The Indonesia Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) aims to accelerate power sector emissions reductions by mobilizing an initial USD 20 billion of public and private funds to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and move away from coal.

This webinar explores how Indonesia’s JETP can be implemented and how international climate collaboration can support it. The event addresses the equity considerations of the energy transition and provide tools for policy-makers, investors, non-governmental organizations, and companies to align with the Paris Agreement, along with the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities. The event offers expert insights on Indonesia’s JETP priorities and how policies and financial mechanisms developed through this process can help to achieve Indonesia’s net-zero target by 2060. The webinar also examines how JETPs in general can support the early retirement of coal power plants and the modernization of the electricity grid, as well as scale up renewable energy deployment.

The recent IISD Navigating Energy Transitions report conducts an unprecedented analysis of the most influential modelled pathways consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C. This event contextualizes findings from this report in terms of global and national energy priorities in Indonesia. Following the presentations, panellists reflect on the intersection of global energy pathways with key Indonesian policy areas and their own research. This is followed by a moderated panel discussion on the potential for the upcoming National Energy Policy to raise ambition and accelerate the energy transition.

Agenda

Welcome

Anissa Suharsono, Associate, IISD

Presentation of Global 1.5°C Scenarios

Olivier Bois von Kursk, Policy Analyst, IISD

Intervention on Indonesia’s JETP Priorities

Satya Widya Yudha, Member of the Board, National Energy Council of the Republic of Indonesia

Intervention on Indonesia's Long-Term Vision for a Renewable Energy System

Deon Arinaldo, Program Manager Energy Transformation, Institute for Essential Services Reform

Panel Discussion

Moderator
Anissa Suharsono, Associate, IISD

Panellists

• Moekti Handajani Soejachmoen, Executive Director, Indonesia Research Institute for Decarbonization
• Ekha Yudha Pratama, Head of Advisory Division, PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (Persero)
• Olivier Bois von Kursk, Policy Analyst, IISD
• Satya Widya Yudha, Member of the Board, National Energy Council of the Republic of Indonesia
• Deon Arinaldo, Program Manager Energy Transformation, Institute for Essential Services Reform

Q&A

WTO Members reached an agreement on fisheries subsidies at the WTO’s Twelfth Ministerial Conference, but also committed to continue negotiating and agree on more “comprehensive” disciplines. Further talks will aim to establish additional rules on subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing (OCOF). As Members prepare to engage in a first cluster of meetings in late March, the objective of this virtual workshop was to provide delegations with key knowledge tools to support their informed engagement in these negotiations. 

The first session provided participants with a reminder of some of the key concepts that underpin negotiations and an overview of recent research on the evolution and current state of the global fishing fleet. In the second session, experts provided specific data from various sources to help delegates understand the possible scope of further rules in terms of fishing catch, fishing effort, and subsidies. Such information was presented by region, development status, types of maritime areas, and scale of fishing.

Agenda 

2:00 – 2:05: Opening remarks 

2:05 – 3:00: Session 1: Understanding key concepts and context 

• Tristan Irschlinger – Policy Advisor, IISD 
• Yannick Rousseau – Independent fisheries expert 

Open discussion 

3:00 – 4:55: Session 2: Data on the coverage of new rules 

• Yannick Rousseau – Independent fisheries expert 
• Deng Palomares – Senior Scientist and Project Manager, Sea Around Us, University of British Columbia 
• Anna Schuhbauer – Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Fisheries Economics Research Unit, University of British Columbia
• Ernesto Fernández Monge – Senior Officer, Conservation Support, The Pew Charitable Trusts 

Open discussion 

4:55 – 5:00: Concluding remarks 

• Download the presentation slides

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) hosted a public webinar to discuss the findings from the IISD's forthcoming report: Voluntary Sustainability Standards in South Asia: A focus on the cotton sector in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The research maps voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) criteria and market potential and explores how VSSs can help address three major sustainability issues: pest management, water conservation, and farmers’ incomes and prices.

