Under the headline “Renewable Energy and Shifting the Trillions: Making the transition to a net zero world a reality” the high-level event is intended to raise awareness to the political momentum of the Indonesian G20 Presidency and its pivotal role in stirring a global transition to a net zero world.

With the F20 Climate Solutions Forum 2022, we seek to foster more ambitions, solutions, and dialogue by:

• Initiating a discussion about the importance of the upcoming G20 summit as well as the COP27 on climate and COP15 on biodiversity.
• Sharing expertise on how to accelerate the transition to a net zero world in the spirit of leaving no one behind with representatives from science, politics, business and philanthropy.
• Urging the G20 Heads of States to takeaction and adopt ambitious and transformative targets for a just and green transition in line of the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The expected outcome of the event includes a list of F20 recommendations towards the G20 Heads of State.

Sessions:

Renewable Energy and Green Hydrogen – Making Net Zero a Race to the Top
Sustainable Finance and Just Transition – Accelerating steep invesments and new financing tools

For more information on the program and registration, click here.

Der Beitrag F20 Climate Solutions Forum 2022 – September 7th to September 8th in Jakarta erschien zuerst auf Stiftung Zukunftsfähigkeit.

Milan, October 1st, 2021.

Klaus Milke, F20 Chair: “Our recommendations to the G7 and the G20 list numerous
concrete proposals how to put words into deeds when it comes to the G20 recent promises
to take the global climate crisis seriously. Clear commitments from the G20 leaders to end
the era of coal, quickly upscale alternative renewable energy and make decarbonisation
plans mandatory, also for financial firms, are absolutely decisive.”

Marisa Parmigiani, Co-Chair of F20 and head of Unipolis Foundation from Bologna adds:
“With most recent weather extremes and vast loss and damages worldwide due to climate
impacts we really need more than words but concrete action how to change course. That’s
also a clear message sent by the latest IPCC-Report”.

The F20 recommendations further called for a commitment to a net-zero and sciencebased
emission target aligned with the 1.5°C benchmark and concrete interim steps and
targets until 2030. Furthermore, the recommendations stress the need to ensure a Just
Transition, including an active participation of different stakeholders such as
communities, indigenous workers, the private sector, and academia in designing national
Just Transition plans. According to the F20 recommendations clear signs for keeping up
to the promises would also include to mainstream carbon pricing and a commitment to
measures as suggested by the G20 Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures
(TCFD) comprising mandatory disclosure of climate risks by enterprises in both their
reporting and balance sheets.

One month until the G20 Summit will take place in Rome under Italian presidency, leading
representatives of international organisations and foundations have convened this week
for the “F20 Climate Solutions Forum” in Milan to intensively discuss the solutions at hand
to address the current pandemic and the biodiversity and climate crises.

The annual high-level event of the Foundations Platform F20 in Milan advocated the G20
leaders to build global momentum in accordance with the Forum´s headline “putting
words into deeds”. As US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry stated at this
F20 forum: “At its core the struggle to tackle the globate climate crisis is about protecting
and preserving the world that we share. It’s about understanding that it costs more to not
respond to the climate crisis now than it does to respond. It is without exaggeration about
survival and about seizing the opportunity that this decisive decade affords to transform
our world for the better.”

The former UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, emphasised at the F20 event that “through
global, coordinated, and concerted action the G20 must now not only deliver on their
promises but lead boldly with new commitments in line with 1.5 degrees. Heads of State
have an exceptional opportunity and obligation to do what is needed so the world can avert
climate disaster and it is imperative that the G20 pull in the same direction on this critical
effort.“

The Foundations Platform F20 is a network of over 70 foundations from more than 20
countries that work with the G20 countries for the implementation of the UN sustainability
goals and compliance with the Paris Climate Agreement. The platform was launched in
Hamburg in 2017 on the occasion of the G20 summit and has now become an influential
player in the G20 process.

You will find more information about the event here.

Der Beitrag Successful meeting of the international platform of foundations in Milan: G20 countries must put their words into deeds erschien zuerst auf Stiftung Zukunftsfähigkeit.

Clear committment for multilateralism but weak in terms of actions on climate and biodiversity

Hamburg, November 23rd 2020. The outcome of this year’s G20 summit provides a good basis for the incoming G20 Presidencies of Italy (2021) and Indonesia (2022) but falls short on highly needed actions to combat the triple crisis of a pandemic and its economic downturn, worsening climate change effects and accelerating extinction of global biodiversity.

Klaus Milke, Chair of the Foundations Platform F20: “It was clear that this year’s virtual G20 summit was highly centered around a coordinated response to the global pandemic and challenging because of the US administration still pulling the brakes on climate and sustainability actions. We are therefore happy that the summit did conclude on a number of points that form a good basis for future summits. But the outcome is clearly lagging behind what is needed and misses to embrace the globally growing momentum for tackling the intertwined climate and biodiversity crisis and limiting the risks of future pandemics.”

The concluding G20 communiqué entails a recommittment to implement the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), something which could not be taken for granted. It also reiterates the intend of ‘coordinated global action, solidarity, and multilateral cooperation’ and the need for an ‘inclusive recovery from the pandemic’. However, the G20 also displays a dangerously weak language on what concrete actions are planned to limit the risk of future pandemics and the links to the global climate and biodiversity crisis.

