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COP28 President calls for unprecedented action from every government, business and industry to deliver the UAE Consensus during IEA event in Paris

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Speaking at the Paris Headquarters of the International Energy Agency (IEA), COP28 President Dr. Sultan Al Jaber highlighted the historic significance of the UAE Consensus.”The UAE Consensus raised the bar and set a clear path to keep our north star of 1.5°C within reach,” Dr. Al Jaber said at a roundtable event attended by ministers, ambassadors, industry executives and climate leaders. He urged attendees to “build on the momentum achieved at COP28.””The UAE Consensus set a new direction and a clear course correction. We must now turn an unprecedented agreement into unprecedented action. Now is the time for all stakeholders to step up.”The UAE Consensus laid out a clear roadmap for keeping 1.5°C within reach and delivered a series of world firsts across the climate agenda, including the first-ever agreement to transition away from fossil fuels, a target to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030, and a commitment to end deforestation in the same period.The COP28 President said that “All Parties who signed the UAE Consensus must work on enhancing their Nationally Determined Contributions ahead of the next cycle in 2025. That work needs to start right now. They need to adopt comprehensive, economy-wide emission reduction targets that cover all greenhouse gases, are aligned with the science and keep 1.5°C in reach.” “All industries should leverage their technology, talent, and balance sheets to decarbonize at scale”, Dr. Al Jaber said. However, this must be accompanied with smart policy incentives to commercialize nascent-zero carbon alternatives for heavy industry, like hydrogen.”Let me be clear, the energy transition will lead to energy turmoil, if we only address the supply side of the energy equation. We must tackle the demand side at the same time” the COP28 President warned, adding that this will require “governments and all relevant parties to be honest and transparent about the costs and trade-offs involved.”Finance is the key enabler for climate action, and every source of finance available – public, multilateral and private – needs to be activated, with new models of blended finance “to ensure that climate progress fully extends to the Global South” the COP28 President said. “The world must now raise the bar to address the challenge we face – mobilizing trillions rather than billions,” the COP28 President said.Concluding the event, Dr. Al Jaber said “COP28 created a moment of hope in challenging times. Let’s not waste it. Let’s harness this positive energy to drive breakthrough progress”.The COP Presidencies Troika was formally launched last week to unite COP28 with the COP Presidencies of Azerbaijan and Brazil to “bridge the gap between COPs. It will lock in continuity, maintain momentum, and help anchor implementation of the historic UAE Consensus”, Dr. Al Jaber said.During his visit to Paris, Dr. Al Jaber also attended the second meeting of the UAE-France High-Level Business Council, where he reiterated the need for industries to double down their efforts to help to deliver the ambitions of the UAE Consensus.

PARIS, Feb. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Implementation of the UAE Consensus – the historic set of measures agreed on at COP28 that aim to keep the average global temperature rise below 1.5°C – will require “unprecedented action” by global stakeholders, COP28 President Dr. Sultan Al Jaber said today, during an event at the Paris Headquarters of the International Energy Agency (IEA).

“The UAE Consensus raised the bar and set a clear path to keep our north star of 1.5°C within reach,” Dr. Al Jaber said during the event ‘Beyond COP28: Time to Unite, Act, and Deliver the UAE Consensus’. The event was attended by ministers, ambassadors, industry executives and other leaders, including Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA, Laurent Fabius, COP21 President and John Kerry, the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate.

Noting that at COP28 “solidarity overcame polarization, inclusivity prevailed over finger-pointing and the spirit of partnership brought the best of humanity together”, which was key to achieving the UAE Consensus, Dr. Al Jaber asked attendees “to keep this spirit alive and build on the momentum achieved at COP28. The UAE Consensus set a new direction and a clear course correction. We must now turn an unprecedented agreement into unprecedented action. Now is the time for all stakeholders to step up” he added.

“All Parties who signed the UAE Consensus must work on enhancing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), ahead of the next cycle in 2025. That work needs to start right now. They need to adopt comprehensive economy-wide emission reduction targets, that cover all greenhouse gases, are aligned with the science and keep 1.5°C in reach” the COP28 President said.

