On 24 August 2023, UNU will host “Enhancing Global Actions for the Paris Agreement and the SDGs — Towards the SDG Summit, COP28 and Beyond”, a conversation with Dr. Youssef Nassef, Director of the Adaptation Programme at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The event will start at 18:30 in the GEOC space at the UNU Headquarters in Tokyo.
Update, 21 August: This event has reached capacity and registration is now closed.
Climate change is the single biggest threat to sustainable development in all countries and disproportionately affects the poorest and most vulnerable nations. Keeping the global average temperature rise to 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels — the central objective of the Paris Agreement — is crucial to the successful achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Youssef Nassef will join UNU Rector Tshilidzi Marwala to discuss the interlinkages between climate action and the SDGs, and how to increase ambition and enhance implementation of the two agendas at the global level. How does the Paris Agreement contribute to achieving the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development? What are the expected outcomes of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP28)? What are the hopes for the SDG Summit in September on renewing commitment to the Global Goals?
The UNU Conversation Series aims to foster audience participation; you are encouraged to engage with the speakers during the conversation and at the reception that will follow, where all audience members are invited to enjoy hors d’oeuvres and drinks while exchanging ideas and making new contacts.
This event will be in English and advance registration is required. Please also note that entry into the venue will not be allowed after 18:45. Additionally, please be prepared to present identification at check-in.
About the speaker
Dr. Youseff Nassef has led the adaptation workstreams under the UNFCCC since their inception. He possesses over 30 years of experience in diplomacy and international environmental policy and is a seconded diplomat from the Egyptian Foreign Service.
While assuming progressively higher levels of leadership at the UNFCCC, he led UNFCCC support for a number of ongoing initiatives on adaptation. These include the inception and support for NAPAs and NAPs; the Nairobi Work Programme — an international knowledge hub for impacts, vulnerability and adaptation; and the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage. He recently created the Resilience Frontiers initiative which applies foresight for attaining post-2030 resilience.
Dr. Nassef holds a PhD in International Technology Policy and Management and an MALD in International Environmental Policy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, as well as an MA in Middle East Studies and a BSc in Computer Science and Physics from the American University in Cairo.