COP22: Minister Mezouar briefs on Marrakech climate conference, on margins of UNGA in NYC

New York, September 23 2016: Salaheddine Mezouar, COP22 President and Minister of Foreign Affairs held a press conference yesterday on the margins of the 71st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York to brief scores of international media on preparations and priorities for the upcoming climate change conference in Marrakech. The COP22 President opened the press briefing by congratulating the countries that deposited their Paris Agreement ratification instruments to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon yesterday during a special event.  Morocco joined 30 other countries in ratifying the Agreement, thus crossing the first conditional threshold of 55 countries joining. The Agreement however needs further ratifications equaling another approximately 8% to meet the second condition of 55% of global emission for the Agreement to enter into force. "We encourage all Parties to deposit their ratification instruments as soon as possible," emphasized Minister Mezouar. During his remarks, Minister Mezouar laid out the priorities for the Marrakech conference: capacity building, $100 billion climate finance roadmap and technology. The COP22 President also underscored the importance of development on the African continent and the need for world leaders to focus on aiding the least developed countries and small island nations during the Marrakech climate change conference, November 7-18. "Marrakech needs to be about implementing the Paris Agreement for all, particularly vulnerable countries," said Minister Mezouar. Following several questions from international journalists on the symbolic importance of holding COP22 on the African continent, Minister Mezouar reminded those in attendance that "Morocco never left Africa. We have an important role to play with our African brothers to reinforce South-South cooperation and implement a continental development plan including in the fight against climate change." The COP22 President reminded those in attendance of the credibility of the Kingdom in hosting the Marrakech conference this November. "Morrocco has been committed to fighting climate change since the Rio summit. We have taken climate action seriously as is proof by the development of the world's largest concentrated solar power plant in Ouarzazate," said the Minister. Morocco has an ambitious goal of 52% of renewable power in its energy mix by 2030. Minister Mezouar concluded the press conference by encouraging all to attend the conference in November and to take part in implementing the Paris Agreement and Global Climate Action Agenda. "We warmly welcome all delegations to Marrakech this November."

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COP22: Vulnerable countries adaptation debated on the margins of the UNGA

New York, September 22, 2016: The COP22 steering committee organized a side-event on adaptation in the least developed countries, this afternoon at United Nations headquarters in New York.  The event was chaired by Nizar Baraka, COP22 Scientific Committee President, and in the presence of Salaheddine Mezouar, COP22 President.   The event, organized on the margins of the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, included the participation of Khaled Fahmy, Minister of the Environment of Egypt, Mohamed Ait Kadi, President of the General Council of Agriculture Development and Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director of the United Nations Organization for Food and Agriculture (FAO).   The meeting was the occasion to highlight the issue of adaption in the least developed countries, in particular in Africa and Asia. These regions of the world are considered to be the most impacted by the effects of climate change.  They rarely possess the resources and capacity needed to address global warming.  The question around aid and assistance to these countries will be debated in Marrakech during COP22 this November.   High-level events will also be organized in Marrakech to address the issue according to Nizar Baraka who explained, "We will organize a high-level meeting on climate finance and the construction of a common vision to encourage private capital to invest in adaptation."   As for Mohamed Ait Kadi, he declared that, "The international community is conscious of the urgency of the question of adaptation. The conference in Marrakech will be the ideal opportunity to create an ecosystem for adaptation in agriculture."   The African dimension will be strongly present at COP22.  One of the objectives of the conference will be to bring convincing solutions to specific problems of the continent. "The estimated cost of adaptation in Africa is extremely high," according to Khaled Fahmy.   Finally, according to Maria Helena Semedo, "It's imperative to arrive in Marrakech with operational measures, because COP22 will be the conference of action and implementation."

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TERNA: CONFIRMED AS SUSTAINABILITY LEADER IN THE STOXX ESG INDICES FOR THE SIXTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

• Terna is included in the three sustainability indices that make up the general index

• The selection is made from 1,800 listed companies around the world

 

Rome, 21 September 2016 - Further recognition of Terna's sustainability; the company has been confirmed in the STOXX Global ESG Leaders Indices for the sixth consecutive year.

Terna is present in these indices created by the company STOXX Limited which, on the basis of sustainability performance, selects 345 companies among the 1,800 stocks present in the initial international basket, the STOXX Global 1800 Index.

In particular, to obtain access to or confirmation in the ESG Leaders indices, a company must stand out in at least one of the three areas of analysis – environmental, social and governance – for inclusion in the relative index, the STOXX Global Environmental Leaders, the STOXX Global Social Leaders or the STOXX Global ESG Governance Leaders.

Thanks to the excellent performance in all areas of analysis, Terna has been confirmed in all three indices. There are a total of 5 Italian companies, and 8 utilities at the global level that can boast the same result, and there are only 14 Italian companies, including Terna, in the STOXX Global ESG Leaders.

