Message from OECC President

On behalf of OECC, I wish you all a happy New Year!!

During the UNFCCC/COP28 of last December, the Parties reviewed the performance of the global GHG emission reduction efforts toward achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and concluded in the COP28 decision on the Global Stock Take (GST).

The decision has requested the Party countries to increase ambitious levels of their GHG emission reduction efforts toward achieving the global goal to limit the world average temperature rise below 1.5°C. Parities also agreed that the capacity of global renewable energy shall be tripled by 2030. It is important to pay attention to how the above-mentioned global agreement will be reflected in the discussions toward formulating the national strategies on energy and other related sectors.

In 2023, Japan took the lead in developing the international discussions as the G7 Presidency. In particular, Japan has promoted the integrated approaches to address the three crises facing the world, namely climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution.

In recent years, the role of cities and local governments has been highlighted through the international discussions. In this regard, the group of Urban 7 (U7) was created as a network of G7 member countries to develop actions by cities and local governments. In March 2023, the U7 Mayors’ Summit was organized in Tokyo and concluded in the “U7 Mayors’ Declaration,” which was disseminated around the world and reflected to the high-level discussions at the G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers’ Meeting (April, Sapporo) as well as the G7 Urban Ministers’ Meeting (July, Takamatsu). Furthermore, Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has started its preparation for developing its Special Report on Climate Change and Cities in its Seventh Assessment Report (AR7) cycle.

OECC is committed to participating in the international research debates and will contribute to the Special Report based on its experience in the city-to-city collaboration projects and other overseas environment and development cooperation initiatives.

OECC has studied on “Nature-based Solutions (NbS)” and “Climate Resilient Development (CRD)” to contribute to policy-oriented research activities to address the issues facing the international community.

Nowadays, the Global South countries have been required to strengthen their NDCs toward realizing a decarbonized society. In light of this, OECC will continue to support the governmental agencies and institutions in strengthening the policies and measures.

OECC is committed to addressing new challenges in 2024 and beyond and has positioned 2024 as the starting year to address a new chapter. OECC would like to further develop a wide range of initiatives in the field of international cooperation on environment and development. We are looking forward to working together with you toward our common goals.