Discussion
2 Mar - 31 Mar 2022

Feedback process for the Draft Action Plan for a Sustainable Planet in the Digital Age

David Jensen
David Jensen • 28 February 2022
5 comments

The Origin of CODES

The Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES) is an international multi-stakeholder alliance created in March 2021 in response to the UN Secretary General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation. The aim of CODES is to steer the use of digital technologies toward accelerating environmentally and socially sustainable development. CODES is striving to reorient and prioritize the application of digital technologies to meet the 2030 sustainable development agenda and to achieve the multiple global environmental goals that have been adopted as the outcomes of multilateral processes and years of consensus building across all UN Member States. 

Presently, there are over 1000 stakeholders involved in CODES, ranging from governments,  civil society, academia and the private sector. CODES is being co-championed by UNEP, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Science Council, Future Earth, the German Environment Agency, and the Kenyan Environment Ministry. The CODES process is  conducted in close collaboration with the Office of the UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Technology within the framework of the Digital Cooperation Roadmap.

The Action Plan for a Sustainable Planet in the Digital Age

The first mission of CODES is to co-develop an Action Plan for a Sustainable Planet in the Digital Age. The aim of the Action Plan is to identify the key shifts and strategic priorities needed to harness digital technologies to accelerate environmentally and socially sustainable development. The co-design process has been based on a wide stakeholder engagement process involving multiple touchpoints:

  • 27 April: 2021 Debate of the UN General Assembly on Digital Cooperation and Connectivity
  • 7 May 2021: First CODES Roundtable to generate feedback for the Action Plan
  • 7-21 May 2021: Online consultation and feedback process
  • 30 June to 1 July 2021: CODES Conference
  • 1-13 February 2022: Online consultation and feedback process
  • 7 February 2022: Second CODES Roundtable to generate feedback for the Action Plan
  • 2 March 2022: Side event at the UN Environment Assembly
  • 2-31 March 2022: Online consultation and feedback process

CODES is now aiming to launch the Action Plan for a Sustainable Planet in the Digital Age at the Stockholm +50 conference from 2-3 June 2022.

Feedback on the Draft Action Plan 

The current draft of the Action Plan was published at the UN Environmental Assembly side event on 2 March 2022. It is available as a PDF from the link below. A video recording of the side event is available here. The current feedback process is open from 2-31 March 2022 to all stakeholders. Feedback on the draft Action Plan can be sent to CODES@un.org.

Stakeholder mapping  

As part of the development of the Action Plan, CODES undertook a stakeholder mapping exercise to determine which organizations are already working on the three shifts and associated 18 strategic priorities. The results of the mapping are available as a Supplemental Inventory of Initiatives as well as within the Kumu platform and as an Airtable. Contact codes@un.org to contribute your initiative to the stakeholder map.

Stakeholder mapping

 

Files

Comments (5)

Richard T Jordan
Richard T Jordan • 1 year ago

Fine work, David and team, I look forward to reading the output today. I have been promoting through the 20+ side events for Faith-based NGOs that have been presented at UNEA. Have suggested that FBOs within the UNEP NGO Major Group also come out of silos and participate in the initiative.

David Jensen
David Jensen • 1 year ago Moderator

Thanks Richard for all of your support and all of the feedback you provided to the Action Plan....Appreciate all of the promotion you are also doing. 

Richard T Jordan
Richard T Jordan • 1 year ago

While not reading word-for-word both documents, and having been what I would consider a rather loyal and participatory stakeholder in the entire process of CODES, and who serves as Dean of UN NGOs for8,000+ days, I do not see any wording reflective of the input that I offered on behalf of World Harmony Foundation. Neither do I see even an inclusion of World Harmony Foundation (UNEP NGO Major Group since 2006) in any of the requests for participating in any work stream. Even in an area such as advocacy. I would benefit, as others might also, A. to understand who removed our input (or where digital finance has even a "hook" in language) and B. what criteria were used for exclusion of any mention of our organization in follow-up. If World Harmony Foundation, and another organization that has ECOSOC consultative relationship, are "out in the cold" so to speak, then why am I giving mention of CODES in all of the Faith-based meetings that have been organized by UNEP this week? If our participation is not needed in implementation and followup, please just say so and we will work outside of the CODES framework. I already perceive where our insights and knowledge of the UN system could have a direct impact. This is not a criticism, simply that we can start our own processes for work in the digital space in short order, and wasting further time is not an option for us. Thanks very much. While RASIT is the flag I fly through HRH Princess Dr. Nisreen El-Hashemite, my UNEP flag is World Harmony Foundation.

David Jensen
David Jensen • 1 year ago Moderator

Hi Richard

In the email that was sent out to all of the CODES members, we explained that not all of the input has been taken into account yet. We took on board some of the major feedback - but haven't been able to address everything yet. We will do so during March and April.

We looked through your inputs just now and indeed, many of them have been taken on board. We need additional information on the World Harmony Foundation in order to understand where it sits in the stakeholder map and which key digital transformation and environmental sustainability issues it is directly addressing and how. This wasn't clear from the input provided and the website contains no information on the digital transformation and environmental sustainability projects the foundation is supporting. 

Many thanks for continuing to engage in the process and for having patience with the integration process for stakeholder feedback. 

 

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