NEWSLETTER
Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE)
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A word from Nick Nuttall, UNFCCC Spokesperson
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Nick Nuttall, UNFCCC Spokesperson (Photo: UNFCCC)
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ACE is a brand new face for our Article 6 work in a fresh era of climate cooperation as nations move to ink a new universal agreement in Paris in December. The importance of climate education, a key part of ACE, in terms of transformative change has never had more credibility and significance.
Earlier this year we at the UNFCCC lent support to a unique global citizens engagement called
WorldWideViews, which discussed, debated and polled the view of people in close to 80 countries across the globe on climate and energy issues. The findings were extraordinary and fascinating. Almost 80 per cent of citizens across the globe are very concerned about the impacts of climate change, but close to 70 per cent also see action to combat it as an opportunity to improve their quality of life. From the perspective of ACE, one finding really stood out:
questioned as to which instruments they thought most relevant to reducing the level of greenhouse gas emissions, 77 per cent chose education programmes on climate for a broader public.
As we look past Paris to implementation, I hope this kind of finding may propel ever more governments, companies, cities and civil society organizations to get behind climate and sustainable development education, training and awareness raising in all its rich forms.
2015 has been a year of renewal for a lot of this work, with revamping of web sites and the launch of new initiatives not least to better engage youth, including a global video and global music competition for Paris.
We look forward to more feedback from you, our readers and partners, and promise more action towards our collective aims of a climate safe world for all.
Nick Nuttall
UNFCCC Spokesperson and Head of the Communication and Outreach Programme
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During the Third
Dialogue on Article 6 of the Convention in Bonn in June, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres asked Parties and stakeholders to find a new way of referring to Article 6 that everyone could better understand. "Why on earth do we call something as important as education and training, why do we call it Article 6?" said Ms. Figueres before requesting everyone to suggest new snappy names for education, training and public awareness on climate change. Since then dozens of suggestions were made to the Article 6 Unit in the Communications and Outreach Programme of the UNFCCC secretariat.
Finally, on 11 June at the closing press conference of the UN climate change conference in Bonn Ms. Figueres along with UNFCCC Spokesperson Mr. Nick Nuttall announced that Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) had been chosen as the best way to refer to Article 6. Moreover, a new logo has been created to give ACE a better look.
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Third Dialogue on Climate Change Education and Training
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The Third Dialogue on Article 6 of the Convention took place on 2 and 3 June 2015 during SBI 42 in Bonn, Germany. The dialogue focused on education, training and international cooperation, offering a platform for parties, observers and other stakeholders to showcase their good practices and lessons learned. Substantial contributions were made and valuable experiences were shared on issues relating to climate change education and training. The results of the dialogue will be considered to facilitate the implementation of the
Doha work programme on Article 6 of the Convention and will be made available to SBI 43 in December 2015 in Paris. New this year was the adoption of working groups to further enhance the cooperation between the participants and to increase the quality of the outcome. These working groups facilitated fruitful discussions and made the event a great success. The Dialogue as well sought to inspire and energize participants through inspirational speeches and presentations.
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Christiana Figueres at the Third Dialogue (Photo: UNFCCC)
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Working groups at the Third Dialogue (Photo: UNFCCC)
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ACE Negotiations at SBI 42
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During SBI 42 in June held in Bonn, Germany, Parties adopted the
Terms of References for the intermediate review of the
Doha work programme on Article 6 of the Convention and called for submission for the intermediate review. Furthermore, the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) also invited Parties, observers and other stakeholders to submit their feedback on the organization of the Third Dialogue with suggestions and views on the agenda for the forthcoming Dialogue next year, which will focus on public access to information, public participation and public awareness as well as international cooperation on these matters.
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UN Alliance on Climate Change Education, Training and Public Awareness
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Installing solar panels in Dhaka, Bangladesh
(Photo: ILO)
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In July, the International Labour Organization (ILO) joined the
UN Alliance on Climate Change Education, Training and Public Awareness. Its mission is to promote meaningful, result-oriented and effective international cooperation in support of action on climate change education, training, public awareness, public participation and access to information. Together with the ILO, the UN Alliance currently comprises 13 member organizations, namely FAO, ILO, UNDP, UNEP, UNDPI, UNFCCC, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNITAR, UNU, WHO, WMO and UN Woman.
