From participative dialogues to climate action awards, GRP will be well-represented at COP 24.
The 24th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) takes place in Katowice, Poland from 2-14 December 2018.
GRP has become a partner in organizing this year’s Development & Climate (D&C) Days event at COP24, taking place from 8 to 9 December at Hotel Diament Arsenal Palace. The event focuses on “Global ambition. Local action. Climate resilience for all.” It is open to researchers, practitioners, and negotiators, and is a place where they can meet informally to have open and honest discussions around development and climate change.
GRP is co-organizing a session during the D&C Days on peace and stability with Wetlands International and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre. The session is titled: Conflict and shocks: how can we build resilience in the face of increasing fragility and vulnerability to conflict in a way that promotes stability and peace? The session is designed around panel discussions and will include an interactive voting element with the audience. The panel of speakers includes experts from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, WWF France, Overseas Development Institute, French Military Academy, and Wetlands International.
GRP is also co-leading a session on urban resilience together with Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, entitled Transformative Trends: What novel approaches are needed to address climate risks and vulnerability in today’s rapidly urbanizing places? The overall purpose of the session is to explore the intersection of urbanization and climate change through discussion of a few of today’s key urban trends as well as examples of ongoing efforts to build resilience and adapt to climate risks within towns and cities. The session will bring together a cross-section of researchers, policy experts and practitioners from Mercy Corps, ICLEI, Mahila Housing SEWA Trust, Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group India, and Red Cross Climate Center.
GRP is also part of the Marrakesh Partnership for Global Climate Action, which is organizing a Roundtable around Scaling up investments in resilience to meet the needs of vulnerable people. This roundtable will take place on 10 December with the overall objective to drive forward concrete action agendas to build climate resilience. 20 participants representing government, public, private, community, and civil society viewpoints will come together to discuss and give short interventions around two question linked to scaling up investments to meet the needs of vulnerable people. The session will benefit from the presence of Climate Champions from Fiji and Poland and the focus on ambitious and urgent climate action that they have been championing.
Additionally, Seacology, a GRP Water Window grantee, will be honored at COP24 for the Sri Lank Mangrove Conservation Project. Seacology is one of 15 projects to win the 2018 UN “Momentum for Change” climate action award. Seacology and its partners has launched an innovative and historic effort to make Sri Lank the first nation to fully protect all of its mangroves. Mangroves can shield coastal communities from flooding, create livelihood opportunities, act as an important breeding ground for fish, prawns, and crabs, and absorb 50 times more carbon than any other ecosystem. To protect the mangroves, the partners are taking three-pronged approach that incentivises women to replant and protect mangroves; provides micro-credit to improve livelihood options; and trains women to understand the role a healthy ecosystem plays in building resilience.
If you are attending COP24 and would like to get in touch with GRP send an email to info@globalresiliencepartnership.org. If you would like to attend the D&C Days, you can register here. We look forward to next month’s COP24 and engaging in dialogues and events to advance actions towards building resilience.