BRACED at COP21

Preparations for the COP21 are in full swing, and at the end of November the climate negotiations are starting Paris.

Following the terrible attacks in Paris last week, some organisers are considering changing planned activities - so please watch the media for further announcements. With the state of emergency declared in Paris for the next three months, some visa regulations might change. Please ensure to follow up with your French consulate prior to travel.
 
Resilience will be a key theme at the COP, and we look forward to sharing the initial experiences from BRACED with the world, and strengthening connections between local capacities and global ambitions and initiatives.
 
There are several ways to participate and engage in the COP21, and we would like to share some plans and highlights with you in this newsletter. We would be keen to feature your upcoming events, blogs on negotiations or other processes; please share them on the BRACED website or the BRACED Learning Lounge.
 
Contact learning@resilienceexchange.net if you would like to contribute information around COP21.

BRACED held a special pre-COP online discussion forum titled,"WHY COP MATTERS FOR THE POOREST AND MOST VULNERABLE COUNTRIES TO CLIMATE CHANGE". You can read the archived discussions for the 1st and 2nd sessions. The discussion forum was led by Helen Picot (CDKN) and CDKN Negotiations Support colleagues.

DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE DAYS IN PARIS: 5-6 DECEMBER 2015

Join us for the 13th Development & Climate Days at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change COP 21 meeting in Paris for two days of innovative approaches and incisive dialogue, focused on the theme Zero Poverty, Zero Emissions: Tough talk on poverty and climate.

• Register for D&C Days 2015 (first come first serve)
• View the draft programme and concept note
• Learn about the venue – the L’Usine 

D&C Days will feature dynamic, interactive discussion, including participatory games, lightning talks, role-play discussions, three high-level panels, and more.
Participants will explore ways to integrate climate and poverty targets, influence the UNFCCC negotiations and identify agreements that continue momentum towards achieving zero-zero. The D&C days will also highlight the work of some BRACED partners that have confirmed their interest and availability to participate in the programme including: Acting for Life; Christian Aid (Ethiopia); and Concern Worldwide UK (South Sudan).

BRACED SIDE EVENT: REALITY OF RESILIENCE - LEARNING ABOUT WHAT MAKES PEOPLE RESILIENT TO CLIMATE SHOCKS

Date: 10 December 2015, 5.45pm - 7.15pm (CET)
Location: Climate Generations Area, salle 5 
 
This side event in the Climate Generations area of the COP will provide in introduction to BRACED, present some key messages of the new Geography of Poverty Report, give some examples from the field and present Reality of Resilience as a tool. 

A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP: PARTNERS FOR RESILIENCE

Examining effective and innovative approaches to build resilience in a changing climate. 

Date: 2 December 2015, 10am – 10.45am (CET)
Location: COP21, blue zone, The Netherlands Climate Pavilion

The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Partners for Resilience (PfR) cordially invite you to our side event on building resilience in a changing climate. At this side-event, Partners for Resilience will present their experiences how disaster risks reduction is made climate smart and how the important role of ecosystems is factored-in. In addition, they will explain the aims and approaches of consecutive programming in 2016-2020, highlighting how the organisations envision to work in synergy, engaging their wider international networks, and how they connect local realities to international processes. The Netherlands government, the alliance members and government representatives from PfR countries, will present how PfR links the Climate Change Adaptation, Disaster Risk Reduction and SDG agendas through actively supporting measures that reduce disaster risks for communities and strengthen their livelihoods to better deal with impacts of extreme weather events and a changing climate. 

COMMUNICATING AT COP

Journalistic coverage of BRACED themes

Thomson Reuters Foundation journalists Megan Rowling and Laurie Goering will report from COP21, producing news stories for the BRACED website and the Thomson Reuters global newswire on the COP, side events including D&C days, adaptation and resilience issues and the BRACED flagship report.

BRACED social media
BRACED Knowledge Manager members will live tweet from COP21, including on a range of resilience events, using the BRACED Twitter feed @bebraced . Follow @bebraced for an easy way to keep up with all the news around resilience and adaptation issues at COP.

Contacts for BRACED at COP21
General and D&C days: Carina Bachofen Bachofen@climatecentre.org
Coverage: Laurie Goering laurie.goering@thomsonreuters.com
BRACED flagship report: Emily Wilkinson e.wilkinson@odi.org.uk 
 
The actual COP21 space will be taking place in three areas:

• The actual negotiation space is the blue zone: Only accessible with COP21 registration as delegate, managed by the UN
• The Climate Generations Area is the green zone: Open to delegates and the general public, provides space for debate, knowledge sharing and discussions.

The Gallery: Exhibition space for commercial organisations and business presenting new technologies for addressing climate change impacts.

OTHER RELEVANT GATHERINGS HAPPENING DURING THE COP

Resilience Day - 2 December 2015

A day of the COP devoted to initiatives to build resilience, including the launch of the A2R resilience initiative convened by Ban Ki Moon. This event is not part of the formal negotiations but closely linked to them; it is taking place in the Blue Zone

Global Landscapes Forum – 5 & 6 December
The Global Landscapes Forum focuses on the link between land and climate change, including issues around deforestation and land-use change. There will be sessions dedicated to finance and investment. 

World Climate Summit – 6 December
The World Climate Summit is a platform for showcasing innovation and initiatives of business, financiers and governments in addressing climate change. Carbon Tracker and CDP are among the partners. 

Sustainable Innovation Forum – 7 & 8 December
The Sustainable Innovation Forum is largely attended by businesses and focuses on climate solutions. The closing plenary of day one covers climate finance with input from UNEP FI. The forum is in association with UNEP and partners include CDP, IIGCC, Eurosif, UKSIF, the Global Compact, CDSB and Ceres. (Note that this event runs at the same time as the Caring for Climate Business Forum).