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Calendar of Environmental Events

View the full calendar of events in New York during the Summit .

NGOevents.org - A community calendar of NGO events in support of the United Nations.

For an official UN media schedule (as of August 31) please visit: http://www.un.org/summit2005/calendar.pdf

Conferences and Meetings

Dialogue on Conservation and Indigenous People

Title: Roundtable discussion on "Achieving the MDGs for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Africa "
Date:
Friday, 16 September 11:00 a.m.
Venue:  UNPFII Premises
Organizing Bodies: IUCN, CI, WWF, TNC, UNPFII
Event Description: A dialogue on conservation and indigenous people issues.
Participants: - Elissavet Stamatopoulou, Chief of the Secretariat, UNPFII - Sushil Raj, Associate Expert, UNPFII - Hui Lu, Social Affairs Officer, UNPFII - Kristen Walker and Laura Ledwith from Conservation International - Joy Grant from The Nature Conservancy - Jenny Springer from WWF - World Wildlife Fund - Andrea Mauro and Maria Espinosa from IUCN

Community Commons II

Date: 14 September 10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
Venue:  UNHQ
Event Description: Representatives of local communities worldwide will travel to NY for an intense period of exchange on the topics most critical to reducing global poverty and achieving sustainability. The event will provide policy-relevant inputs around the Summit and will add local voices and perspectives to this event.

UNICEF and WSSCC Roundtable on MDGs & Africa

Title: Roundtable discussion on "Achieving the MDGs for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Africa "
Date:
14 September 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Venue:  UNICEF House
Organizing Bodies: UNICEF and the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council(WSSCC).
Event Description: The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for All campaign ('WASH') is a concerted advocacy and communications campaign to mobilize political awareness, support and action to end the suffering of the 1.1 billion people without access to safe water, and the 2.4 billion without adequate sanitation.

PEP Initiative ‘Environment for the MDGs’ - Policy Dialogue

Title: Environment for the MDGs: Investment Priorities to Achieve Poverty Reduction
Date:
14 September from 2:30-5:30 p.m.
Venue:  Institute of International Education, 809 First Avenue
Organizing Bodies: UNDP / UNEP
Event Description: The two consecutive ministerial-level panel discussions will bring together leaders from governments, NGOs, local communities, academics and business to explore and debate key findings on the economic case for the importance of environment to poverty reduction, and to identify priority areas for investment to advance the MDG agenda.The policy dialogue is sponsored by the Poverty-Environment Partnership - a network of more than 30 international development and environment agencies convened to address poverty-environment linkages within the MDG framework.
2:30 - 3:45 p.m. The Case for Investing in the Environment to Reduce Poverty
- Opening Presentation: Kemal Dervis, Administrator, UNDP
4:00 - 5:30 Future Priorities: Building on What Works
- Moderated panel discussion - Opening Presentation: Klaus Toepfer executive Director, UNEP
Invitation - The event can also be viewed on the Internet via live webcast (more details will be provided at www.undp.org/pei ) .
Policy Dialogue Programme.
Contact: UNDP (C. McNeill) and UNEP/DPDL (D. Smith)

COM+ Panel III: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Conclusions and Implications

Date: Wednesday 14 September 2 - 4 p.m.
Venue: UNDP, 1 UN Plaza, 9th Floor
Organizing Bodies:  Alliance of Communicators for Sustainable Development (COM+); World Bank
Panel Participants: Len Good (the GEF); Steve McCormick (TNC); Warren Evans (WB)

COM+ Panel II including World Bank Report Launch.

Date: Wednesday 14 September 2 - 4 p.m.
Venue: UNDP, 1 UN Plaza, 9th Floor
Organizing Bodies:  Alliance of Communicators for Sustainable Development (COM+); World Bank
Panel Participants:: Major heads of conservation organizations - Ian Johnson, Jeff Sachs, Peter Seligman, Steve McCormick, Achim Steiner, and Kirk Hamilton (principal author) to emphasize the critical importance of MDG7 in relation to the MDGs. Also includes specific suggestions on MDG7 indicators. Anticipated attendance is 50-70 persons.

COM+ Event: Achieving the MDGs: Accountability and the Role of the Media in Developing Countries

Date: Monday 12 September & Tuesday 13 September
Venue:  UNDP at One UN Plaza
Organizing Bodies:  Alliance of Communicators for Sustainable Development (COM+); World Bank
Contact:  Barbara Medina  -  Barbara.Medina@complusalliance.org

The Alliance of Communicators for Sustainable Development (COM+) will bring 19 journalists from Africa and five from Central America to the World Summit during 11-15 September to participate in a series of high level panels that will debate World Summit issues before the actual Summit. COM+ will provide professional media training on development issues as well as on the job training during the event to journalists in an effort to strengthen local reporting capacity and public awareness on the MDGs in developing countries. Background.

