News
COP23: An important step towards Paris Agreement implementation

For the last two decades, the International Energy Agency has attended the annual UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP) negotiations, underscoring the fact that meeting climate goals entails transforming energy systems.
At COP23, held in Bonn, Germany, the IEA provided support with analysis, data, and policy guidance to countries working to make their commitments under the Paris Agreement – and their respective energy transitions – a reality.
COP23 was a transitional meeting, paving the way towards next year’s COP24 when countries aim to finalize the rulebook supporting full implementation of the Paris Agreement, including their nationally determined contributions (NDCs). COP23 saw key details emerge of next year’s Talanoa Dialogue, which will take stock of collective efforts towards the Paris Agreement’s long-term mitigation goal, and inform countries as they set their next round of NDCs.
The IEA is actively engaged in tracking various underlying indicators of energy transition, through Tracking Clean Energy Progress, World Energy Investment, Energy Efficiency Indicators and key statistics, and will further enhance tracking efforts to support the Talanoa Dialogue.
The IEA hosted 13 events at COP23, and IEA experts spoke in dozens of other forums. A series of key takeaways emerged from these meetings.
Energy remains at the heart of addressing climate change
Transforming the way we use and produce energy remains central to determining our collective success in meeting the climate challenge. Whether discussions revolved around renewable energy, technology innovation, energy efficiency, or energy access, it was clear that accelerating energy transition is a priority for countries around the world.
The energy-climate challenge is global and centrally focussed on real-world implementation
The adoption of the Paris Agreement signalled a global response to the climate challenge, with countries at all levels of economic development committing to take action. Two weeks ago, the IEA launched the Clean Energy Transitions Programme, a multi-year 30 million EUR initiative scaling up engagement with major emerging economies.
The IEA also took the opportunity at COP23 to meet with officials, policymakers and key stakeholders from the growing IEA family. The IEA was present in the pavilions of key Member and Association countries, including China, India, Indonesia, Germany, France, Japan, as well as the EU and Nordic pavilions.
Climate objectives can and must be aligned with broader goals
The IEA showcased an integrated approach to reaching climate, socioeconomic, and environmental objectives in the recently launched World Energy Outlook 2017 with the Sustainable Development Scenario. Critically, the scenario illustrates that reducing greenhouse gas emissions in line with Paris Agreement goals doesn’t need to undermine the achievement of energy access and reduction of air pollution.
Parties at COP23 also adopted a gender action plan, which among other things, aims to advance women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in climate policy, a topic of critical importance since women are at the heart of solutions to increase access to electricity and clean cooking. The IEA is also keen to engage with and support implementation of the gender action plan, as invited to in the COP decision, through the Women in Clean Energy Technology Collaboration Programme.
IEA welcomes the progress of COP23 yet recognizes that where COP ends, much of the actual work begins. The IEA will support our members and partners as they accelerate efforts to implement and achieve NDC actions and targets, and for their longer-term transitions to sustainable energy systems.
Africa Today
Insecurity and bureaucracy hampering aid to Ethiopia’s Tigray region

Nearly three months after the start of conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, hundreds of thousands of people have yet to receive assistance, the United Nations reported on Wednesday, citing information from its humanitarian coordination agency, OCHA.
“Humanitarian assistance continues to be constrained by the lack of full, and safe, unhindered access to Tigray, caused by both insecurity and bureaucratic delays”, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists.
“The UN and its humanitarian partners in Ethiopia urgently call on all parties to allow the immediate safe passage of humanitarian personnel and their supplies to the Tigray Region to be able to reach all people who desperately need assistance.”
Over two million in need
Mr. Dujarric said the UN continues to receive alarming reports of civilians being injured and killed in rural areas in Tigray, as well as of violations against civilians, though verification remains a challenge.
“Aid workers have been able to deliver assistance in some areas, mainly in cities, where access has been granted by the authorities. However, the number of people reached is extremely low compared to the 2.3 million people we estimate are in need of life-saving assistance”, he said.
The situation is particularly critical for newly displaced people and refugees, especially those who were living in two camps that remain inaccessible, according to OCHA.
Humanitarians further warn that the majority of the 270,000 people receiving benefits through the Government’s Safety Net Programme have also been without assistance as banks in most rural areas have been closed since before the crisis began.
“These are extremely vulnerable people who rely on monthly cash transfers to meet their basic needs,” said Mr. Dujarric.
Africa Today
Mali transition presents opportunity to break ‘vicious circle of political crises’