ILO's participation was ent
husiastically received by all member organizations as it sends a clear signal that cooperation is steadily increasing. With the ILO, the Alliance has gained a valuable new partner, devoted to promoting the creation of green jobs and developing skills in the transition to low-emission and climate-resilient economies. The ILO promotes several projects, for instance aimed at increasing awareness and understanding of the link between
climate change and jobs with knowledge and analytical capacity on labor market outcomes and climate change policies. Another example is
ILO's interest in facilitating mitigation actions through
skills building
and upgrading,
technical and vocational training
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entrepreneurship development
to unleash the job creation potential of low-carbon economies.
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High-level youth briefing with UNFCCC Executive Secretary
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During SBI 42, YOUNGO representatives had the opportunity to meet with UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Ms. Christiana Figueres as well as with the SBI and SBSTA Chairs, Mr. Amena Yauvoli and Ms. Lidia Wojtal to pose questions on several key issues relating to the current negotiation process. Ms. Figueres welcomed YOUNGO's questions and encouraged their continued participation in the issues related to climate change negotiations. Ms. Figueres also encouraged YOUNGO to engage with delegates within their home countries, and those who are aligned with similar causes. Further, she suggested that YOUNGO should seek to assist negotiators by putting forward recommendations that can be commonly agreed upon as this would assist the negotiation process.
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| High level youth briefing with UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Christiana Figueres during SBI 42 in Bonn, Germany (Photo: UNFCCC) |
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Global Youth Video Competition - #Video4COP21
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Help select our youth reporter at #COP21 by supporting your favorite video from the Global Youth Video Competition. The winner will be chosen based on the highest number of views their video receives during the voting period. You have until 17 September 2015 to support your favorite video by visiting the tve YouTube channel.
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| ACE Activities at COP 21/CMP 11 |
High Level side event by the UN Alliance on Climate Change Education, Training and Public Awareness on scaling up in climate change education
The UN Alliance on Climate Change Education, Training and Public Awareness takes action at COP 21/CMP 11 in Paris in December and will host a high level side event on the empowerment of young people, behavioral change and scaling up in climate change education. The side event is aimed to
identify innovative ways to effectively engage new stakeholders calling for enhanced action from policy makers and business leaders. Each year the UN Alliance organizes a side
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(Photo: The Ground Up Project)
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event at the UN Climate Change Conference, where initiatives of UN Alliance members are showcased, and plans are made to move the agenda forward.
Young and Future Generations Day
Young and Future Generations Day is a non-stop celebration of youth power and participation at United Nations climate change conferences. Youth-led side events, workshops and festivities take place throughout the day, with a continuous stream of creative actions that prove young people are key players in reaching innovative and ambitious solutions on climate change. This year Young and Future Generations Day will take place on 3 December.
Global Youth Video Competition Award Ceremony
During Young and Future Generations Day, the winners of the Global Youth Video Competition will be presented and honored.
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National Focal Points of ACE
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The
Doha work programme on Article 6 of the Convention invites Parties to designate and provide support, including technical and financial support, and access to information and materials to a national focal point for Article 6 activities. National focal points take necessary steps to enhance cooperation and strengthen synergies with the UNFCCC and other relevant stakeholders.
Statement by Joseph Epitu, our National Focal Point from Uganda
Within the context of the UNFCCC the Government of Uganda has taken bold steps to domesticate Article 6 of the Convention and its Kyoto Protocol, and to date implemented numerous activities. For instance Uganda developed a National Climate Change Policy, which is aimed at ensuring a harmonised and coordinated approach towards a climate-resilient and low-carbon development path for sustainable development in Uganda. Furthermore, guidelines have been created to mainstreaming climate change into work plans and budgets at both national and local government levels. As part of the collaborative efforts between the Government of Uganda, USAID and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) a framework has been designed to identify and prioritize specific climate change issues relevant to Uganda that need to be communicated to specific stakeholders as well as to formulate topics and suggest best methodology to be followed in the development of awareness and training materials for climate change in Uganda.
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Local Action through Schools in Brazil
A pilot project was launched in January of last year with three São Paulo State public schools located in vulnerable areas to build a research base for climate change and disaster-based risk at local level in schools. The focus of the project is to build resilience and explore new means towards healthier and more sustainable lifestyles.
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Brazilian pupils creating a watershed model (Photo: CEMANDEN)
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Leveraging Funds for Teacher Training in the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic has made substantial investments in climate change training for teachers. In 2013, 400 teachers received training in a pilot programme funded with an investment grant of USD 30,000 from UN CC:Learn. An additional USD 90,000 in national budgetary funds was then leveraged by the country's National Council for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism (CNCCMD).
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