Civil Society climate advocates from nine countries in the Southern Voices programme attended the COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco to share lessons and engage with colleagues and policy-makers to promote climate action for equitable adaptation policies.

 

From Nepal, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Malawi, Niger, Kenya, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Guatemala and India – members of the Southern Voices family attended the COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco to push for a speedy and ambitious implementation of the historic Paris agreement. Here you find the SVA Slides on the COP22 Outcome.

 

Key events in Marrakech co-organised by Southern Voices partner networks were the following:

 

 11th Nov: Climate Adaptation Policies, NAPs and Stakeholder Engagement – Centro Alexander Humboldt in Nicaragua co-organised the event with the Sri Lanka Government – and lessons were shared and debated on the preparation of the National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) in Sri Lanka and Kenya and adaptation policies in Nicaragua at national and sub-national level. An audio recording from the side-event is available at this link.

 

15th Nov. Southern Voices Dinner and Evening at Hotel Ibis Palmeraie: “Civil Society must be a key actor in climate change policy-making and policy makers must make room for this” This was the key message from Member of Parliament Mr. Mamouda Mourtala from Niger who were invited for the meeting by two members from the Civil Society Platform of Climate Change and Sustainable Development. In Niger the Platform has engaged with the parliamentary committee on climate change and is promoting the establishment of a national fund for adaptation. This was one example shared in the Southern Voices dinner meeting in Marrakech where 20 participants discussed and shared lessons and achievements from the Southern Voices during 2016 as well as the Status of adaptation negotiations at the Marrakech COP. The meeting comprised SV partner networks and regional facilitators from 7 countries plus colleagues from CARE, PACJA, Christian Aid / SVA Advisory Board, CCAFS and Aktenamit from Morocco, Malawi, Kenya, and the Philippines

 

13th Nov. Marrakech Climate March (see top picture): partners from Southern Voices networks – notably those from Africa joined the March for Climate Justice on the Sunday to encaourage Ministers arriving in the second week of the COP to take bold action. The PACJA – Pan African Climate Justice Alliance had a strong block with SV partners from Malawi, Kenya and Niger. Pictures from the march are available here:

14th Nov. Initiatives on Climate Change Adaptation in Asia: In the side event  SVA partner Clean Energy Nepal presented experiences and plans for civil society engaging with adaptation policies in Nepal - including the JPA. Other countries experiences shared were from were Korea and Kazakstan. Link to audio recording + slides from the side-event. The presentation from Nepal starts at 6 min. into the recording. Questions to Nepal at 1h 18 min. into recording.

 

11th Nov. Book Launch: Think Globally – Act Globally: Using Community Based Adaptation to Enhance Adaptation to Climate Change in Developing Countries. Africa Center for Technology Studies (ACTS) launched a pre-edit version of the book at the Climate Change Studio at COP22.

 

Introductions by Dr Joanes Atela, Saleemul Huq, Fiona Piercy (picture), Programme from the launch.