Ahead of the UN Climate Summit in September, ODI and CDKN bring you two days of events focused on environmental sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). On 10 September, an event hosted by CDKN will share and discuss perspectives from the South on how climate change should be reflected in the SDGs. This will be followed, on 11 September, by a closer look at the food-water-energy nexus and how countries across three continents are managing the challenge of reducing poverty while developing sustainably. Book your places today.

Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges the world faces today. It affects all aspects of the development agenda, from poverty eradication to healthcare, to economic growth and disaster risk reduction. Without concerted global efforts to address climate change, climate impacts are likely to undermine the success of future global development.

2015 is a crucial year for global action on climate change and sustainable development with an international agreement on climate change, the post-2015 development goals and a future framework on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) all set to be finalised. The Open Working Group has concluded its negotiations by producing a substantial, inclusive list containing 17 sustainable development goals. This initial list of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be presented at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York at the end of September, 2014. At the same time the UN Secretary General has organised a Climate Summit in order to catalyse action on climate change prior to the UNFCCC Climate Change Conference in 2015. 

The convergence of these agreements and events offers a unique opportunity to achieve coherence among international policies on climate change, sustainable development, and disaster preparedness. Handled well, strong linkages among these agreements will ensure that the post-2015 goals and disaster risk reduction efforts are climate smart and will recognise that mitigating against and building resilience toward climate change is pivotal to meeting development needs. Handled badly, there is a risk that these agreements fail to encompass the scope and ambition necessary to address the development of the poorest and most vulnerable in a changing climate.

CDKN will be hosting an event in London, on 10th September 2014 to bring together experts from across government, civil society, academia and the private sector to discuss the linkages between climate change and the post 2015 framework. The event will share the outcomes of developing country and regional dialogues hosted by CDKN in Africa, Latin America and South East Asia and to present the latest research from our NGO colleagues.