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PARIS/WASHINGTON, January 11, 2021— The World Bank plans to invest over $5 billion over the next five years to help restore degraded landscapes, improve agriculture productivity, and promote livelihoods across 11 African countries on a swathe of land stretching from Senegal to Djibouti. World Bank Group President David Malpass announced the investment at the One Planet Summit, a high…

Parties to the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution adopted a guidance document on integrated sustainable nitrogen management, aiming to address the pollution problems that nitrogen causes in the global biosphere. The Executive Body of the Convention adopted the guidance on 18 December 2020. It aims to help governments and farmers…

Despite progress, much more needs to be done to achieve SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy). The clean energy solutions that can get us there exist, and there is growing momentum to make them political and investment priorities. Five reasons to be optimistic are: clean energy is a smart investment; there is growing momentum for carbon neutrality; clean energy can power a green…

As policymakers evaluate trade-offs between poverty alleviation and inequality reduction in order to build back better from the global pandemic, agriculture should take center stage. Policies to invest, restructure and transform have the potential to advance equitable livelihoods, promote economic growth, and build resilience to shocks and stressors, if they are included by policymakers in…

Thankfully, 2020 is in the books. Looking ahead to 2021, we’re trying to balance optimism with a realistic look at how multilateralism can recover. This year will be brighter, but let’s keep expectations in check. While 2021 could feature seven COPs, five summits, and five key conferences, these come with the giant caveat of immunization. Governments, civil society, and the World Health…

Building a global coalition for carbon neutrality by mid-century will be the UN’s “central objective”, the world body’s top official told a conference on climate action on Monday. “All countries need credible mid-term goals and plans that are aligned with this objective”, Secretary-General António Guterres said, addressing the virtual COP26 Roundtable on Clean Power Transition. “To achieve…