Sofonie Dala - Young Talents from Africa

Monday 12 February 2024

International Day of Clean Energy 2024 | 26 January 2024

Every dollar of investment in renewables creates three times more jobs than in the fossil fuel industry.

Greetings friends. I am Sofonie Dala, the founder of this hybrid empire!

I develop practical solutions to some of society's most pressing environmental challenges.

Today we are going to talk about the International Day of Clean Energy .

The International Day of Clean Energy on 26 January was declared by the General Assembly (resolution A/77/327) as a call to raise awareness and mobilize action for a just and inclusive transition to clean energy for the benefit of people and the planet.

Adopting clean energy is integral to the fight against climate change. A large chunk of the greenhouse gases that blanket the Earth and trap the Sun’s heat are generated through energy production, by burning fossil fuels (oil, coal, and gas) to generate electricity and heat.

The science is clear: to limit climate change, we need to end our reliance on fossil fuels and invest in alternative sources of energy that are clean, accessible, affordable, sustainable, and reliable.

Renewable energy sources – which are available in abundance all around us, provided by the sun, wind, water, waste, and heat from the Earth – are replenished by nature and emit little to no greenhouse gases or pollutants into the air.

Let us unite in advancing awareness, innovation, and collaborative efforts to address climate change and ensure a cleaner, greener planet for generations to come.

On January 26, the United Nations marked its very first International Day of Clean Energy, representing a significant milestone in our collective commitment to a sustainable future. Adopted by the UN General Assembly, this day signifies a global celebration of clean energy and its pivotal role in achieving a just and inclusive energy transition. With a dedicated focus on advocating for clean and renewable energy sources, this occasion serves as a unifying platform for governments, businesses, and individuals across the globe to expedite the shift towards more sustainable and efficient energy systems.

IRENA Turns 15 on the First International Day of Clean Energy

Agency celebrates its founding day, proclaimed by the UN in acknowledgement of the critical role that renewables play in driving climate action and sustainable development

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 26 January 2024 – Today marks the 15th anniversary of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). IRENA’s birthday coincides with the inaugural International Day of Clean Energy, declared by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) last year.

By adopting a resolution proclaiming the founding date of IRENA on 26 January as the International Day of Clean Energy, UNGA recognised the Agency’s leading role in accelerating the global, renewables-based energy transition.

IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera said: “I congratulate IRENA and its Membership for their vital role in bringing renewable energy to the forefront of the global energy discourse. With 169 Members, IRENA stands as the global engine driving a global energy transition grounded in renewables that delivers on climate and development priorities. My thanks go to the IRENA staff for their tireless contribution over the last 15 years and to the UAE for hosting the Agency in Abu Dhabi.”

La Camera added: “The establishment of an international day, largely thanks to the advocacy of the UAE and Panama as co-facilitators of the UN resolution, is a testament to the growing support for renewables seen worldwide. A fair, just, equitable, and urgent transition towards clean energy is essential to avoid the worst of climate effects and spur sustainable development.”

Founded in 2009, IRENA supports nations in their adoption and deployment of renewable energy. Across its 15-year journey, IRENA has been instrumental in spearheading efforts to advance renewable energy policies, technologies, and knowledge-sharing at the national, regional and global levels.

Renewable energy – powering a safer future

Renewable energy – powering a safer future | United Nations

Monday 25 December 2023

The Grand Finale| Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs| Happy holiday season

Wish you a very happy holiday season and best wishes for the new year!

The Grand Finale

Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

Welcome to our interactive, continuous and sustainable learning program.

We are celebrating the successful completion of our children's art challenge to accelerate the SDGs. Christmas is best celebrated with family, so we looked for a rural family and included their rural children in our challenge.

Our children shared their inspirational creations about how to limit climate change. They unlocked one sdg per day.

VIDEO ON DEMAND

A "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future."

We invited school-aged children to unleash their creativity and envision a sustainable future through their art. Together, let's paint a brighter tomorrow for our planet.”