In addition to inclusion in the STOXX ESG indices, Terna is also present in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, where it has the highest environmental performance in the Electric Utilities sector, and in all the other major sustainability indices, including FTSE4Good, Euronext Vigeo, ECPI, MSCI, ETHIBEL SUSTAINABILITY INDEX (ESI), GC100 (United Nations Global Compact).

The ESG Leaders indices are characterised by transparency in the selection criteria – based on indicators suggested by the EFFAS (European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies) and by the DVFA (Society of Investment Professionals in Germany) – and in the scores attributed by the rating agency Sustainalytics to the companies evaluated.

Press release: TiSA endangers coasts and foresees 'lawless' seas and skies, say ITF and Greenpeace Netherlands

Please find this release attached and below.

Yours,

Sam Dawson

ITF

For immediate release                                                                  20 September 2016

 

TiSA endangers coasts and foresees "lawless" seas and skies, say ITF and Greenpeace Netherlands

 

Today's release at a press conference in Geneva by Greenpeace Netherlands of a revised secret text on maritime services from the proposed Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) – an international trade treaty being negotiated between 23 parties, including the European Union and the United States – has not dispelled fears that years of rules developed in shipping will be undone should the agreement come into force.

 

TiSA could open the transport of what has been classed as national cargo by all parties – potentially including ships owned by parties flying the flag of a third country – a flag of convenience, or FOC. The opening up of coastal trades to potentially badly regulated vessels raises serious environmental and safety concerns.

 

The maritime industry is already a free trade environment, with weakened national government controls epitomised in the FOC system. Where state control is weakest it has left a space for illegal and unregulated operators. The danger with the secret TiSA texts that have emerged is that the new treaty would trump the established agencies that have tried to address this imbalance.

 

TiSA is a threat to the International Labour Organization and the International Maritime Organization, which oversee global labour, technical and safety standards in maritime transport. It would have the same impact in aviation, its rules taking precedence over the International Civil Aviation Organization, whose 1944 Chicago Convention lays down the primacy of public safety.

 

The European Parliament's international trade committee has already called for TiSA to be consistent with these international standards, to "consider them as minimum standards and to oppose any lowering of these international benchmarks."

 

"Even without TISA, liberalisation and deregulation is already extreme in maritime transport. Minimum standards for seafarers are essential as a protective mechanism in an otherwise lawless environment. With TISA, the global standards set by the proper international bodies could be undermined," said ITF policy coordinator Sarah Finke at the Greenpeace press conference.

 "Unless the text is changed then it will constitute an attack on those very necessary minimum standards – and threaten livelihoods of maritime workers everywhere" she added.

Find out more at https://ttip-leaks.org and https://stop-tisa.net/en.

For more information, please contact ITF policy officer Sarah Finke on finke_sarah@itf.org.uk, or for general enquiries, ITF press officer Sam Dawson on +442079409260.

 

ITF communications: getting the message out - when and where it matters

www.itfglobal.org 

www.facebook.com/ITFglobal 

Twitter: @itfglobalunion

This email is confidential and may be privileged. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and then delete it immediately. You should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor disclose its contents to any other person. Any views or opinions expressed within the email are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily represent those of the ITF or the Seafarers' Trust.

Plastics value chain agrees on common demands for the Circular Economy Package

Our industries are calling the European and National Institutions to size these recommendations to build a truly European Circular Economy for plastics: Zero Plastics to landfill by 2025 This will ensure that plastic waste can be used as a resource and does not end up in the environment The 55% plastic packaging "preparing for re-use and recycling" target by 2025 is challenging. We are willing to continue to play our part and call the other relevant stakeholders to act too We call for the mandatory separate collection of all packaging from residual waste by 2025 The Commission shall establish a uniform methodology for the calculation of the targets of "preparing for re-use and recycling" and the measurement point for recycling performance. Uniformity will set a level-playing-field for all actors on the market and enable an accurate overview of Member States' performance as well as meaningful comparisons. EU wide quality standards for plastic waste and its treatment should be developed, including specifications for sorted waste, harmonization of tests methods for recycled plastic materials and certification of plastic recycling operations Innovation in technologies throughout the whole plastics value-chain should be stimulated to increase the potential for recycling.   Michael Kundel, EuPC President, shares that "This circular economy package is the right way forward for the plastics industry to further enhance sustainability in our way of doing business. It will also guide consumers and public authorities in the same direction. Industry will develop innovative tools and new business models as well as products that will contribute to the new circular economy within the next decades. We will work together to develop quality recyclates to fulfill the future needs in our plastics industry markets." Patrick Thomas, President of PlasticsEurope said, "The Commission's circular economy package is an opportunity to achieve a more resource efficient Europe. For the circular economy to deliver long-term and sustainable environmental benefits, it is essential that the whole life cycle of products is taken into account from the perspective of a low-carbon economy. Our industry is committed to a sustainable future within a low-carbon economy and the plastics value-chain will continue to work together towards this common goal". Ton Emans, PRE President, stated "Recycling will play a growing role in plastics. The current legislative push is going in the right direction and this join industry position translates this trend". "In addition to these common position further work must be achieved in terms of design for recycling, controls of waste export and pull mechanisms" added Ton Emans. The European plastics industry is an integral part of the manufacturing in Europe with over 62,000 companies providing more than 1.4 million jobs and annually contributing 26 billion euros to public finances.     About EuPC EuPC is the leading EU-level trade association, based in Brussels, representing European plastics converters. Plastics converters are users of plastics raw materials and producers of new products. EuPC now totals 51 European and national plastics converting industry associations. Press contact: Sarah Goerres - sarah.goerres@eupc.org About PlasticsEurope Plastics Europe is one of the leading European trade associations with centres in Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan and Paris. The association is networking with European and national plastics associations and has more than 100 member companies, producing over 90% of all polymers across the EU28 member states plus Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. Press contact: Nuria Buezas – nuria.buezas@plasticseurope.org About PRE PRE is the professional representative body of plastics recyclers in Europe. PRE promotes plastics mechanical recycling and conditions that enable profitable and sustainable business, while offering a service platform to its members. Our members constitute 80% of the European recycling capacity, processing more than 3 million tonnes of collected plastics per year. Press contact: Emilia Tarlowska - emilia.tarlowska@eupr.org     European Plastics Converters   PlasticsEurope   PlasticsRecyclersEurope

