COP29 Side Event: Synergy Solutions: Overcoming Silos and Policy Incoherence to Close the Climate & SDGs Ambition Gap

COP29 Official Side Event

Friday, 15 November

13:15-14:45 (AZT) | 10:15 - 11:45 (CET)

Location: Side Event 4, Zone B, Blue Zone

Context

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement set a comprehensive framework for climate action and sustainable development, but global progress remains insufficient. The Global Stocktake at COP28 and the mid-point review of the 2030 Agenda at the SDG Summit in 2023 have underscored the urgency to accelerate action to address climate change, advance progress on the SDGs.

Yet, with an ever-tightening timeframe to fulfil the SDGs, we are leaving more than half the world behind. The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024 warns that only 17 per cent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on track, with progress stalled or regressed on over one-third of the goals. At the same time, climate change is accelerating, with 2023 the hottest year on record, exacerbating inequalities, driving millions into poverty, and reversing years of development gains.

Maximizing synergies between climate and sustainable development and ensuring coherence in policymaking has never been more essential. Recent reports, including the Second Global Report on Climate and SDG Synergies, however, find that fragmentation across governance, financing, and knowledge at all levels hampers coherent and synergistic policies/or actions needed to progress on climate and development goals. Overcoming siloed approaches and policy incoherence is therefore key to closing the climate and SDGs ambition gap while ensuring just and equitable transitions, nature protection, and socio-ecological resilience.

The next two years are pivotal for course correction. The next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which countries must submit by early 2025 ahead of COP30, will shape global emissions for years to come. These national plans must align with limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. At this year’s COP, discussions on finance will also be critical as many countries are grappling with financing challenges to advance their climate and development priorities. All estimates show that trillions of dollars are required by developing countries to meet their crucial climate and development goals.  Evidence suggests that seeking synergy solutions to address traditional siloed approaches and move towards more coherent and integrated actions will result in more cost-effective solutions.

Expected Outcomes

Informed by UNU research as well as the 2024 Global Report on Climate & SDG Synergy and outcomes of the 5^th Global Climate and SDG Synergy Conference, this event will present actionable steps and recommendations to align policies, financing instruments, knowledge and data, and actions across multiple sectors and global agendas. These effectively harness positive co-benefits and reduce adverse trade-offs, enhancing resource efficiency and the effectiveness of outcomes for people and planet.

Through an interactive discussion, this event will go beyond theoretical perspectives to showcase practical experiences from around the world of implementing synergistic, coherent and integrated planning across domains. By discussing challenges and opportunities, this panel will offer valuable insights for countries and practitioners to address interconnected issues. This event will also highlight opportunities for integrating the SDGs into the upcoming national climate plans (NDC 3.0) due in 2025 ahead of COP30.

Agenda

Subject to change 

Opening Remarks 13:15–13:18

• Daniele Violetti (Senior Director, Programmes Coordination, UNFCCC)

1st Panel Discussion 13:18–14:00

Moderator: Bahareh Seyedi (Senior Sustainable Development Officer, UNDESA)

Remarks by Hosts of Climate & SDG Synergy Conferences

• Vicente de Azevedo Araujo Filh (Head for Sustainable Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Brazil)
• Ole Thonke (Under State Secretary for Development Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark)
• Nobuyuki Konuma (Director, Climate Change Negotiation Office, Ministry of the Environment, Japan)

Key Findings of the 2024 Global Report Prepared by the Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergies

• Diana Urge-Vorsatz (Vice-Chair, IPCC; Professor, Central European University)

Interactive Dialogue

• Elisabeth Gilmore (Associate Professor, Carleton University)
• Kaveh Guilanpour (Vice-President for International Strategies, Centre for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES))
• Soumya Swaminathan (Chairperson, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation)

2nd Panel Discussion 14:00–14:42

Moderator: Suneetha M. Subramanian (Research Fellow, UNU-IAS)

Fishbowl Session

• Diego Pacheco (UNFCCC Naitonal Focal Point, Bolivia) 
• Niina Ratilainen (Turku City Council, Finland / President, European Committee of the Regions)
• Tristan Tyrrell (Programme Officer, Biodiversity and Climate Programme, UN CBD) 
• Cristina Romanelli (Programme Officer, WHO)
• Nidhi Nagabhatla (Senior Research Fellow; Nature, Climate and Health Programme Lead, UNU-CRIS)
• IUCN (TBC)
• IPLC representative (TBC)
• Finance sector representative (TBC)

Closing Remarks

• Shinobu Yamaguchi (Director, UNU-IAS)