Our work targets children, youth and women around the world - the next generation of consumers and change-makers to show that sustainable living is easy, cool and fun.

Just three weeks were enough to unlock all the secrets of the sustainable development goals.

This was fun, colorful, easy and sustainable. Dozens of energetic and smart children participated in our challenge with curiosity and joy. Together we successfully completed this most talked about topic in the world and attracted around 400 thousand people worldwide.

This was our contribution to COP28 UAE!

COP28 Day 9 Snapshot: Youth, Children and Education Day

Regardless of what decision makers are doing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we, as educators can use this fantastic framework to further our students’ understanding of the world and help develop them into much greater global citizens.

The Blue Dot” Art Challenge

It's an opportunity to captivate a global audience with reflections from the next generation.

Eco - Girl design by Fernanda, 13 years old

About the challenge

Imagine the vastness of the ocean, the mesmerizing dance of marine life, the resilient stories of indigenous communities, and the undying call to preserve this blue wonder. Now, picture the voices of our children echoing their sentiments, dreams, and hopes through art, and making a resonant mark at none other than COP28.

This initiative is not just a contest, but a platform for young visionaries under the age of 18 to manifest their perspectives on the monumental effects of climate change on our oceans.

Eco-girl

For Fernanda Eco-girl means a girl without plastic.

She offers reusable pads because they are durable and eco-friendly and have a positive impact on the environment.

Reusable cloth pads can be washed and reused for several years, reducing the amount of waste produced.

Learn more: https://ladies-without-plastic.blogspot.com/2023/10/infant-art-challenge-monumental-effects.html

Painting Our Climate Legacy: Mangroves as Fish Habitat

Our children are sharing their inspirational creations about how to limit climate change. We invite school-aged children to unleash their creativity and envision a sustainable future through their art. Together, let's paint a brighter tomorrow for our planet.”

Enjoy the drawing of JANI, a 13-year-old Angolan girl

Painting title: Mangroves as Fish Habitat

The complex root systems of mangroves provide habitat for a diversity of terrestrial and aquatic species. JANI presents a drawing of a mangrove tree in the sea and a fish living in its roots.

Learn more: https://formula-blue-sofonie.blogspot.com/2023/11/infant-art-challenge-for-cop-28.html

Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of seventeen interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future."^[1]^[2]^[3] The short titles of the 17 SDGs are: No poverty (SDG 1), Zero hunger (SDG 2), Good health and well-being (SDG 3), Quality education (SDG 4), Gender equality (SDG 5), Clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), Industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), Reduced inequalities (SDG 10), Sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), Responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), Climate action (SDG 13), Life below water (SDG 14), Life on land (SDG 15), Peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16), and Partnerships for the goals (SDG 17).

The SDGs emphasize the interconnected environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development by putting sustainability at their center.^[4]^[5]

In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) created the SDGs as part of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. This agenda sought to design a new global development framework, replacing the Millennium Development Goals, which were completed that same year.^[6] These goals were formally articulated and adopted in a UNGA resolution known as the 2030 Agenda, often informally referred to as Agenda 2030.^[7] On 6 July 2017, the SDGs were made more actionable by a UNGA resolution that identifies specific targets for each goal and provides indicators to measure progress.^[8] Most targets are to be achieved by 2030, although some have no end date.^[9]

First International Day of Zero Waste bolsters actions to address global pollution crisis

The International Day of Zero Waste, observed for the first time on 30 March 2023 - By Sofonie Dala, Angola (formula-blue-sofonie.blogspot.com)

https://formula-blue-sofonie.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-international-day-of-zero-waste.html

If you missed previous webisodes click here:

1. Webisode 1 - Preparation for COP 28| Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs | SDG 1 -

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2023/11/preparation-for-cop-28-childrens-art.html

2. DAY 2 - Preparation for COP 28| Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs | SDG 2 - Webisode 2

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2023/11/day-2-preparation-for-cop-28-childrens.html

