The Commonwealth Secretariat organised its first Commonwealth Pavilion at COP26 to serve as an inclusive and collaborative space for member countries and accredited organisations to meet, host side events, convene meetings and showcase research. Here are some of the highlights from the first week of COP26 at the Commonwealth Pavilion.
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Commonwealth Pavilion at COP26: Week 1 highlights
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Days before the global COP26 climate talks began in Glasgow, HRH The Prince of Wales met with the Commonwealth Secretary-General, The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland QC for a high-level discussion at Clarence House, to call attention to the crucial importance of sustainable urbanisation in tackling climate change.
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HRH The Prince of Wales and Commonwealth Secretary-General discuss critical role of sustainable cities ahead of COP26
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has called for all countries to deliver an ambitious and transformative outcome at the imminent UN Climate Change Conference COP26, while appealing for increased support for the smallest and most vulnerable nations.
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Commonwealth chief calls for "highest possible ambition" at COP26
As the countdown to COP26 continues, young environmental activists and innovators, academics, experts, and government officials joined a series of regional dialogues to help set the youth agenda at the conference.
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Commonwealth Youth gearing up to lead COP26 talks
Blog by Samuel Ogallah, Commonwealth National Climate Finance Adviser to Eswatini
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An ambitious, stakeholder driven climate change commitment ahead of COP26: Eswatini’s revised Nationally Determined Contribution process
During a visit to The Bahamas this week, the Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland called for urgent action to ensure improved climate resilience of small states and promised to amplify the concerns of small and other vulnerable states at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow this November.
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Commonwealth to champion climate vulnerable small states at COP26
Yesterday, 20 world-class experts from around the Commonwealth joined two virtual consultations focussed on how to help attract sustainable finance for investment in youth and biodiversity in SIDS.
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Empowering Youth in Small States at forefront of Commonwealth COP26 agenda
The following blog is based on a speech the author presented to the UK-Pacific High Level Dialogue on Climate Change in July 2021, which has been adapted and updated for this website.
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Inaction at COP26 to cost lives and livelihoods
More than 2,000 young leaders and youth-led organisations from across the Commonwealth are urging governments to respect the needs and contributions of the world’s most vulnerable groups, in the lead up to global climate talks in Glasgow in November.
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Young people urge leaders to protect most vulnerable against climate change
31 October 2021 to 12 November 2021
Event
The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26 was held in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November. At COP26, the Commonwealth Secretariat hosted its first ever Commonwealth Pavilion, to serve as an inclusive and collaborative space for member countries and accredited organisations. Watch highlights and events recordings on our COP26 hub. You can also see what the Commonwealth Secretariat achieved at COP26 on social media by following the hashtag #CommonwealthForClimate.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has urged member countries to integrate sustainable land use management into their national climate action plans, with a focus on nature-based solutions, on the road to the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 this November.
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Commonwealth to bolster action on sustainable land use management on the road to COP26
The Pacific Island nation of Kiribati has stepped forward to lead an action group on sustainable coastal fisheries, as part of the Commonwealth Blue Charter. The action group will rally countries together to share knowledge and best practices, align actions on sustainable fisheries and mobilise funding to support their joint initiatives.
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Blue Charter ramps up momentum with new action group at COP25
2 December 2019 to 13 December 2019
Event
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland will be leading a delegation to the UN Climate Change Conference, COP25 to be held in Madrid, Spain, from 2 to 13 December.
The Commonwealth Secretary-General described young people as the “hope and win” at the COP24 climate change negotiations that concluded earlier in December.
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Young people the “hope and real deal” at COP24
2 December 2018 to 14 December 2018
Event
COP24 provides opportunities for the Commonwealth to advocate on behalf of our member countries, especially for the concerns of small and other vulnerable states who are most threatened by climate change.
6 November 2017 to 17 November 2017
Event
Commonwealth member states will be among the countries at the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bonn, Germany.
13 November 2016 to 18 November 2016
Event
Almost a year after the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change, Morocco hosts the latest round of global climate talks.
The Commonwealth Chair-in-Office, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of Malta affirms the commitment of Commonwealth leaders to limiting global warming at climate negotiations in Paris.
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Commonwealth Chair-in-Office addresses COP21 in Paris