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ITF press release The future of maritime activism - unionists gather in Montreal

Please find attached a press release from the International Transport Workers' Federation: The future of maritime activism - unionists gather in Montreal

Many thanks, 

Gemma Walker 

POC communications specialist 

International Transport Workers' Federation 

0207 940 9209

07850 736145

This email is confidential and may be privileged. If you have received it in error, please notify the sender and then delete it immediately. You should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor disclose its contents to any other person. Any views or opinions expressed within the email are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily represent those of the ITF or the Seafarers' Trust.

Sony Showcases Digital Imaging Line-up at Photokina 2016

     

Sony is demonstrating its full range of digital imaging offerings at Photokina 2016, to allow photographers and videographers from across the globe to discover the latest creative tools that can enable them to bring their visions to life.

Exhibiting in Hall 5.2 in the Koelnmesse, the Sony booth will be open from 10:00 on Tuesday 20^th September until 18:00 on Sunday 25^th September. In addition to the full product line-up, Sony is inviting attendees to experience a full programme of live talks and demonstrations that will take place on the Sony booth throughout the show. At these free talks, world-renowned photographers and filmmakers will be sharing their insights as well as their own personal and professional experiences of using Sony cameras and lenses.

As part of the programme, there will also be a series of live action shows which attendees are invited to photograph including a celebration of Samurai sword artistry, professional break dancers and acrobats.

A dedicated microsite detailing all Sony activity at Photokina 2016 can be viewed here: http://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/photokina-trade-show

Product Highlights

Announced at Photokina 2016 and being shown for the first time anywhere in the world, the ɑ99 II is the new flagship Sony ɑ A-mount camera. Boasting an innovative Hybrid Phase Detection AF system incorporating 79 accurate hybrid cross points[i] and offering continuous shooting at up to 12fps,[ii] the ɑ99 IIis destined to be a popular draw at the show.

Sony is also showing its full range of ɑ E-mountcameras and lenses including the award winning ɑ7 series and immensely popular ɑ6300 / ɑ6000 models. The full ɑ Mount system of interchangeable lenses will on display at the show including the recently launched G Master premium lenses and the brand new SELP18110G and SEL50M28 ɑ E-mount lenses.

Launched in Europe at IFA 2016, the FDR-X3000R is Sony's new flagship Action Cam and boasts the integration of Balanced Optical SteadyShot (B.O.SS) for the first time in an Action Cam whilst also offering the ability to shoot amazing 4K video. The FDR-X3000R will be on show alongside the full Action Cam and 4K Handycam^© line-ups. 

For compact camera enthusiasts, the RX series of cameras have proved to be incredibly popular since the launch of the original RX100 in 2012. Sony will be showing the entire line-up of RX100, RX10, and RX1 families of products at Photokina 2016.

For the first time, and in line with its commitment to provide a full range of high performance media devices to professional photographers and enthusiasts, Sony's Flash Memory team will have a dedicated space at Photokina. In Hall 2.1, Sony will show a selection of Memory Cards (SD & XQD), USB, SSD and HDD drives, all of which will be available for trials and tests in conjunction with leading Sony cameras. 

A Celebration of Partnerships

2016 marks 20 years of collaboration between Sony and ZEISS^© to jointly develop and bring to market imaging products. A dedicated display has been prepared and will be showcased on the Sony stand to highlight some of the most celebrated products that have been the fruits of this partnership.

Now in its 10^th year, the Sony World Photography Awards is the world's biggest photography competition and a stunning gallery has been prepared to showcase a selection of the winning photos from 2016. 

[i] The number of usable AF points may depend on the lens and shooting mode. Up to 323 focus points are selectable. Not available for movie recording.

[ii] Continuous shooting mode set to 'Hi+'

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