Africa Center for Climate and Sustainable Development and Agenda 2030

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) operates in about 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the reduction of inequality and the eradication of poverty.

It is one of the largest United Nations agencies and it takes a leading role in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In September 2017, Gian Luca Galletti, the Italian Minister of Environment, Land and Sea, together with Achim Steiner, the Administrator of UNDP, signed three important agreements.

1) Memorandum of Understanding with UNDP in cooperation to support developing countries

On the basis of the Protocol, the Parties commit to:

• promote sustainable development through projects, initiatives and programs, including the bilateral collaboration agreements, already signed between the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea and many developing countries;
• contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, encouraging the use of sustainable financial systems;
• support developing countries regarding: access to multilateral funds, project execution, experience exchange at an international level, and best practices dissemination within the international events framework about climate and the environment.

In this context, the Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea has established a Trust Fund to support bilateral cooperation initiatives.

2) Agreement on supporting the reform of the UNDP system in order to align it with the UN Agenda 2030

The agreement to which the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea contributes 3 million Euro, aims to support the UNDP institutional reform process to align it with the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN Agenda 2030. This project is part of a United Nations wider reform promoted by Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General, to ensure that the UN organization keeps pace with global, highly complex and interconnected challenges, to which the Agenda aims to respond.

As stated by Guterres: “We need to change in order to secure the promise of sustainable development, human rights and peace for our grandchildren and we have no time to lose,
. (…) Therefore, the UN development system must be far more integrated and aligned in our response to work seamlessly across sectors and specializations – and do so more effectively”  (Economic and Social Council - ECOSOC, July 2017).

3) Agreement for the establishment of the Africa Center for Climate Change and Sustainable Development

The G7 in Bologna has recognized the need of establishing a dedicated center for the promotion of sustainable development in Africa. The Center will open in Rome in as a joint initiative of MATTM, FAO and UNDP.

The Africa Center for Climate and Sustainable Development (ACSD) will focus on providing general overview of initiatives about climate, Climate Smart Agriculture, access to water, and clean energy generation in Africa, paying particular attention to gender.

In addition to the role of facilitating the exchange of information, the ACSD will work on communication processes, support for concrete initiatives (evaluation and identification of interventions, support in accessing to international funds), and enhance the involvement of the private sector to multiply the resources available for sustainable development opportunities and for the green economy.

Under this initiative, the Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea has established a Trust Fund to support the actions of the ACSD.

One of the first interventions of the ACSD entails supporting the initiatives promoted by the Secretary General of the United Nations for sustainable development in the Sahel region.