COM+ Panel I "Who is Accountable for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals: The Role of Governments, Civil Society, Private Sector and Media"

Date: Wednesday 12 September 2 - 4 p.m.
Venue: UNDP, 1 UN Plaza, 19th Floor
Organizing Bodies:  Alliance of Communicators for Sustainable Development (COM+); World Bank
Panel Participants:
Moderator: Sergio Jellinek, Communications Advisor, World Bank
Salil Shetty, Millennium Campaign Director
Thalif Deen, Director for North America , IPS
Lorena Aguilar, Senior Gender Advisor, IUCN
Jacqueline Coté, Senior Advisor Advocacy, Partnerships and Media, World Business Council on Sustainable Development Center for Global Development, TBC

CSD Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future

Date and Time: Sunday 11 - Monday 12 September 2005
Event Description: Stakeholder Forum's workshop on "Commission for Sustainable Development - Preparing for the Future,". "CSD - Preparing for the Future" will discuss the new CSD process (developed at CSD 11) and make recommendations to improve the effectiveness and success of this organization as it enters its second implementation cycle.
Venue:  Church Centre, Second Floor, 777 UN Plaza 44th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenue )
Organizing Bodies:  Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future
Contact: Felix Dodds & Mehjabeen Price
Participants: 40-60 participants, including: Governments, Intergovernmental Bodies, UN Agencies and Programmes and Major Stakeholder Groups

58th Annual DPI//NGO Conference "Our Challenge: Voices for Peace, Partnerships, and Renewal

Date and Time: Wednesday 7 - 9 September
Event Description: An interactive, forum for 2,500+ NGOs associated with the UN to underscore support for the MDGs.  A series of conference Plenary Sessions and 30 Midday NGO Interactive Workshops (civil society, UN, and government agencies) will occur over the course of three days; Amb. Ping will oversee an interactive dialogue between governments and civil society on the 9th.
Location:  UNHQ
Organizing Bodies:  UNDPI & NGOs

URL of DPI/NGO Section: www.un.org/dpi/ngosection
Contact:  Sasa Gorisek, Information Officer, NGO Section, Phone:  (212) 963-1859, or email:  gorisek@un.org
Attendees:  See separate worksheet

Publication Launches

Energy for Development: The Potential Role of Renewable Energy in Meeting the Millennium Development Goals


Date:
Thursday, September 15, 10:00 a.m. EST
Venue:  UN Environment Program's Green Room
UNEP New York Office
Two United Nations Plaza
Room DC2-803
New York, NY 10017
Organizing Body: The Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN 21)
Participants: Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director, U.N. Environment Programme; Olav Kjorven, Director, Energy and Environment Group, UN Development Programme (Invited); Christopher Flavin, President, Worldwatch Institute, Lead Author; Molly Aeck, Renewable Energy Program Manager, Worldwatch Institute, Lead Author; Moderated by David Hales, Counsel for Sustainability Policy, Worldwatch Institute
Contact: Darcey Rakestraw, 202.452.1992 x517 or 202.210.0152

"Where is the Wealth of Nations" WB Panel and Book Launch

Date:  Wednesday 14 September 2 - 4 p.m.
Venue: UNDP, 1 UN Plaza, 9th Floor
Contact:  Clare Fleming
Event Description:   Book launch and panel; including heads of major conservation organizations (Jeff Sachs and Achim Steiner) and Kirk Hamilton (principal author) to emphasize the critical importance of MDG7 in relation to the MDGs.  Also includes specific suggestions on MDG7 indicators.

Poverty and Environment Newsletter Launch

Date: Friday 9 September
Location: TBA
Organizing Body: UNEP
UNEP Poverty and Environment Unit

UNDP Human Development Report Launch

Date: 7 September
Event Description: The focus of HDR 2005 is on what governments in rich countries can do to keep their side of the "grand bargain" agreed upon in the Millennium Declaration in 2000 and elaborated further in Monterrey in 2002, under which sustained political and economic reform by developing countries is matched by direct support from the rich world in trade, aid and investment.

World Resources Report Launch

Title: World Resources 2005: The Wealth of the Poor: Managing ecosystems to fight poverty
Date:
Wednesday, 31 August
Location: TBA
Organizing Body: World Resources Institute

UNDP Sustainable Difference Publication Launch

Date and Time: Wednesday 24 August, 6-8 pm
Event Description:  UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis launch of Sustainable Difference publication and promotion of 5 Energy and Environment Initiatives
Location: German Mission to the UN

Press Events & Conferences

"Energy for Development: The Potential Role of Renewable Energy in Meeting the Millennium Development Goals".

Date: Thursday, September 15, 10:00 a.m. EST
Venue: UN Environment Program's Green Room
UNEP New York Office
Two United Nations Plaza
Room DC2-803
New York, NY 10017
Organizing Body: The Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN 21)
Contact: Darcey Rakestraw, 202.452.1992 x517 or 202-210-0152


Millennium Ecosystem Assessment   >>more

Date: Tuesday, September 13th, 2005, 3:30 – 5:30 pm
Venue: UNDP Plaza, 19th Floor (across the UN Secretariat Bldg.)
Organizing Body:Com+
Contact:Carolin Wanhbaeck, IUCN, 202.251.0806, Carolin.Wahnbaeck@iucn.org
Tom Cohen, Conservation International, 202.257.9954, t.cohen@conservation.org
Tracey Osborne, World Bank, 703.220.9939, tosborne@worldbank.org

Briefing of African & Central American journalists.

