COP 21, The Paris Climate Agreement: between national actions and international obligations.
Conference organized by Majal , Academic Urban Observatory, ALBA-UOB; and the Institute of the Environment-UOB
Vahakn Kabakian
Climate Change portfolio Manager, United Nations Development Programme/Ministry of Environment, Beirut, Lebanon
Synopsis:
A historic climate change agreement was adopted in Paris in December 2015. This was a culmination of several years of international negotiations. While the final text comes as the melting point of different national interests, it also stipulates a set of obligations upon member countries. As a result, the international climate governance will witness changes and so will national policies. Therefore, the conference will touch upon the upcoming international and national governance structure. It will also clarify what was Lebanon’s contribution towards the Paris Agreement, and what are the repercussions of that agreement on Lebanon. The conference will conclude with a set of “next-steps” that needs to be undertaken both at the international and national levels to allow a swift implementation of the Paris Agreement.
The conference will be preceded by two introductory notes :
- “Academic Urban Observatory a tool for monitoring and policy recommendation”, presented by Serge N. Yazigi, PHD, Director of Majal, ALBA, UOB
- “The Institute of the Environment: Science as the Basis for Decision Making and for Sustainable Development”, presented by Manal R. Nader, PHD, Director of the IOE, UOB.
About the lecturer
VAHAKN KABAKIANMr. Kabakian currently manages several UNDP climate change related projects at the Ministry of Environment and is directly responsible for the work initiated under the preparation of the national low emission development strategy, Lebanon’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution and Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions.
He manages the UNDP Low Emission Capacity Building project, and overviews the execution of Lebanon’s Third National Communication and Biennial Update Reporting projects and the Climate Change Coordinating Unit. He has also been involved in climate change negotiations at the global level, representing Lebanon for almost a decade, leading the national technical team during the various negotiations’ sessions.
He is also a member of the exclusive OECD Climate Change Expert Group which promotes dialogue and enhances understanding of technical issues in the international climate change negotiations.
Mr. Kabakian received his B.Sc. in Environmental Health at the Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut and his M.Sc. degree in Environmental Technology at the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Greenwich, United Kingdom.