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Thematic Session: Protecting the planet and building resilience
Co-conveners: CBD, DESA, UNDRR, UNEP.
External experts listed on this page and the following United Nations entities have also contributed to the workstream: ESCAP, ESCWA, FAO, IFAD, IMF, ITU, OHCHR, UNICEF, UNOOSA, UN Women, WHO.
The 2030 Agenda is rooted in the idea that human development and wellbeing cannot be achieved without simultaneously safeguarding and investing in nature — otherwise development gains will be short lived and unequally distributed. Biodiversity loss, land and forest degradation and climate change, and more frequent and intense natural hazards, among other, are threatening the planet and human life and wellbeing. Actions to advance economic and social development need to address these threats and build resilience, including through sustainable consumption and production practices and accounting for the true value of nature. The past decade—including the COVID-19 crisis—has revealed the systemic nature of risk and the cascading impact of disasters, crossing economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development and affecting countries in all corners of the globe. The natural environment is humanity’s first line of defence against hazards of all kinds, and nature-based solutions (NBS) enable us to protect and work with nature to build resilience and reduce risks at all scales. These concerns are addressed directly in SDGs 12, 13, 14, and 15, but they also animate the entire Agenda, including Annotated Programme as of 22 June 2020 9 health, food security and economic growth and livelihoods. The current session will highlight opportunities, innovation and solutions to safeguard the planet, managing risk and building resilience.
Guiding questions:
What are the fundamental systems transformations needed to halt nature degradation, reverse loss and manage risk, while eradicating poverty, ensuring food security for a growing population, including women and girls, securing livelihoods and promoting resilience? How can we scale up the use of nature-based solutions to achieve these transformations? How can we promote sustainable consumption and production?
How can the public and the private sector work better together to manage disaster risk across systems, in line with the Sendai Framework, and to protect the global environmental commons? What tools are instrumental towards this aim?
What does the COVID-19 crisis reveal about the human-nature relationship and systemic risk creation? How can nature-based solutions contribute to a post-COVID-19 economic and social recovery that is more sustainable, equitable and resilient?
How can we redirect financial flows and direct recovery efforts to create better outcomes for people, prosperity and planet? Which nature-related investments should the international community prioritize in the next 1-2 years?
How can we increase efforts to combat climate change as we respond to COVID-19?