Moderator

• Sara Elder, Senior Policy Advisor, IISD

Speakers

• Vivek Voora, Senior Associate, IISD
• Florencia Sarmiento, Policy Analyst, IISD

Discussants

• Hardeep Desai, Head of Farm Operations, Cotton Connect​
• Zahid Hussain, Farmer Representative, CABI
• Tassawar Hussain Malik, Director of Research, Pakistan Central Cotton Committee, Ministry of National Food Security & Research, Pakistan

Is 2023 the year for a coordinated EU withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty?

The Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) is at a crossroads. Recently, the European Commission has hinted for the first time that a withdrawal of the EU and Euratom from the treaty is unavoidable. The negotiated reform proposal failed to gain the support of EU member states last year, seven of which have already announced a withdrawal. In a December resolution, the European Parliament has also voiced its clearest call on the Commission to facilitate a coordinated exit.

This webinar delved into the pressing legal questions surrounding the withdrawal from the ECT, including the treaty's sunset clause and the implications of the treaty as a mixed agreement. It also assessed the political momentum for further withdrawals both within and outside the EU. The webinar provided a comprehensive overview of the most pressing legal and political issues facing the ECT and brought together leading experts from academia, policy, and civil society.

The workshop discussed:

• Neutralization of the sunset clause and implications of Article 16.
• Status of ECT as mixed agreement and consequences for the decision-making process.
• Implications for the extra-EU context: UK, Switzerland, and other non-EU ECT Contracting Parties.

Panelists:

• Federica Violi, Associate professor, International and European Union Law, Erasmus University Rotterdam
• Nicolas Angelet, Associate tenant of Doughty Street Chambers, London, and professor of international law in the Université Libre de Bruxelles
• Josè Manuel Gutierrez Delgado, Head of the International Arbitration Department of the Abogacía General del Estado in the Spanish government

The webinar was organized by IISD, CIEL and ClientEarth.

As the G20 Summit in India approaches, it is urgent to understand how energy decisions made by the world’s largest economies will affect the achievement of the Paris Agreement goals. This webinar explores how the G20 Summit under India’s presidency can be a platform to increase collaboration among emerging economies on national energy targets. It provides tools for policy-makers, investors, and companies to align with the Paris Agreement in the context of the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities.

Energy scenarios have a key role to play in guiding the transformation of the energy system to meet the 1.5°C temperature limit under the Paris Agreement. The IISD Navigating Energy Transitions report provides guidance for policy-makers, investors, and companies on how to align energy decision making with the goals of the Paris Agreement. It conducts an unprecedented analysis of the most influential modelled pathways consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C.

This webinar, organized in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta’s Centre for Development and Environment Policy, begins by looking at the implications of 1.5°C-aligned scenarios for fossil fuel phase-out and renewable energy scale-up. This is followed by a presentation of India’s G20 climate and energy priorities and a discussion on expectations for India’s G20 presidency.

Agenda

Welcome

Presentation of Global 1.5°C Scenarios

Olivier Bois von Kursk, Policy Analyst, IISD

Presentation of India's G20 Climate and Energy Priorities

Shruti Sharma, Senior Policy Advisor, IISD

Moderated Panel Discussion

• Mritiunjoy Mohanty, Professor, IIM Calcutta
• Neha Kumar, Head, South Asia Programme, Climate Bonds Initiative
• Raden Raditya Yudha Wiranegara, Senior Researcher, Institute for Essential Services Reform
• Vibhuti Garg, Associate and Senior Energy Specialist, IISD and Director, South Asia, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis

Q&A

Closing Remarks

Runa Sarkar, Professor, IIM Calcutta

Join us for the launch of the seventh edition of ‘Progressing National SDGs Implementation’. This report aims to provide useful insights and assessment of the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) presented at the HLPF in 2022. The analysis also offers recommendations to inform discussions on SDG delivery, to help guide improved reporting and implementation at the mid-point of the 2030 Agenda.