3. DAY 3- Preparation for COP 28| Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs | SDG 3

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2023/12/preparation-for-cop-28-childrens-art.html

4. DAY 4 - Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs | SDG 4 - Preparation for COP 28

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2023/12/day-4-childrens-art-challenge-to-drive.html

5. DAY 5 - Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs | SDG 5 - Preparation for COP 28

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2023/12/day-5-childrens-art-challenge-to-drive.html

6. DAY 6 - Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs | SDG 6 - Preparation for COP 28

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2023/12/day-6-childrens-art-challenge-to-drive.html

7. DAY 7 - Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs | SDG 7 - Preparation for COP 28

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2023/12/day-7-childrens-art-challenge-to-drive.html

8. DAY 8 - Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs | SDG 8 - Preparation for COP 28

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2023/12/day-8-childrens-art-challenge-to-drive.html

9. DAY 9 - Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs | SDG 9 - Preparation for COP 28

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2023/12/day-9-childrens-art-challenge-to-drive.html

10. DAY 10 - Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs | SDG 10 - Preparation for COP 28

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2023/12/day-10-childrens-art-challenge-to-drive.html

11. DAY 11 - Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs | SDG 11 - Preparation for COP 28

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2023/12/day-11-childrens-art-challenge-to-drive.html

12. DAY 12 - Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs | SDG 12 - Preparation for COP 28

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2023/12/day-12-childrens-art-challenge-to-drive.html

13. DAY 13 - Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs | SDG 13 - Preparation for COP 28

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2023/12/day-13-childrens-art-challenge-to-drive.html

14. DAY 14 - Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs | SDG 14 - Preparation for COP 28

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2023/12/day-14-childrens-art-challenge-to-drive.html

15. DAY 15 - Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs | SDG 15 - Preparation for COP 28

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2023/12/day-15-childrens-art-challenge-to-drive.html

16. DAY 16 - Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs | SDG 16 - Preparation for COP 28

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2023/12/day-16-preparation-for-cop-28-childrens.html

17. DAY 17 - Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs | SDG 17 - Preparation for COP 28

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2023/12/day-17-childrens-art-challenge-to-drive.html

INTRODUCTION

https://talentosmultiplus.blogspot.com/2023/11/preparation-for-cop-28-childrens-art.html

I UNITE TO ACT!

What do you UNITE for? Join me and millions of others UNITING to #ACT4SDGs for a more just, equitable, peaceful, sustainable, and green future.

COP28 Closing Plenary

Wednesday 20 December 2023

DAY 17 - Children's Art Challenge to drive the SDGs | SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals | Preparations for COP 28

SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

Our children's Art Challenge to accelerate the SDGs is ongoing!

Welcome to the 17th day of our challenge!

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for continuing with us in this challenge, we finally reached goal 17. The Global Goals can only be met if we work together.

SDG 17 is about revitalizing the global partnership for sustainable development. The 2030 Agenda is universal and calls for action by all countries – developed and developing – to ensure no one is left behind. It requires partnerships between governments, the private sector, and civil society.

We invited school-aged children to unleash their creativity and envision a sustainable future through their art.

Together, let's paint a brighter tomorrow for our planet.”

The Global Goals can only be met if we work together. International investments and support is needed to ensure innovative technological development, fair trade and market access, especially for developing countries. To build a better world, we need to be supportive, empathetic, inventive, passionate, and above all, cooperative.

Achieving the ambitious targets of the 2030 Agenda requires a revitalized and enhanced global partnership that brings together Governments, civil society, the private sector, the United Nations system and other actors, mobilizing all available resources. Meeting implementation targets, including the raising of necessary funds, is key to realizing the Agenda, as is the full implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. Increasing support to developing countries, in particular the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, is fundamental to equitable progress for all.

Stronger partnerships will contribute to environmental protection and sustainable development by mobilizing resources, sharing knowledge, promoting the creation and transfer of environmentally sound technologies, and building capacity. There is tremendous scope for making the existing financial system more sustainable by integrating the environment dimension.

