The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is currently holding the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2 to 13 December.
Read news -
Building resilience against worsening drought and desertification
Main page for this area of work
One message that has resonated across the conference halls at COP29 is the urgent call for increased access to critical climate finance.
Read news -
Small island states praise Commonwealth for supporting climate justice
The challenge before the Commonwealth of Nations is monumental. Climate change is no longer a distant threat — it is here, testing resilience, economies, and the future of humanity itself. Despite some important progress, the world is not yet on track to keep global temperatures below 2°C, let alone within the critical 1.5°C threshold. Achieving this will require unprecedented cooperation, courage, and commitment. The race to triple renewable capacity is hotting up.
Read news -
Commonwealth Sustainable Energy Transition Agenda: the race to triple renewable capacity
The voices of the Indigenous Peoples of the Iwokrama Forest, one of the last pristine rainforests in the world, echoed through the hallways of COP29 in Azerbaijan today, more than 6,500 miles from their native Guyana.
Read news -
Guyana's Green Gold: The Iwokrama Forest’s success showcased at COP29
The international community must fulfil its promises to provide greater financial support to small island countries at the frontline of climate change.
Read news -
Climate finance key to COP29 success, say small island leaders
Commonwealth countries must unite and use their collective voice to demand that climate finance promises are kept to prevent human suffering, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, said at COP29 in Baku today.
Read news -
Climate finance promises must be kept, Commonwealth Secretary-General tells COP29
Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, points like a finger into the Caspian Sea. Today, as the world's climate negotiators, advocates and activists descend on the city for the UNFCCC's 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29), this finger also points to a greener world - but only if we stand in solidarity with nature and each other.
Read news -
Working for a greener world – the Commonwealth Secretariat at COP29
Pension and sovereign funds can take concrete actions to scale up their adaptation financing, explains Daniel Wilde, Economic Adviser, Commonwealth Secretariat.
Read news -
Blog: Public funds - Taking the next (bold) step
A message from the Commonwealth Secretary-General, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, ahead of COP29.
Read news -
Secretary-General: Our fight for climate justice continues
This article explains the New Collective Quantified Goal and how the Commonwealth Secretariat is helping developing countries through the climate finance complexities.
Read news -
The New Collective Quantified Goal and supporting access to climate finance
Blog by Unnikrishnan Divakaran Nair, Assistant Director Climate Change and Sustainability, Commonwealth Secretariat.
Read news -
Blog: Key insights from climate negotiations - Lessons from successive Commonwealth Summits
Chevening scholar, Mandela Washington Fellow alum, and Namibian climate and social justice leader Eunice Shapange has packed a lot into her first three decades. She is currently studying for her second Master’s, in Climate and Energy at Sussex University in the UK. Eunice is also a Commonwealth alum, having undergone the Secretariat’s inaugural Youth Climate Negotiations Training.
The main aim of this guiding manual is to improve climate finance flows to Nauru. It can be used as a reference document by the government of Nauru and all the other relevant stakeholders to access international climate funds and different types of funding options available for climate adaptation and mitigation projects globally.
Read publication -
A Guiding Manual to Accessing International Climate Finance for the Republic of Nauru
Delegates from Commonwealth countries have called for "bold and innovative action" to tackle the out-of-school youth crisis worsened by climate change.
Read news -
Commonwealth countries urged to tackle out-of-school youth crisis worsened by climate change
As one of the signature events ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the 2024 Commonwealth Climate Breakfast this year focused on building consensus for climate finance targets in the run-up to COP 29. The packed room was addressed by the Prime Ministers from Tonga and Tuvalu; the Vice-President of the Maldives; Minister for Fisheries and Forests in the Government of Fiji, and the Secretary for Foreign Affairs from Mauritius.
Read news -
Commonwealth leaders and climate experts call for additional climate finance
This report highlights the impact of the Commonwealth Blue Charter, the landmark agreement by Commonwealth countries to actively co-operate to address the their many ocean-related issues and commitments, between 2022 and 2024. It focusses in particular on how the Charter's 10 Action Groups have tackled ocean-related challenges and advanced sustainable ocean development.
Read publication -
An Ocean of Opportunity: Commonwealth Progress on Ocean Action, 2024
The Commonwealth Secretariat and the Government of Azerbaijan have signed a landmark joint declaration in Tonga aimed at enhancing climate action in Small Developing Island States (SIDS) and other vulnerable member countries.
Read news -
Commonwealth Secretariat and Government of Azerbaijan sign joint declaration and MOU to enhance climate action
Today, the Commonwealth Secretariat and Cambridge University’s Centre for Resilience and Sustainable Development (CRSD) unveiled the final report for "Their Future, Our Action and the COMPASS Model: A New Approach to Finance in Commonwealth Small Island Developing States," introducing the innovative Common Pool Asset Structuring Strategy (COMPASS).
Read news -
New report highlights innovative approach to finance for Commonwealth SIDS
The Kingdom of Tonga has received grant funding from the Global Climate Fund (GCF) to fight the impact of extreme climate events. Tonga was supported in this initiative by the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub (CCFAH), and successive Climate Finance Advisers contributed to the project document that secured these vital funds.
Read news -
The Kingdom of Tonga secures US$23m in grant funding to reduce climate risks and improve coastal resilience
Hurricane Beryl, which hit islands in the Caribbean as a Category 4 storm, often intensifying to Category 5 strength, has had a devastating impact. In response, the Commonwealth Secretariat has activated its Rapid Response framework to support the affected member states in the Caribbean.
Read news -
Commonwealth Secretariat Support for Hurricane Beryl Relief
Last week, insurance stakeholders, climate resilience experts, and representatives from the public and private sectors, gathered at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s headquarters to share ideas on an integrated approach to combatting losses from drought. In particular, buffering the effect of drought on farmers was discussed.
Read news -
The Commonwealth Secretariat and UNCCD propose climate protection mechanism for farmers
In the last few weeks, sadly, more than 150 people have died from oppressive heat in India. In Africa, while some countries are experiencing torrential rains, others are suffering from terrible droughts.
Read news -
Commonwealth Secretary General: Small Island Developing States need finance to tackle climate crisis
25 June 2024 to 25 June 2024
(BST - British Summer Time)
Event
The Commonwealth Secretariat, in partnership with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), is hosting a technical round table titled "Enhancing Climate Resilience: Integrating SLM and Index Insurance" on 25 June 2024.
By Ekta Dudani, Climate Change Research and Policy Officer and Mxolisi Sibanda, Adviser, Climate Change
Read news -
Blog: The Commonwealth is joining forces to combat desertification and drought
We need energy that doesn't harm the environment and won't run out! That's what we call 'sustainable energy'. By the year 2030, we want to make sure everyone has affordable, reliable, clean and sustainable energy. This means we need to work together and make big changes in how we make and use energy.
The Commonwealth Sustainable Energy Transition Youth Action Group (CSET Youth) is a youth-led action-oriented working group that represents youth and young professionals from across the 56 Commonwealth countries to accelerate the sustainable energy transition.
The Commonwealth Sustainable Energy Transition Youth Action Group (CSET Youth) is a youth-led action-oriented working group that represents youth and young professionals from across the 56 Commonwealth countries to accelerate the sustainable energy transition.