On the positive side the G20 countries have at least agreed to reaffirm their joint commitment on medium term rationalization and phasing-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies and acknowledge the importance of ‘Nature-based Solutions’ to foster synergies between adapting to and mitigating climate impacts. But there is also no mentioning of concrete climate actions such as closing the Climate Finance Gap between the current trajectory and the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement or a reference to mandatory disclosure of climate risks by enterprises in their reporting/balance sheets.

Klaus Milke, Chair of the Foundations Platform F20: “The Italian G20 Presidency starting in December has to play a strong role to increase the ambitions of the G20 countries. It can build on a positive dynamic suggested by the European Green Deal and an incoming Biden administration in the United States.”

Contact:
Stefan Schurig, Secretary General – F20 | stefan.schurig@foundations-20.org
www.foundations-20.org

Der Beitrag Comment on the outcome of G20 summit 2020 under the presidency of Saudi-Arabia by the Foundations Platform F20 erschien zuerst auf Stiftung Zukunftsfähigkeit.

Foundations can make a difference in the COVID-19 and Climate Crisis

Continuity, the readiness for cooperation, credibility and a real convening power were cornerstones demonstrated by the platform Foundations 20 at the „F20 Climate Solutions Week“ from September 14-17. It was broadcasted from an online studio in Hamburg in direct connection with the head office of the King Khalid Foundation in Riyadh, involving speakers and an audience all over the world. So every day, we said „good morning, good afternoon and good evening“ to open the event. And a broad international community of foundations was watching.

Stefan Schurig, F20 General Secretary and Moderator Conny Czymoch in the F20 Online Studio in Hamburg

RELEVANCE – ADVOCACY – COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMON FUTURE

The online format – due to the COVID 19 pandemic – worked well because F20 ensured for sufficient participation opportunities in the virtual room. This involved parallel discussion groups, participants offering contributions via the chat function as well as a virtual meeting room in the break and at the end for further networking.

The right balance of prominent keynote speeches and several panels involving diverse speakers was key for making the meeting a success. Politicians (such as Sheikh Hasina Wazed, the Prime Minister of  Bangladesh and Mr Olaf Scholz, the Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister of Germany) as well as representatives of financial institutions (like the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank and the German Central Bank) contributed, but also experts from international organizations and think tanks (such as IRENA for Renewable Energy and prominent institutes from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) who highlighted the existing and most urgent solutions needed for a „Global Just Transition“.

Most important was the clear understanding that philanthropists and foundations should play a credible and ambitious role in a transformation that leaves no one behind and that they should address the challenges as strong agents for change.

FOUNDATIONS – NETWORKS – ALLIANCES – JOINING FORCES

Speakers included Naila Farouky from the Arabic Foundation Centre, Naina Batra, CEO of AVNP, the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network and Ronald Cohen from the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment. This broad discussion encouraged different professional communities to expand their perspectives. Nobody can solve the problems and challenges alone.

The F20 platform of foundations and philanthropists was founded in 2016 as Germany was taking over the presidency of the G20 ahead of the July 2017 G20 summit in Hamburg. Several German foundations saw the need to take a stand ahead of this important global gathering. By raising their voices, they sought to support and encourage political leaders by saying that „we will be part of the solution“. The focus is on implementing the UN 2030 Agenda’s SDGs and to push for more action to implement the Paris Climate Agreement.

The G20 Presidency of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be followed by the G20 Presidency of Italy, starting on December 1^st of this year. F20 is already in contact with Italian foundations and networks, as well as with philanthropic organizations in the United Kingdom which has the G7 presidency next year and will also host the postponed UN Climate Conference, the COP 26.

Nevertheless, it is crucial to follow up with actors in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia so as not to lose momentum.

COVID 19 – G20 AND VULNERABLE 20 – WHAT IS NEEDED THIS YEAR

In the spirit of „More Resilience – Recovering Better“, the foundations of the F20 platform concluded its fourth High-Level Event last week  by issuing a communiqué listing 14 detailed recommendations to the Heads of State, Ministers of Finance and Central Bank Governors of the G20 countries.

The document states that the more than 60 partners of the F20 platform are fully engaged in addressing the negative effects of the Covid-19 crisis and highlights the close relationship with the global climate and biodiversity crisis and the need to transform the global food and health systems.

The headline of the recommendations is “Response Ability 2020”. This means: G20 countries must take the lead and redirect financial flows to solve the Global Climate, Biodiversity and COVID Crises and acknowledge the close relationship with transforming the global food and health system.

In the seven sessions, it became clear that fighting the COVID-19 virus requires strong national measures – but even more so, it requires globally coordinated and inclusive responses to redirect financial flows to fight the global climate and biodiversity crisis and transform the global food and health systems.

There is neither time nor are there resources to address those challenges in isolation or with fragmented approaches. The G20 must take responsibility to lead and act – and they have the potential to do so.

You can watch again the event here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc5UrC0QLt29ikfz7LEsQVatgMlWuc3Tn

Der Beitrag F20: Cooperate and leave your silo! erschien zuerst auf Stiftung Zukunftsfähigkeit.