All industries should leverage their technology, talent, and balance sheets to decarbonize at scale, Dr. Al Jaber said, as outlined in the UAE Consensus. COP28 also pushed the oil and gas industry to step up, with 40 percent of global oil production committing to zero methane emissions by 2030 and net zero by or before 2050. While describing these targets as “a good start, Dr. Al Jaber said “it must be built on. I will continue to push for more.”

The UAE Consensus laid out a clear roadmap for keeping 1.5°C within reach and delivered a series of world firsts across the climate agenda, including the first-ever agreement to transition away from fossil fuels, a target to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030, and a commitment to end deforestation in the same period.

However, the COP28 President warned that the “energy transition will lead to energy turmoil, if we only address the supply side of the energy equation.” Addressing the demand side will “require smart policy incentives to commercialize nascent-zero carbon alternatives for heavy industry, like hydrogen” he said. “It will require massive investment in grid infrastructure to deliver renewable energy to the end user. And it will require governments and all relevant parties to be honest and transparent about the costs and trade-offs involved,” he added.

Finance is the key enabler for climate action, and every source of finance available – public, multilateral and private – needs to be activated, with “we need new models of blended finance, leveraging concessional, catalytic and investment funds to ensure that climate progress fully extends to the Global South,” the COP28 President said. Adding that “COP28 mobilized $85 billion in new pledges and commitments and launched the world’s largest private investments vehicle for climate action – ALTÉRRA. This model can and should be replicated many times over”.

With the commitment by developed nations to mobilize US $100 billion a year in climate finance having finally been met, and the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance mandated to be agreed at COP29, “the world must raise the bar to address the challenges we face – mobilizing trillions rather than billions,” Dr. Al Jaber said.  

The UAE Consensus is now recognized as a landmark agreement reaffirming the UAE’s position as a global leader in the international climate and development agenda. Delivered against a complex geopolitical backdrop, the UAE Consensus underscored the value of partnership and highlighted the power of multilateralism. This unprecedented agreement must now be met with unprecedented action from all stakeholders.

The COP28 President concluded by calling on the industries and countries represented at the event to support in “driving the progressive agenda of the UAE Consensus forward” and “COP28 created a moment of hope in challenging times. Let’s not waste it. Let’s harness this positive energy to drive breakthrough progress”.

The COP Presidencies Troika (the Troika) was a key achievement of the COP28 Presidency and mandated in the UAE Consensus. The Troika was formally launched last week to unite COP28 with the COP Presidencies of Azerbaijan and Brazil and will enhance international cooperation to stimulate ambition in the next round of NDCs.

“The Troika will, for the first time, bridge the gap between COPs. It will lock in continuity, maintain momentum, and help anchor implementation of the historic UAE Consensus. It will aim to turn the commitments made at COP28 into concrete results.” Dr. Al Jaber said.

During his visit to Paris, Dr. Al Jaber also attended the second plenary meeting of the UAE-France High-Level Business Council, where he reiterated the importance of moving to implementation of The UAE Consensus. The Council was established in January 2023 to enhance bilateral business between the UAE and France, with a specific focus on delivering impactful joint projects on climate action which harness the power and investment of the private sector.

The COP28 President emphasized the role of the Council and its members to drive economic, social and climate progress, highlighting a triple win for the climate, economies and the planet. “Platforms like the UAE-France High Level Business Council can help turn an unprecedented agreement into unprecedented action, by building on the strength of the economic ties between the UAE and France” Dr. Al Jaber said.

He concluded the event highlighting the role French companies in driving forward the energy transition, including TotalEnergies and Engie, highlight their existing efforts and calling on them to accelerate them to meet the ambitions set out in the UAE Consensus.

Notes to Editors COP28 UAE:  

At the historic COP28, countries came together to deliver the UAE Consensus – the most ambitious and comprehensive set of negotiated outcomes to come out of the UNFCCC process since COP21.

