CASA side event at COP26, Monday 1 November: Strengthening capacity for negotiations
Strengthening capacity for negotiations and putting the most climate-vulnerable at the heart of the UNFCCC
Location: UK Pavilion, Blue Zone, COP26, Glasgow, UK and via livestream link below
Date and time: 1 November 2021, 20:00 – 21:00 (UTC)
Leaders from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) will share their priorities for capacity-building in the UNFCCC negotiations and in broader climate diplomacy – and will describe how they have organised to make their voices heard.
LDCs and SIDS are highly exposed and vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and have a massive stake in ambitious global climate action. They also have fewer trained people and financial resources than other countries to direct to climate diplomacy and the UNFCCC process. They do not enter the climate negotiations on a level playing field with other countries. Despite this, they have managed to keep other Parties true to the science of climate change and maintain the world’s focus on the Paris Agreement’s temperature goal of 1.5 degrees.
In this COP26 side event at the UK Pavilion, climate leaders from LDCs and SIDS pinpoint the key ingredients of their successful, collective actions in the UNFCCC since the Paris Agreement – from mobilising legal advice to inform their positions, to organising 24-hour online events to raise ambition. These leaders lay out some of their successes over the past few years and share their priorities for capacity building for their countries and negotiating groups. They reflect on how negotiation support programmes like the Climate Ambition Support Alliance (CASA) can be most effective.
The discussion will provide an agenda for how donors, development partners and professional networks can effectively support LDCs and SIDS’ collective voice in the negotiations through COP26 to the Global Stocktake and beyond.
Speakers:
- H.E. Mamadou Honadia, Least Developed Countries Group
- H.E. Ambassador Aubrey Webson, Alliance of Small Island States
- H.E. Tina Stege, Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands / High Ambition Coalition
- H.E. Kate Hughes, Government of the United Kingdom
- Moderated by Mr Dean Bialek, COP26 Champions Team
UPDATE 22:00 on 1 November: The event is now over but we’ll be publishing a round-up on the website and a future recording of the event will also become available. Please visit again for more information. Don’t miss our live-tweets from the event at www.twitter.com/casaclimate
I would like to know how I’d be able to access the live-stream online.
Hello Sai. The livestream was shown on our website and via youtube. The event is over now, but a recording will be coming in the weeks ahead, so watch this space, and we’ll aim to summarise key points in a news story here, this week! Thanks and best wishes, Team CASA
Such an important and interesting discussion, with an amazing panel, thank you.
There was a lot of crucial information which I hope countries like the UK will take on board – such as problems with access and connectivity, but also how SID’s climate action can be a model for the rest of the world.
Some stand outs for me – the effectiveness of story telling, the importance of visibility, the power of personal experience, the unique experience of countries on the extremity or frontline of the climate crisis.
Surely sharing the personal experiences from SIDs, through stories and images, could be a good way to emotionally engage developed countries more in this problem?
Also, a big struggle in developed countries seems to be generational, and being pitted against big business. Are these dynamics present to such an extent among public discourse in SIDs – or is the bigger struggle versus developed countries to get financing/support? If so, again, SIDs could be a great model for the rest of the world – with a coherent, shared response to climate change.
So much to learn from listening between countries!
Thank you.