LocationsLooking back at UNDP’s participation in the 5th Paris Peace Forum
November 13, 2022
Paris, 12-13 November 2022
In line with the theme of UNDP’s latest Human Development Report “Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives”, which highlighted that 90% of countries dropped in human development over the past two years due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the impacts of the war in Ukraine, and the accelerated climate and biodiversity crisis, UNDP actively contributed to the 5th Paris Peace Forum organized in November 2022 under the theme of “Riding out of the Multicrisis”.
UNDP has been a key partner to the Paris Peace Forum (PPF) since its creation in 2018. Hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, the 2022 edition brought together 32 Heads of State and International Organizations, and 4,800 participants from government, civil society, and the private sector to chart forward solutions to address multiplier effects of crisis and contribute to rebuild trust between the Global South and North for a more peaceful and cooperative future.
Over the two days at the PPF, UNDP promoted several ways of doing development differently, further committing to the mandate of leaving no one behind.
Achieving peace is also about nudging smart and sustainable investments to make the most impact in society, reshaping globalization for a common good
At the PPF, UNDP SDG Impact Director, Fabienne Michaux presented approaches and tools using UNDP’s market intelligence tool, the SDG Investor Map, where private-sector actors can contribute to over 400 direct capital opportunities to SDG investment and sustainable development. The SDGs Standards and the SDG Investor Map help to fast-track investments opportunities to guide businesses to transform their own sustainability journeys that are aligned to national development needs and government policy priority areas. As Fabienne Michaux stated in a panel discussion,
Photo: UNDP Geneva\ 2022. Speaking from centre stage, Fabienne Michaux presenting at Paris Peace Forum, Work with purpose: reinforcing the role of companies to reach the SDGs by 2030. This panel notably included the participation of the French Minister for Social and Solidarity Economy, Ms. Marlene Schiappa.
For people, for planet
The climate crisis is multi-faceted and requires a new collective commitment to action. Environment defenders for example, are at risk of persecution and death for defending further ecological destruction and illegal land grabbing. Two key events involved UNDP at the PPF, including Partnerships manager Alexis Laffittan, who moderated a panel on learning from indigenous human rights solutions and participated to the stakeholders consultations of the Climate Overshoot Commission, with Paris Peace Forum President Pascal Lamy.
As emphasised by the panel on indigenous human rights solutions, climate and nature justice should also be reconciled from the bottom-up. Indigenous knowledge is also key to strengthen and advocate for nature-base solutions and nationally determined contributions to achieve the Paris Agreement. Beyond the PPF, other UNDP knowledge brokering platforms such as the Equator Prize recognises Indigenous Peoples and local communities unlocking traditional knowledge to reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
Working together multilaterally is not optional; it is the only answer
The PPF is also a space for knowledge creation and sharing where UNDP is using its world-wide network of Country offices and partners to share and promote innovative practices to shape the future of development, including in the areas of sustainable finance, digitalization, and democratic governance.
Throughout the year, UNDP has provided mentorship to selected innovative projects as part of the 2022 Scale Up Committee of the Paris Peace Forum. In this context, the 2022 edition was also an opportunity to engage and build new partnerships with leading civil society actors from around the globe and reaffirm the importance of collective action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Photo: UNDP Geneva\ 2022. Youth, Alexis Laffitan and Fabienne Michaux, Director of UNDP SDG Impact at the 2022 Paris Peace Forum.
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For more information:
Alexis.Laffittan, Partnerships Manager, UNDP Geneva: alexis.laffittan@undp.org
General Inquiries: Undpgeneva@undp.org
SDG Impact project: https://sdgimpact.undp.org/