The UAE Consensus includes an unprecedented reference to transitioning away from all fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner in this critical decade to enable the world to reach net zero emissions by 2050, in keeping with the science.

An important opportunity lies in working multilaterally on commitments to deliver high-ambition decisions at COP28, including through The UAE Consensus. This can lead to real economy action for 2030 and help with the setting of interim targets that strengthen the NDCs in 2025 in the lead-up to COP30.

During COP28, over $85 billion in funding was mobilized for climate action and over 11 pledges and declaration were launching receiving historic support. To help mobilize further financing for global climate action, the UAE launched ALTÉRRA, a $30 billion private finance vehicle which seeks to catalyze over $250 billion in investments by 2030.

This material is distributed by Edelman on behalf of Masdar. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

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SOURCE COP28

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Education Walkthrough and McREL International Announce Strategic Partnership to Elevate Classroom Instruction with Power Walkthrough® Insights

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CHICAGO, Jan. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Education Walkthrough, a leader in K-12 classroom walkthrough software, is proud to announce a strategic partnership with McREL International, a global leader in education research, consulting, and professional learning. Through this collaboration, McREL’s Power Walkthrough® framework and instructional observation tools will now be available within Education Walkthrough’s software.

Power Walkthrough® is widely recognized for its ability to help instructional coaches and principals quickly gather data and insights on classroom teaching practices, instructional strategies, and student engagement across their school. By focusing on short, frequent, and non-evaluative classroom visits, Power Walkthrough® supports a reflective, growth-oriented culture among teachers and instructional leaders. Now, districts leveraging Education Walkthrough’s powerful software can integrate McREL’s research-based frameworks directly into their observation workflows, unifying data collection, analysis, and planning for professional learning within a single, user-friendly system.

“We are thrilled to partner with McREL,” said Adam Russek-Sobol, CEO of Education Walkthrough. “Their Power Walkthrough® framework is widely respected for guiding educators toward meaningful, research-backed instructional practices. By integrating these tools into our platform, we’re equipping schools with the data and insights they need to elevate teaching and learning at every level.”

Education Walkthrough streamlines the observation process, allowing administrators to conduct 10-minute classroom observations using customizable rubrics. Immediately following each walkthrough, teachers receive actionable, data-rich PDF reports that highlight key strengths, provide constructive feedback, and identify areas for refinement. With the integration of Power Walkthrough®, these insights now draw from McREL’s decades of research, helping educators focus on the most impactful strategies that enhance learning outcomes.

“Our mission at McREL is to help educators and school systems harness the power of evidence-based best practices for teaching, learning, and leading,” said Bryan Goodwin, CEO of McREL International. “Partnering with Education Walkthrough allows us to bring Power Walkthrough® to even more educators and schools  through a dynamic, digital platform. Together, we’re giving educators timely, meaningful feedback linked to proven instructional strategies—information they can use to help even more of their students be successful learners.”

With Power Walkthrough’s evidence-based approach integrated into Education Walkthrough’s platform, districts can:

Track Trends: Identify instructional patterns and opportunities for instructional coaching and targeted professional learning.Deliver Immediate Feedback: Provide teachers with timely, supportive feedback rooted in effective teaching practices.Drive Decisions: Use data at the school or district-level to make informed, data-driven decisions about professional learning.

Sign up to complete your first walkthrough! 

About Education Walkthrough
Education Walkthrough, a Chicago-based edtech company, simplifies classroom observation and feedback, empowering 500+ districts in 10+ countries to improve instruction. Education Walkthrough streamlines observations to drive teacher growth and improve student learning.

About McREL International
McREL International is a non-profit, nonpartisan education research, consulting, and professional services organization committed to helping educators and students thrive. For over 50 years, McREL’s evidence-based guidance, strategies, and professional learning solutions have assisted schools and systems worldwide in improving student achievement.

