'Loss and Damage'
UN Agencies
At COP (Conference of the Parties) meetings, United Nations (UN) organizations and Specialized Agencies play key roles in supporting global climate action and negotiations. These entities, such as the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), and WMO (World Meteorological Organization), provide scientific expertise, policy guidance, and technical support. They help facilitate discussions, share data on climate impacts, and assist countries in developing strategies to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. Their involvement is crucial in advancing the goals of international climate agreements like the Paris Agreement.
Stance on 'Loss and Damage'
The United Nations Agencies acknowledges the damage climate change has costs the world. Especially the increasing threat climate change poses on small island nations. The number of disaster-related deaths is still high for example, although decreasing. We target for strengthened resilience and more adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. The United Nations Agencies seeks a new global framework for financing sustainable development. This should consist of more financial cooperation between states with development assistance, as well as empowering the least developed countries to structure and strengthen their economies for sustainable development, to tackle the divide between more developed and less developed countries in battling climate change. The UN Agencies put much importance into the idea of climate justice to ensure the process is handled in an equal manner. UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) works with states from the global south to adapt measures against the climate injustice both in domestic and international dimensions. Through creation and help for the National Adaptation Plans or NAPs, UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) strives to assist developing states. With such examples, climate justice and the North-South division is a crucial element for the United Nations in battling the climate change.
To educate children about the impacts of the climate change at an early age, UNDP developed a program for schools that is called the Climate Box. It consists of auditory and visual tools to teach school children about the impact of climate change. As of now Climate Box was used by 85.000 children and among nine countries and is available in 10 languages. UNDP, with such an initiative, aims to spread awareness about the climate change and educate the young population about this very pressing issue.
Further Reading
Authors
Midas Urlings, Floris Oortman Gerlings
