Global Climate Change Alliance + flagship initiative (GCCA+) informal consultation meeting on "The role of CSOs in supporting the new European Consensus on Development under GCCA+ climate actions – experiences, oppo

Context and Motivation: Climate change vulnerability and sustainable development are determined not only by exposure to climate events, but also by social or institutional assets within a determined society. This meeting will initiate discussion on the current and desired roles, further to the Paris Agreement, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the proposal for the new European Consensus on Development (articles 70 and 71, in particular), that CSOs can play to promote climate change resilience (especially adaptation) at all stages of development processes, from local practices to integration into sustainable development planning and policy-making processes. In its efforts to do more and better, the EU Global Climate Change Alliance plus (GCCA+) flagship initiative is promoting multi-stakeholders engagement aiming at broadening and the range of stakeholders involved in its activities and interventions and is currently engaged in exploring how to enhance its cooperation with CSOs.

Due to their awareness and familiarity to the needs of various society groups, and given their technical and resource mobilisation capability, CSOs have been involved in local planning processes at local levels, using diverse citizen participation processes—such as participatory budgets. However, coordination bodies at national level are still limited, particularly regarding environmental matters and, in particular, the climate change adaptation-sustainable development nexus. CSOs’ field experience that might be maximised at national level is the development of climate vulnerability analysis, multi-stakeholder coordination, and relevant climate information management.

CSOs also promote greater equity in power relations between the national institutions and the population at large, both at the national and local level. As a result, current CSOs efforts are geared towards achieving the integration of long-term climate risks into long-term sustainable development policy. Such efforts can be accomplished through accountability processes ensuring greater and better interaction, not only with the population, but also with governmental institutions.

After an initial presentation of the GCCA+ initiative, this informal meeting will discuss (i) the functions and roles that could be carried out by CSOs to ensure citizen engagement in GCCA+ climate actions; (ii) the conditions that should be provided by the GCCA+ and other stakeholders (e.g. government, research institutions) to include CSOs in decision-making regarding climate change adaptation (iii) the tools and means the GCCA+ could develop to enable CSOs to carry out their roles in the improved integration of resilience building in GCCA+ climate adaptation actions; and (iv) steps forward for the GCCA+.

This meeting will also build on the results of the GCCA+ Lab Debate that will take place during the European Development Days 2017 on 08 June 2017 on a similar topic.

Meeting objective: To inform participants about CSO involvement so far in the GCCA+, explore together possible avenues for enhancing cooperation and agree on next steps.