Media Contact:
Adam Russek-Sobol

CEO, Education Walkthrough

press@educationwalkthrough.com 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/education-walkthrough-and-mcrel-international-announce-strategic-partnership-to-elevate-classroom-instruction-with-power-walkthrough-insights-302345562.html

SOURCE Education Walkthrough

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IRIS Americas Expands its Fully Integrated IRIS Firm Management (IFM) Solution

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IFM product enhancements are designed to help modern accounting firms and CPAs simplify operations and streamline client management—in one integrated platform

NEW YORK, Jan. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — IRIS Software Group (IRIS) Americas, a leading global software provider of accounting, HR and payroll solutions, today announced strategic product enhancements to its IRIS Firm Management (IFM) solution.

Designed to address the unique challenges faced by modern accounting firms and CPAs, IFM combines practice management, document management, and advanced reporting capabilities into a single, integrated platform. Today’s updates make it easier than ever for firms to manage and onboard clients, stay compliant, and collaborate across teams—all while scaling for future growth.

“Modern accounting firms are growing quickly, expanding their service lines and client bases,” said Jim Dunham, President and General Manager of IRIS Americas. “However, this rapid growth often introduces technology sprawl, added costs, and complexity. To tackle today’s challenges, firms need an all-in-one solution that simplifies operations and helps them scale their business. That’s why we created IRIS Firm Management – purpose-built from strategic acquisitions and shaped by four decades of collaboration with our customers.”

First launched in November 2023, IRIS Firm Management continues to evolve and expand its offerings to better meet the needs of North American accounting firms and CPAs. The latest updates enhance the existing IFM solution, focusing on an optimized user experience, document management, data controls, reporting, and client onboarding. 

Document Management Solution (DMS)
IRIS Firm Management’s integrated DMS simplifies storing, organizing, and retrieving critical documents, ensuring compliance with complex regulatory requirements.

With today’s update, IFM’s DMS automatically retains documents for standard periods of time; offers template forms to maintain document consistency and integrity; and produces a detailed audit trail – tracking who accessed which documents and any actions taken, and when. Firms can securely share encrypted files with clients using drag-and-drop upload functionality, enabling seamless collaboration while maintaining data security.

Other enhanced functionality and features across all IFM modules include:

Advanced Reporting & Dashboards: Firms can now create unlimited customizable reports with step-by-step guidance, gaining real-time insights through interactive analytics dashboards and data visualization. Features like drag-and-drop tools and filtering options make it easy to refine views, organize, and analyze data sets—such as client, geography, accounts receivable (AR), work-in-progress—to create a unified and comprehensive account view.

Enhanced User Experience and Data Controls: Streamlined hierarchical menus replace dropdowns for better accessibility and consistency, while the new period-lockdown feature safeguards financial data accuracy and integrity by preventing changes to key functions. Cloud-based receipt storage simplifies setup, and user preferences allow for tailored workflows.

Streamlined Client Onboarding: Built to address its accounting firm customers’ most common customization requests and challenges, IRIS Firm Management’s new Configuration Management Component offers 140 multi-level configuration options across 40 modules, along with a library of ready-to-use templates. Real-time updates make it easy to enable or disable features without disrupting existing workflows, ensuring seamless, personalized implementations for each client.

“Since we have tremendous growth, our needs and requirements of our practice management software have greatly increased,” said Michael Cereste, Chief Financial Officer, LerroSarbey. “IRIS Firm Management will drastically change our firm operations and bring more detailed information to our leaders across all our service lines from a financial performance perspective but also streamline our overall billing process.”

Highly configurable and built on the trusted and reliable Microsoft Azure cloud-hosted infrastructure, IRIS Firm Management is designed with sophisticated cybersecurity, access management controls, and AI-enabled automation capabilities to help free up valuable time and resources for North American firms. Its powerful API integration capabilities allow for seamless data exchange and support an interconnected ecosystem of third-party vendors such as Okta for single sign on (SSO), Salesforce, BambooHR, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Apxium, Aiwyn, QuickFee, HubSpot, and more.

