How the United Nations System Supports Ambitious Action on Climate Change

Abstract:

This brochure has been jointly written and produced by some 40 United Nations (UN) specialized agencies, funds, programmes and other bodies that coordinate their respective activities on climate change. The brochure has one simple purpose: to show Governments and the public how the diverse entities of the UN system work together to support ambitious international action on climate change. It introduces the comprehensive and multidisciplinary projects and programmes undertaken by the UN system, many of them through partnerships involving UN and other international organizations, civil society, the private sector and academia. Given the extraordinary breadth and depth of these activities, the text provides representative examples to illustrate how the UN system is working globally, regionally and nationally around the world. Many of the UN system'€™s activities in the domain of climate change are coordinated through the Working Group on Climate Change, currently chaired by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). This working group was established in 2007 under the High Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP), which is one of three pillars under the UN system Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB), chaired by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Its members exchange information, collaborate on joint programming and operational activities, and coordinate their contributions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and other system-wide climate change priorities. The Working Group on Climate Change interacts with national and regional coordination structures, including through the United Nations Development Assistance Framework process. This coordination continues to improve the ability of the UN and its specialized agencies, funds, programmes, and regional commissions, as well as the World Bank Group, to serve their members and maximize the returns on members investments.