Experts convene to discuss ‘COP26 – What’s Next?’

Following four kickstarter sessions that concluded in October 2021 bringing together 20+ partners and close to 40 speakers, joining in from nearly 10 countries across 4 days, the next edition of the Colombo Development Dialogues (CDD) on Green Development on ‘COP26- What’s next?’ will take place on Tuesday, December 14, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Sri Lanka said.

This dialogue is convened by the Ministry of Environment, British High Commission in Colombo and UNDP Sri Lanka.

The Dialogue aims to provide individuals with the opportunity to hear from climate and environmental experts who played a key role at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) held from 31 October-12 November 2021 in Glasgow. COP26 brought together stakeholders from all over the world to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, following nearly two years of intensive global climate diplomacy.

At the conference, the Glasgow Climate Pact was agreed upon, committing countries to phase down unabated coal, supporting a just transition for developing countries, and action to tackle loss and damage, and agreeing, for the first time, upon a common timeframe and methodology for national commitments on emissions reductions.

To this end, the latest edition of CDD intends to provide an understanding of what key and tangible actions policymakers and stakeholders need to take, now that the real work begins after the summit to achieve the climate targets and commitments that have been set out.

The multistakeholder platform, together with the policy dialogue series, will complement and support the work of the Presidential Task Force for the ‘Creation of a Green Sri Lanka with Sustainable Solutions for Climate Change’, led by the Ministry of Environment, to enable cohesive and coordinated efforts to support the national green development agenda.

The session will feature interventions from six internationally renowned experts in the field, such as: Mr Srini Nagarajan, Managing Director and Head of Asia, British International Investment; Mr Chris Radojewski, Programme Advisor at Powering Past Coal Alliance, No New Coal Compact; Mr Louis Worthington, Senior Analyst for International and Waste Sector, Climate Change Committee (CCC); Ms Miriam Kennedy, Senior Analyst for Adaptation Team, CCC; Dr Umberto Binetti, Marine Litter Data Analyst Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture (CEFAS); and Ms Suzanne Ware, Monitoring Team Leader & MPA Programme Lead, CEFAS.

The Dialogue will also include remarks from Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Environment; H.E Lisa Whanstall, British Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka; H.E Ken O’Flaherty, UK’s COP26 Regional Ambassador to Asia-Pacific and South Asia; and Ms Malin Herwig, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP in Sri Lanka.  For more info, visit www.lk.undp.org.