The current political transition period in Mali offers an opportunity to “break out of the vicious circle of political crises followed by coups d’état”, the UN envoy in the country told the Security Council on Wednesday.
Following the 18 August mutiny that ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, Special Representative and Head of the UN Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) Mahamat Saleh Annadif, said the country was now four months in, to a planned 18-month transition period, leading to presidential and legislative elections.
“However, it is never too late to reach a minimum consensus on the essentials of peace and stability, because the future of Mali is at stake”, he stated.
‘Positive dynamics’
Against this backdrop, Mr. Annadif said the UN, African Union, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and others have always stood ready to support Mali’s institutional transitions.
He said that several missions and meetings had taken place in Bamako since the August coup and described consultations between the Government and the signatories of the 2015 Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation “encouraging”.
The Malian Government has been seeking to restore stability and rebuild following a series of setbacks since early 2012 that fractured the country, including a failed coup d’état, renewed fighting between Government forces and Tuareg rebels, and the seizure of its northern territory by radical extremists. The weakening of central institutions, loss of confidence in political actors and the rise of religious leaders demanding change, were among the factors leading up to last August’s events.
As one positive example of political progress being made, the UN envoy drew particular attention to the “positive dynamics” of key officials who visited the restive city of Kidal to organize a “solemn swearing-in hearing of the new Governor” on 31 December, flagging that “such an event has not taken place in Kidal for almost ten years”.
Interim parliament at helm
Mr. Annadif said that despite a hold up in State appointments, the National Transitional Council (CNT) had been established on 3 December, with Transitional President Bah N’Daou having appointed 121 members who are now acting as a de facto government towards restoring full constitutional order.
Serving as an interim parliament that will vote on political, institutional, electoral and administrative reforms, the UN envoy called their role “crucial for the consolidation of democracy and the success of credible elections allowing a return to constitutional order, as provided for in the Transition Charter”.
Successes and challenges
While pointing to “successes” of the international force, the MINUSMA chief acknowledged that security in border areas of Mali – which remains the deadliest UN peacekeeping mission of all – and in the country’s centre, remains “worrying and unpredictable”.
However, he said that MINUSMA continues to “adapt” to these multifaceted challenges and “strengthen its capacity” to better respond.
Moreover, the missions “adaptation plan” to better protect civilians and promote community reconciliation in central Mali is producing “significant results” with additional temporary bases and the intensification of dedicated joint patrols “to advance the reconciliation processes between communities in local conflict zones”, said Mr. Annadif.
Foundation laid
The MINUSMA head lauded the efforts of Malian forces to improve their rights performance and underscored that reforms are a key dimension in ensuring the legitimacy of the next elected government.
He reassured the Ambassadors that the foundation has been laid for a successful political transition in the country as well as reliable security arrangements for its diverse regions.
However, he stressed that the transition’s success depends upon “the successful completion of political, institutional, electoral and administrative reforms with the aim of inclusive, credible elections, the results of which will be accepted by the majority of Malians and Malians”.
Human Rights
UNICEF: Closing schools should be ‘measure of last resort’

The head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) underscored on Tuesday that “no effort should be spared” to keep children in school, as the coronavirus pandemic continues into a second year.
“Despite overwhelming evidence of the impact of school closures on children, and despite increasing evidence that schools are not drivers of the pandemic, too many countries have opted to keep schools closed, some for nearly a year”, Henrietta Fore said in a statement.
A high cost
The UNICEF chief highlighted that the cost of closing schools has been devastating, with 90 per cent of students globally facing shutdowns at the peak of the COVID disruptions last year, leaving more than a third of schoolchildren with no access to remote education.
“The number of out-of-school children is set to increase by 24 million, to a level we have not seen in years and have fought so hard to overcome”, she said.
“Children’s ability to read, write and do basic math has suffered, and the skills they need to thrive in the 21st century economy have diminished”, Ms. Fore added.
Closure a ‘last resort’
Keeping children at home puts their health, development, safety and well-being at risk – with the most vulnerable bearing the heaviest brunt, she said.
She pointed out that without school meals, children are “left hungry and their nutrition is worsening”; without daily peer interactions and less mobility, they are “losing physical fitness and showing signs of mental distress”; and without the safety net that school often provides, they are “more vulnerable to abuse, child marriage and child labour”.
“That’s why closing schools must be a measure of last resort, after all other options have been considered”, stressed the top UNICEF official.
Evaluating local transmission
Assessing transmission risks at the local level should be “a key determinant” in decisions on school operations, Ms. Fore said.
She also flagged that nationwide school closures be avoided, whenever possible.
“Where there are high levels of community transmission, where health systems are under extreme pressure and where closing schools is deemed inevitable, safeguarding measures must be put in place”, maintained the UNICEF chief.
Moreover, it is important that children who are at risk of violence in their homes, who are reliant upon school meals and whose parents are essential workers, continue their education in classrooms.
After lockdown restrictions are lifted, she said that schools must be among the first to reopen and catch-up classes should be prioritized to keep children who were unable to learn remotely from being left behind.
“If children are faced with another year of school closures, the effects will be felt for generations to come”, said Ms. Fore.
-
Energy3 days ago
Engaging the ‘Climate’ Generation in Global Energy Transition
-
Americas3 days ago
2020: Stable Trends in an Unstable World
-
Americas2 days ago
No Senator Hawley, you don’t have a First Amendment case
-
Middle East2 days ago
Maritime Border Dispute: The South Lebanon Crisis
-
Africa Today3 days ago
Food for Mozambicans struggling amidst violence and COVID-19
-
Defense3 days ago
A pig in a poke of Lithuanian Armed Forces
-
Africa3 days ago
Review: As Coronavirus Rise Past Three million, Africa Hopes for Vaccine
-
Middle East2 days ago
Can Syria be reborn from the ruins after a decade of civil war?