Partnership | IRD across the world | International agenda

IRD has strengthened its position as a contributor to debates on the global environment and sustainable development, by participating actively and encouraging its partners to participate. Especially:

in COP13 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD),
in COP23 of the United Nations framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC),
in the second United Nations Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation (New-York, United States),
in the United Nations high-level conference to support the implementation of SDG 14 regarding the oceans (New-York, United States),
in the third session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-3 in Nairobi, Kenya). On this occasion, IRD took part in the.

These spaces have allowed IRD to promote the results of its research, but also its partnership science approach and its capacities to apply science in service of “sustainable solutions”. Through these actions, IRD as been able to lend its support to flagship international initiatives such as 4p1000 designed to increase the level of organic matter in soils.

Beyond their mobilisation at the COPs and UNEA3, IRD has encouraged its partners to participate in work led by the World Bank on the impact of climate change on fishing in Sub-Saharan Africa, or in the 3^rd AllEnvi Science Meetings devoted to the SDGs.

IRD and its partners have collaborated with the World Food Programme (WFP) in Niger, around a pilot study regarding the impact of climate change on livelihoods in rural environments.

IRD’s contribution to these international debates has also been expressed in the form of a report. For the UNCCD Executive Secretariat, the Institute has conducted a study on the connections between land degradation, migration and radicalisation. It also wrote the chapter devoted to SDG2, “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture” in the work initiated by the International Science Council A Guide to SDG Interactions: from Science to Implementation.

Finally, IRD supports the World Bank’s African Centres of Excellence (CEA) project, by formalising its support to the existing centres of excellence (four agreements signed and five under discussion), and by supporting its African partners in eligible countries in responding to the next call.

And in the future?

One of the priorities for 2018 will be supporting African partners for the World Bank’s 3^rd call for projects for African Centres of Excellence. In partnership with the AFD, the ANR, the CNRS and the Cirad, IRD will mobilise its expertise and its scientific network, to support applications from its partner countries for the creation of regional research, training and innovation centres for development in sub-Saharan Africa.

IRD will continue to be involved and mobilise its partners for the main international meetings: COP 24 to the UNFCCC (Poland, December 2018) and COP14 to the Convention on Biological Diversity (Egypt, November 2018, or the High Level Policy Forum on Sustainable Development (HPLF), and will support the implementation of the UNCCD. IRD will also be attentive to the implementation of the agreements signed with UNICEF in 2017 and the FAO in 2018.

Moreover, IRD will continue to position itself with its partners on projects funded by International Funds (Global Environment Facility, Green Climate Fund, Fund for Adaptation, etc.), on international initiatives (CREWS), and assessments conducted by international organisations.

IRD’s contribution to the international agenda in 2017

And in the future?