44 countries prepared a VNR in 2022. As the world began to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, there were some signs of stronger commitments to SDG reporting and implementation; there was also a broader number of civil society parallel reports prepared. The pledge to Leave No One Behind and the aim to connect delivery with the Paris Agreement were featured in a high number of reports. However, there was limited discussion of the challenges for civic freedoms and a reduction in references to local implementation.

The launch event will feature key findings from the report and hear from experts and government representatives on how they aim to build on the lessons learned to ensure effective follow up and review of the SDGs.

The report was compiled by Action for Sustainable Development, ANND, BOND, Cepei, Cooperation Canada, CPDE, Forus, Global Focus, IISD, Save The Children, Sightsavers, and World Vision International.

A few key findings

‘Whole of society’ approach: The review of 2022 VNR reports included a similar level of references to the inclusion of non-state actors in formal SDG governance as the 2021 reviews. However, there seems to be a shift in participation towards more technical working groups and less high-level interaction.

Leave No One Behind: The VNR reports in 2022 included many references to the principle of Leaving No One Behind. However, challenges remain in terms of data availability, the level of detail and quality of information provided, and on the incorporation of the LNOB principle into national plans. 

Civic Space: There are increasing challenges for civic freedoms. However, the VNR reports continue to be largely silent on shrinking civic space, including in relation to the ongoing attacks against human rights defenders, journalists, and environmentalists in many countries.

Localization: The ambition to localize SDG implementation has been widely discussed. However, the 2022 VNRs contained fewer examples of localization, and less information on the formulation of Voluntary Local Reviews than in 2021.

Transformative principles of the 2030 Agenda: There has been some improvement in the reports’ inclusion of information on key principles, mainly on leaving no one behind and human rights. However, reporting on universality, planetary boundaries and intergenerational responsibility is still uneven.

Energy scenarios have a key role to play in guiding the energy transition by informing investor expectations and policy decision making. The recent IISD Navigating Energy Transitions report conducts an unprecedented analysis of the most influential modelled pathways consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C. The research finds that all major 1.5°C scenarios agree: there is no room for new oil and gas development. This conclusion, shared by the International Energy Agency, has important implications for fossil fuel production both globally and in Canada and must be accounted for in Canadian policy-making.

This webinar unpacks key findings from IISD’s report, outlining barriers to energy transitions and highlighting solutions to overcome such challenges. Additionally, it provides Canadian policy-makers and financial institutions with information on how they can navigate the current energy crisis, while maintaining ambition to limit warming to 1.5°C. The event connects to current policy developments, including the proposed cap on emissions from the oil and gas sector and clean electricity regulations. 

Following a presentation of the report’s key findings, panelists reflect on intersections with key Canadian policy areas and industries, and engage in a moderated discussion on the national implications of 1.5°C energy scenarios. 

Agenda

Introduction

• Dan Woynillowicz, Principal, Polaris Strategy + Insight 

Presentation

• Olivier Bois von Kursk, Policy Analyst, IISD

Interventions

• Caroline Lee, Research Lead, Mitigation, Canadian Climate Institute
• Jan Gorski, Program Director, Oil and Gas, Pembina Institute

Moderated Panel Discussion

Audience Q&A

Closing Remarks

As the OECD prepares to release expanded guidance on the proposed global minimum tax, IISD and the International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP) released A Guide for Developing Countries on How to Understand and Adapt to the Global Minimum Tax as a draft for consultation.

IISD and ISLP designed the guide to help policy-makers in developing countries navigate the shifting landscape of international taxation as the world moves toward adopting a global minimum tax.

During a virtual event on December 15 the authors presented the guide, discussed key issues with a panel of experts, and responded to feedback and comments from participants.

Download the presentation slides.

