paris Agreement implementation guidelines, domestic laws and social accountability tools.

Date: November 10 from 2:50-3:50 pm

Location: University Forum Bonn

Hosts: World Resources Institute, Transparency International, and Center for International Environmental Law

Speakers: Eliza Northrop (WRI), government and civil society representatives

Contact: Eliza Northrop

Joining up the Implementation of the NDCs and the SDGs: Tools and Recommendations

This side event, hosted by WRI, will bring together policymakers and members of civil society, business and academia to discuss opportunities to “join up” implementation of Sustainable Development Goals and Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement. The event will highlight key levers for delivering both sets of goals to maximize synergies, overcome trade-offs, optimize resources and ultimately scale up impact.

Date: Wednesday, November 15 from 2:00-4:00 pm

Location: German Development Institute (DIE) Interconnections Zone

Hosts: World Resources Institute

Speakers: Mathilde Bouye, Johannes Friedrich, Eliza Northrop, Sven Harmeling (CARE International), Robert Bradley (NDC Partnership)

Contact: Mathilde Bouye, Katie Lebling

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Register

U.S. Business Showcase: The Post-Paris Wave of Targets and Commitments

This Business Showcase brings together corporate leaders representing major U.S. brands to explore their efforts to help decarbonize the U.S. economy. At this session, companies will discuss the importance of science-based commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions and how they develop their environmental goals. Several companies are expected to announce new or updated targets during this session.

Date: Wednesday, November 15 from 1:15-1:45 pm

Location: U.S. Climate Action Pavilion (WASI)

Hosts: World Wildlife Fund and Ceres, with support from Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, Business Council for Sustainable Energy, American Sustainable Business Council, and World Resources Institute

Speakers: tba

Contact: Yelena Akopian, Matt Banks

U.S. Business Showcase: We’re All in This Together

This Business Showcase brings together corporate leaders representing major U.S. brands to explore their efforts to help decarbonize the U.S. economy. This session will feature business which have set targets, energy commitments, and other strategies that reflect significant action and innovation by the business community.

Date: Wednesday, November 15 from 2:45-3:15 pm

Location: U.S. Climate Action Pavilion (WASI)

Hosts: World Wildlife Fund and Ceres, with support from Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, Business Council for Sustainable Energy, American Sustainable Business Council, and World Resources Institute

Speakers: Ben Jordan (The Coca Cola Company)

Contact: Yelena Akopian, Matt Banks

Technical Dialogue on Enhancing Transparency Systems in the Context of NDCs

Experts on Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) from countries’ national planning offices will join a panel discussion on how to enhancing domestic transparency systems and tracking Nationally Determined Contributions. This event is an opportunity for countries to share their experiences and best practices.

Date: Wednesday, November 15 from 2:30-4:00 pm

Location: UNDP Pavilion

Hosts: World Resources Institute, GIZ and UNDP on behalf of the IKI NDC Support Cluster

Speakers: Kelly Levin, Yamil Bonduki (UNDP), national government experts

Contact: Cynthia Elliott

South-South Climate Cooperation to Drive Paris Agreement Implementing at National and Regional Level

This event will explore the governance, finance and technology needs of developing countries in implementing the Paris Agreement, and the role of “South-South” cooperation in climate action. Speakers will discuss comparative studies at the national and regional levels in Southeast, Central, and South Asia.

Date: Friday, November 17 from 11:30 am - 1:00 pm

Location: UN Pavilion

Hosts: Greenovation Hub, Rock Environment and Energy Institute, Friends of Nature, Energy Foundation China, and World Resources Institute

Speakers: Paula Caballero, Xiaohua Zhang (Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General), Ji Zou (Energy Foundation China)

Contact: Brett Cozzolino, Wenyi Xi

 

*tbc indicates confirmation pending for a speaker