ACE_AT Earth Day 2021 Webinar – Stepping Up Action for Climate Empowerment

Austria AT Stepping Up ACE event webcardpreparedbyUNCCcommunicationsteam
Austria AT Stepping Up ACE event webcardpreparedbyUNCCcommunicationsteam 

In order to strengthen ACE in global climate governance and in order to celebrate the return of the United States as party to the Paris Agreement, the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action in collaboration with the UN Climate Change Secretariat, ECOS, and other partners organizes on Wednesday 28th of April 2021, 3-5 PM CEST / 9-11 EDT the webinar “Stepping Up Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE)” to celebrate and strengthen international collaboration towards all of society climate action in the context of the Earth Day 2021.

How to participate?

The event is being organized on the streaming platform Streamyard. Panelists and moderators will receive from the event organizers a speaker’s link to join the studio. High Level Political Statements will be delivered in the format of pre-recorded video messages, which will be uploaded on the Streamyard platform and screened according to the agenda of the event. Everyone else will have a chance to attend virtually by watching the web-broadcasting of the webinar live and on-demand on the Youtube Channel of the UN Climate Change secretariat (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsmRGv5FL1s&ab_channel=UNClimateChange) or IAAI GloCha (https://youtu.be/3fmZByuTltA) as well as on the Facebook page of ECOS https://www.facebook.com/groups/ClimateECOS. Comments posted on these channels during the event will be included in the webinar and shared live with panelists and general audience.

Background

Article 12 Paris Agreement

„Parties shall cooperate in taking measures, as appropriate, to enhance climate change education, training, public awareness, public participation and public access to information, recognizing the importance of these steps with respect to enhancing actions under this Agreement.“

Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) is key for effective climate policy. The six elements of ACE play an important role in the national climate related plans and policies and are fundamental to enhancing the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement. A decision on Article 12 of the Paris Agreement have been taken by Parties during COP 24 in Katowice reaffirming the close linkages between ACE and Sustainable Development Goals, calling on Parties to appoint ACE national focal points and develop national strategies for promoting ACE. The Decision encourages the integration of gender-sensitive and participatory education, training, public awareness, public participation, public access to information and regional and international cooperation into all mitigation and adaptation activities implemented under the Convention, as well as the Paris Agreement.

The current global COVID-19 pandemic poses challenges to the economy, politics and public health systems of developed and developing countries alike. Given the parallels with climate change and its effects, it is evident that addressing such challenges requires international cooperation and solidarity more than ever. We need to find ways to reduce emissions without the economic and social impacts of lockdowns, and find solutions that also promote health, welfare and equity. Widespread climate ambition and action by individuals, institutions and businesses are vital, underpinned and supported by structural economic change.

The organizers and partners of the 2021 Dialogue on Stepping Up Action for Climate Empowerment Webinar are optimistic that the year 2021 will be a turning point in the fight against the climate crisis. We are convinced that all stakeholders globally will join forces and resources on the journey towards a climate safe future. For this positive future to unfold new thinking on Action for Climate Empowerment is needed with a particular focus on strengthening the cooperation between Party and Non-party Stakeholders, the international and multilateral cooperation and in particular the non-party stakeholder engagement in ambitious multilateral cooperation structures in support of climate action.

This webinar will especially celebrate the return of the United States as party to the Paris Agreement and invites the new US administration to participate and demonstrate leadership in global efforts for Action for Climate Empowerment.

The webinar is being organized in the context of the ACEAT Action for Climate Empowerment Innovation project, initiated and funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, with the UN Climate Change secretariat being the lead partner and the non-party stakeholders ECOS, IAAI and ICLEI being associated partners.

Tentative Agenda

Welcome

Moderator: Danae Espinoza, Co- Focal Point ECOS, former YOUNGO Focal Point

Talieh Wögerbauer, National Focal Point for ACE (Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action), Ambassador for ACE for the UNFCCC – Thematic Introduction, the ACEAT project, purpose of the webinar

Video:   Global Youth Call for ACE (3-5 minutes)

High Level Political Statements

  • Leonore Gewessler, Minister for Climate Action, Republic of Austria
  • Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UN Climate Change secretariat
  • Andrés Landerretche, COP25 Presidency Coordinator, Chile 
  • Kwaku Afriyie, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ghana

Audience Engagement (Mentimeter)

  • Fleur Newman, Action Empowerment Unit Lead | Gender, Youth and ACE, UN Climate Change Secretariat

Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue Panel 1 – Rethinking and Reorganizing Non-Party Stakeholder Engagement

Moderator: Chiagozie Udeh, SDG7 Youth Constituency at Major Group for Children and Youth

  • Frank Niepold, US ACE Co-focal point, NOAA & Olivia Urbanski, US ACE Co-focal point, U.S. Department of State – Towards an US ACE National Strategy
  • Heeta Lakhani & Marie Claire Graf – YOUNGO – Outline for the plan for an ACE Youth Forum 2021
  • Rosalia Duval, Head of the Department for Adaptation – Government of the Dominican Republic
  • Isatis M. Cintron-Rodriguez, Regional Coordinator Latin America Citizens Climate Lobby – Mainstreaming ACE among Non-Party Stakeholders with the #PowerClimateAction Campaign
  • Roberta Ianna, ACE Focal Point, Ministry for Ecological Transition, Italy

ACE_AT Presentation

  • Talieh Wögerbauer, Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action & Miroslav Polzer, ECOS/IAAI – Presentation of the ACE_AT project, Outline for an ACE Non-Party Stakeholders Support Structure and plans for future ACE_AT Events

Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue Panel 2 – National and International Perspectives on the Future of ACE

Moderator: Nila Patty, community engagement at Soneva Namoona, Maldives

  • Pemy Nosibusiso Gasela, Director, International Climate Change, Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa
  • Timothy Damon,Global Youth Development Institute,Co-Focal Point ECOS – ACE Marketplace
  • Yunus Arikan, ICLEI – Cities as Climate Neutrality leaders enabled by ACE
  • Johanna Arriagada, Ministry of the Environment, Chile
  • Nick Nuttal, Earth Day.org

Closing reflections

  • Salka Sigurdardottir, UK COP26 Presidency – Road to COP26

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