Agenda

Introduction

• Eniye Ogbebor, Senior Legal Program Officer, ISLP

Presentation

• Allison Christians, Professor, H. Heward Stikeman Chair in Tax Law at McGill University and ISLP Tax Volunteer
• Thomas Lassourd, Senior Policy Advisor, IISD
• Kudzai Mataba, Mining Taxation Research Fellow, IISD 
• Stephen Shay, Senior Tax Fellow, Boston College Law School and Tax Advisory Board Member, ISLP 

Panel Discussion

• Alexandra Readhead, Lead, Tax and Extractives, IISD (Chair)
• Suranjali Tandon, Assistant Professor, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy
• Zach Pouga Tinhaga, Tax Partner, Ernst & Young, and Tax Advisory Board Member, ISLP 
• Ruth Wamuyu Maina, Research and Teaching Associate, Institute for Austrian and International Tax Law

The UN Secretary-General has clearly urged the need to move beyond GDP in the Our Common Agenda report. At their 2018 meeting in Canada, G7 heads also recognized GDP is “insufficient for measuring success.” More recently, the US announced plans for natural wealth accounting.

Among the complementary measures to assess and measure progress is “Inclusive Wealth.” Inclusive Wealth measures the assets that underpin human well-being: natural, human, social, produced, and financial capital. Measuring Inclusive Wealth is key to spurring sustainable investments across policy areas. As the landmark 2021 review of The Economics of Biodiversity by Sir Partha Dasgupta noted, judging “whether the path of economic development…is sustainable” requires nations to adopt “inclusive measure[s] of their wealth.”

The Inclusive Wealth Index is the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) flagship response to the Beyond GDP movement. The forthcoming 2022 edition of the Inclusive Wealth Report undertakes a comprehensive global assessment of the Inclusive Wealth of 163 countries between 1992–2019 and includes discussions about the Inclusive Wealth Index and its linkages to the SDGs and the Beyond GDP movement, as well as natural capital and inequality nexus.

The Inclusive Wealth Report of UNEP suggests:

1. There is a political and public mandate to ‘build back better’ after the pandemic
2. Inclusive Wealth shows the means, or capacity of nations to deliver those outcomes
3. Achieving the 2030 Agenda requires a statistical infrastructure capable of measuring both the means (Inclusive Wealth) and the outcomes (SDG Indicators).

Event Run of Show

Opening and Welcome: Catherine Stewart, Ambassador for Climate Change, Canada

Video Remarks: Sir Partha Dasgupta, Leader, Economics of Biodiversity, UK, and Professor Emeritus, Cambridge University, UK

Findings and recommendations of the Inclusive Wealth Report: Inger Andersen, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and Pushpam Kumar, Economic Advisor, UNEP

Panel discussion (40 min): Moderated by Dominique Charron, VP, IDRC

• Eyasu Elias, Hon. Minister for Natural Resources and Development, Ethiopia 
• Eli Fenichel, Assistant Director, The Office of Science and Technology Policy, White House, US
• Valerie Hickey, Global Director for Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy, World Bank
• Sonja Teelucksingh, Advisor to the CEO, Global Environmental Facility

Link to livestream: https://bit.ly/COP15_IWR

The planet’s life-support systems are at stake as biodiversity—the variety of all life on Earth—is being lost at an alarming rate. Ecosystems are in steep decline, from forests and deserts to freshwater lakes and oceans.

Held under the auspices of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the 2022 UN Biodiversity Conference is expected to set the level of ambition for the next decade and take strong action to reverse this trend.

At the midway point of the conference, join the Earth Negotiations Bulletin team live from Montreal as they host a concise webinar on:

• What progress they have seen in the negotiating rooms during week one.
• Predictions for week two outcomes based on the trajectory of talks.

With half the hour devoted to answering your questions and observations, the COP 15 Halfway Point Webinar is a chance for experts to pose niche questions and newcomers to gain insights from the team behind the world's most authoritative record of biodiversity negotiations. Register now and then subscribe to the Earth Negotiations Bulletin newsletter to get daily updates from COP 15.