           Date : Monday, 12 September - 4:00 -5:00 pm
           Venue:  Green Room
           Organizing Bodies:  COM+
           Event Description: Briefing of African & Central American journalists of the COM+ sponsored event "Achieving the            Millennium Development Goals: Accountability and the Role of the Media in Developing Countries".
           Contact:  barbara.medina@complusalliance.org

Various

Projection of giant “white band” on front of UN General Assembly Building

Date: September 15th, 7:00pm to 9:30pm
Venue: Front of UN General Assembly Building, at intersection of 45th Street and 1st Avenue
Description: Projection of giant “white band” on front of UN General Assembly Building, the international symbol of over 150 million anti-poverty campaigners worldwide
organizing Bodies:The UN Millennium Campaign, ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History and Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP)

Clean Energy and Climate Change Reception

Date: 14 September from 6:30-8.30 PM
Venue: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave , NY
Description: Held in parallel with the UN Millennium Review Summit 2005, this reception will highlight the importance of addressing the climate change issue and the critical role of renewable energy and energy efficiency. It will bring together policy makers, business, diplomats and other stakeholders to build upon the outcomes of the G8 summit and the positive momentum that is developing in the US at State and corporate level. RSVP: nforster@theclimategroup.org
Organizing Bodies: The Climate Group
Participants: Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP, The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - Brendan McDonagh, Chief Operating Officer, HSBC Bank USA - Dr Steve Howard, CEO, The Climate Group - Dr Marianne Osterkorn, International Director, REEEP

PEP Initiative ‘Environment for the MDGs’ - Heads of State Dinner

Title: Environment and the MDGs: Celebrating Leadership, Action and Innovation
Date: 14 September from 6:30-10:00 PM
Venue: The Boathouse in Central Park
Description: Head of state dinner
The evening head of state dinner will showcase local to global efforts to scale-up environmental investments for poverty reduction, and will provide a forum for the announcement of major new commitments and programmatic initiatives related to environment and the MDGs.

Live Webcast on Environment for the MDGs

Title: Policy dialogue on Investing in the Environment to Fight Poverty: The Economic Case and Priorities for Action
Date:
14 September 2005
Time:
2:30 - 6:00 pm (NY Time) via live webstreaming
Description: The policy dialogue will bring together leaders from governments, NGOs, local communities, academics and business to explore and debate key findings on the economic case for the importance of environment to poverty reduction, and to identify priority areas for investment to advance the MDG agenda.  It is sponsored by the Poverty-Environment Partnership - a network of more than 30 international development and environment agencies convened to address poverty-environment linkages within the MDG framework.
Log on to www.undp.org/pei and follow the links. Live webstreaming will be available at high and low bandwidths. >>more

Civil Society Forum

Title: Dialogue with Officials from the UN Summit
Date: 13 September 4:15 – 7:15 p.m
Venue: Riverside Church
Description:Focus on key messages that the Civil-society Forum may wish to see taken forward by the civil-society representatives who will debate with UN officials and Heads of State. Whether from a civil-society or an official perspective, the focus of the dialogs will be on transforming the multilateral system in order to prevent wars and to win the fight against poverty. Issues covered will include the MDGs, Human Rights, UN Reform, within the context of global governance.

Prayer service on the eve of the opening of the sixtieth session of the General Assembly

Date: Monday 12 September - 5 P.M.
Venue:
 
Church of the Holy Family ( 315 East 47 th Street )
Organizing Bodies:
The Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See and the Archdiocese of New York
Contact:
All are invited to attend. For further information, please contact the Permanent
Observer Mission of the Holy See (tel. 1 (212) 370-7885)

NY Premiere of The Diary of Angelina Jolie and Jeff Sachs in Africa

Title: ”The Diary of Angelina Jolie and Dr. Jeffrey Sachs in Africa” (Diary)
Date: 12 September
Venue:
Description:”The Diary of Angelina Jolie and Dr. Jeffrey Sachs in Africa” (Diary) will be a 30-minute MTV documentary on the fight against extreme poverty in Africa and the feasibility of achieving the MDGs. The documentary features first-person storytelling from Ms. Jolie and Dr. Sachs as they experience the effects of both the devastation and hopeful progress in a remote group of villages called Sauri in Western Kenya. The documentary conveys that, through practical, cost-effective interventions such as anti-malaria bednets, water pumps, soil nutrients and fertilizer, the Millennium Development Goals can be met, even in the poorest of places. The global airdate for this documentary will be 16 September.

Exhibitions

UNEP International Photographic Competition on the Environment

Title: "Focus on Your World" Photo Competition
Date: Wednesday, 7 September - Saturday,17 September.
Venue: UN Headquarters
Description:During the UN's 2005 World Summit, award-winning images from the 2005 UNEP International Photographic Competition on the Environment will be on display on the ground floor of the UN Conference Building. View selection of winning photos - Winners of UNEP International Photo Competition Announced (UNEP Press release, 18 March 2005)
Organizing Bodies: UNEP
Contact: Jim Sniffen ( e-mail: sniffenj@un.org)