November 2014: The UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) has showcased how the UN system is working together to support climate change action at the global, regional and national levels in a report, titled ‘How the UN System Supports Ambitious Action on Climate Change: The UN System Delivering as One on Climate Change and Sustainable Development.’

Approximately 40 UN specialized agencies, funds, programmes and other bodies contributed to the report through the High Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) Working Group on Climate Change, currently chaired by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and established in 2007. HLCP is one of three pillars under the CEB, which is chaired by the UN Secretary-General.

In a message, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon states that the report addresses how the UN is working with all levels of government, business and civil society to, inter alia: improve local weather forecasts; reduce air pollution; minimize disaster risk; manage and conserve forests, reduce deforestation and assist forest communities; reduce emissions from air, land and sea transport; and ensure urban areas are more sustainable, energy efficient and habitable. Ban stresses that, through action on climate change, the sustainable development agenda can also be significantly advanced.

The report includes sections on: a carbon-neutral future; reducing emissions and building resilience; and empowering governments to act. It describes the multidisciplinary projects and programmes undertaken by the UN system, many of which are through partnerships with other international organizations, civil society, the private sector and academia. An annex outlines the climate change mandates of UN agencies, funds and programmes.

The HLCP Working Group on Climate Change aims to bring together the UN system’s diverse programmes and agencies to address climate change in a coherent and coordinated manner to: generate momentum for an ambitious climate agreement and coordinate contributions to the UNFCCC; catalyze climate action on the ground; and ensure a convergence of the climate and sustainable development agendas. [Publication Website] [Publication: How the UN System Supports Ambitious Action on Climate Change][CEB website]