Growing cooperation among multilateral organizations, donors and private sector is needed to provide developing countries and beneficiaries with technologies that increase efficiency the use of natural resources, generate low waste, treat the generated pollution and mitigate climate change.

The Sustainable Development Goals can only be realized with a strong commitment to global partnership and cooperation to ensure no one is left behind in our journey to development.

However, not all countries are setting off from the same start line, and low and middle income countries are facing a tidal wave of debt which they are treading water.

Developing countries are grappling with an unprecedented rise in external debt levels following the COVID-19 pandemic, compounded by challenges such as record inflation, escalating interest rates, competing priorities and constrained fiscal capacity, underscoring the urgent need for debt relief and financial assistance.

While official development assistance (ODA) flows continue to reach record peaks, the increase in 2022 is primarily attributed to spending on refugees in donor countries and aid to Ukraine.

To be successful, everyone will need to mobilize both existing and additional resources, and developed countries will need to fulfill their official development assistance commitments.

Why?

In light of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen that strengthening multilateralism and global partnerships are more important than ever if we are to solve the world’s problems.

Why does this matter to me?

We are all in this together. The Agenda, with its 17 goals, is universal and calls for action by all countries, both developed countries and developing countries, to ensure no one is left behind.

How much progress have we made?

Support for implementing the SDGs has been steady but fragile, with major and persistent challenges.

Financial resources remain scarce, trade tensions have been increasing, and crucial data are still lacking.

A growing share of the global population has access to the Internet, and a Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries has been established, yet the digital divide persists.

As partners, what would we need to do to reach this?

We will need to mobilize both existing and additional resources— technology development, financial resources, capacity building— and developed countries will need to fulfill their official development assistance commitments.

Multistakeholder partnerships will be crucial to leverage the inter-linkages between the Sustainable Development Goals to enhance their effectiveness and impact and accelerate progress in achieving the Goals.

How can we ensure the resources needed are effectively mobilized?

This will be primarily the responsibility of countries. Reviews of progress will need to be undertaken regularly in each country, involving civil society, business and representatives of various interest groups. At the regional level, countries will share experiences and tackle common issues, while on an annual basis, at the United Nations, the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), they will take stock of progress at the global level, identifying gaps and emerging issues, and recommending corrective action.

THE TARGETS

Everyone can help to make sure that we meet the Global Goals. Use these nineteen targets to create action for partnerships for the goals.

MOBILIZE RESOURCES TO IMPROVE DOMESTIC REVENUE COLLECTION

Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection.

IMPLEMENT ALL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE COMMITMENTS

Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income for official development assistance (ODA/GNI) to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries.

MOBILIZE FINANCIAL RESOURCES FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources.

ASSIST DEVELOPING COUNTRIES IN ATTAINING DEBT SUSTAINABILITY

Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress.

INVEST IN LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries.

KNOWLEDGE SHARING AND COOPERATION FOR ACCESS TO SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism.

PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed.

STRENGTHEN THE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION CAPACITY FOR LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology.

ENHANCE SDG CAPACITY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation.

PROMOTE A UNIVERSAL TRADING SYSTEM UNDER THE WTO

Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda.

INCREASE THE EXPORTS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020.

REMOVE TRADE BARRIERS FOR LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access.

ENHANCE GLOBAL MACROECONOMIC STABILITY

Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence.

ENHANCE POLICY COHERENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development.

RESPECT NATIONAL LEADERSHIP TO IMPLEMENT POLICIES FOR THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development.

ENHANCE THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries.

ENCOURAGE EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIPS

Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.

ENHANCE AVAILABILITY OF RELIABLE DATA

By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts.

FURTHER DEVELOP MEASUREMENTS OF PROGRESS

By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries.

Our work targets children, youth and women around the world - the next generation of consumers and change-makers to show that sustainable living is easy, cool and fun!

I UNITE TO ACT! What do you UNITE for?

Join us and millions of others UNITING to #ACT4SDGs for a more just, equitable, peaceful, sustainable, and green future.