Looking Ahead
In the coming months, IFM customers can look forward to an even tighter integration between Practice Management and Document Management, as well as a user-friendly Universal Client Portal and Productivity Suite to enhance client relationship management with a single point of communication between firms and their clients.

Please learn more about IRIS Firm Management and its expert-guided implementation process here: https://www.irisglobal.com/products/iris-firm-management/.

About IRIS Americas
IRIS Americas is part of IRIS Software Group, working with thousands of CPA firms including 58 of the top 100 CPA firms and 91 of the top 250 CPA firms in the U.S. Its payroll and HCM solutions serve more than 150,000 small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) and processes $18 billion in payroll payments annually for more than 1.1 million North American employees every month. Over the past decade, IRIS Americas has acquired 13 North American-based brands including: Swipeclock, IRIS Star Practice Management, IRIS FMP, IRIS Innervision, IRIS Practice Engine, Doc.It, PSI Payroll, AccountantsWorld, MyPay, Conarc, Cavu, SourceOne, and Payroll Data Processing.

About IRIS Software Group
Founded in 1978 and headquartered in the UK, IRIS Software Group is a global provider of mission critical, cloud-hosted software solutions and services to more than 100,000 customers across 135 countries. IRIS serves small-to-medium sized businesses, CPA firms, Payroll Service Bureaus, finance, HR and payroll teams, educational organizations, and accountancy firms to take the pain out of processes and allow professionals to focus on the work they love. Through simplifying, automating and providing insights on everyday mission critical tasks for organizations of all shapes and sizes, IRIS ensures customers can look forward with certainty and confidence. Follow IRIS on FacebookTwitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. More information on its award-winning software solutions can be found here.

Media contact 
IRIS Software Group 
news@irisglobal.com

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BSV Blockchain Announces Partnership with FT Live for upcoming World Economic Forum 2025

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ZUG, Switzerland, Jan. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ –BSV Blockchain is partnering with the Financial Times (FT) for the upcoming World Economic Forum (WEF) conference, taking place from January 20 – 24th 2025, in Davos, Switzerland. This partnership will see BSV Blockchain and FT come together for three impactful events that explore the transformative potential of blockchain technology and its role in driving innovation and resilience across industries.

The three key events at WEF include a virtual webinar which will delve into the topic – ‘The Power of Blockchain for Business Resilience: How Shared Ledger Technologies are Redefining Efficiency and Operations,’ a Davos Daily Show which is a live stream session entitled, ‘The Critical Moment: Driving the Energy Transition Forward’ and a 75-minute roundtable discussion which will focus on the theme, ‘Leveraging Blockchain and AI for Smarter Financial Solutions.’ 

Key spokespeople from BSV Blockchain, including Aleksander Góra and Richard Baker, will attend the events in Davos. They will share their expertise to the discussions and engage with global leaders.

This partnership represents an important milestone for BSV Blockchain as it positions itself as a leading voice in blockchain and Web3 technologies. By partnering with the Financial Times and participating in the WEF 2025, BSV Blockchain aims to drive meaningful conversations about the future of enterprise blockchain and the role of blockchain in creating secure, efficient and resilient systems.

Richard Baker, Board Member at the BSV Association said, “We are very proud of this partnership with FT at WEF as it highlights shared values, drives collective progress and enhances blockchain industry trust and awareness.”

Through these events, BSV Blockchain seeks to amplify its role as an enabler in Web3 innovation and showcase the transformative potential of blockchain technology for businesses worldwide.

About BSV Blockchain:

The BSV Blockchain leads the BSV blockchain for Enterprise and Government initiatives. They are based on the original Bitcoin protocol rules and those set out in the Bitcoin white paper.

About The BSV Association:

The BSV Association is a global non-profit organisation based in Switzerland. It is focused on enhancing the adoption and development of the BSV blockchain. The BSV Association oversees the creation of tech standards and helps governments, businesses, developers, and users learn how to build a worldwide blockchain ecosystem.

 

 

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/bsv-blockchain-announces-partnership-with-ft-live-for-upcoming-world-economic-forum-2025-302345869.html

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