Friendship was present at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh from November 6 to 18, 2022 to carry the voices of the most vulnerable communities of Bangladesh and advocate for climate adaptation solutions that work
Friendship News Desk November 1, 2022 Updated on December 12, 2022
For the second consecutive year, Friendship attended the Conference of Parties, of the UNFCCC, this time in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from November 6 – 18, 2022. The conference commenced with a view to building on previous successes and paving the way for future ambition.
In 2022, COP was focusing on inclusive, rules-based and ambitious, substantive outcomes, commensurate with the challenge based on science and guided by principles building on agreements, decisions, pledges and commitments, from RIO 1992 to Glasgow 2021.
The conference was meant to accelerate global climate action through emissions reduction, scaled-up adaptation efforts and enhanced flows of appropriate finance, recognising that ‘just transition’ remains a priority for developing countries worldwide.
Friendship, which has twenty years of experience coming up with integrated, holistic, community-initiated, nature-based adaptation solutions in some of the most isolated, climate-affected areas in the 7th most climate-affected country in the world, had a voice during the 16 events listed below, many of these events were accessible to anyone online and the recordings are provided below:
1. Key messages from the Mangrove communities in the Sundarbans.
The focus of this event is to discuss solutions for the built environment to allow for resilience but also mitigation of climate change so as to reduce the overall impact of these. With Bertrand Piccard as moderator, we will engage with a panel representing business, NGO, cities and investors, to highlight the technologies that exist, but also the barriers – structural and legal – that impede their rapid uptake and use.
Government of Belgium, Federal Public Service Public of Environment
Description
The objective of this session is to raise awareness about loss & damage, explain the impacts of the climate crisis, both in the North and in the Global South, through testimonies of front liners of these losses and showcase a local adaptation solution to mitigate the remaining risks.
The event will show how local knowledge and practices can be combined with science, innovation or technology to make the ecological transition, climate adaptation and resilience and biodiversity preservation effective. Through presentations, videos and a round table discussion, the topic will be illustrated by examples from the field; from vulnerable communities in Bangladesh to small islands and other places in the world (Borneo, Canada, Kenya, Senegal, Peru).
The session will highlight Friendship’s experiences in implementing an integrated approach of adaptation and mitigation through the integrated role of the local communities, local government, and national government. The experiences in addressing multi-sectoral issues in order to ensure sustainable adaptation at the local level (i.e., char regions) will also be shared. In addition, the session will share experiences from multiple approaches that are being adopted in building an enabling and resilient environment for the communities at risk. The actions of these experiences include community-managed mangrove afforestation, cluster village on the raised plinths as flood shelters for internally displaced people, resilient infrastructures, adaptive health, and education systems.
7. Climate Law and Governance Day 2022 – Roundtable IV: Addressing Loss & Damage Liability & Compensation within Development Paradigms
Empowering women strengthens climate adaptation and mitigation. This event illustrates how gender analysis and gender-informed policies and actions help countries achieve climate goals by showcasing concrete WBG operations. Examples include both Bank and IFC engagemnents that support womens empowerment and decision-making in local and indigenous communities, private sector, public sector and civil soceity. The event supports knowledge exchange and inspires action at the gender/climate nexus.
Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL), Corporación Fiscalía del Medio Ambiente (FIMA), Centre for Human Rights and Climate Change Research (C4HR&CCR), Derecho Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (DAR), Friendship
Description
Serious increases in legal capacity, backed by awareness and engagement, are needed to deliver on the Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Pact. How are we to scale up climate law and governance solutions exponentially, for net zero and vulnerable countries’ adaptation and resilience, advancing key SDGs?
The southwestern coast of Bangladesh, home of the Sundarbans is vulnerable to climate change impacts, particularly from salinity intrusion. The vast Sundarban Mangrove Forest plays an important role in reducing the impact of climate change. However, a 50 cm rise in sea level could lead to the disappearance of at least 11% of the country’s Sundarbans impacting at least 15 million people living in coastal areas. The poverty of local populations is a factor that increases their vulnerability. Because of very low incomes and no savings, the locals are usually unable to recover after a disaster and combat salinity. Salinity intrusion is also depriving 73% of the people in the region of safe drinking water, and safe sanitation. To tackle these issues and to bring about transformative changes organizations like Friendship and WaterAid are introducing locally-led practices to build long-lasting solutions with the goal of building resilient communities
16. Keeping the Human Rights of vulnerable local communities at the heart of climate action
Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, Ministry of Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development
Description
The principle two of the Locally-Led Adaptation principles advocates for addressing the structural inequalities faced by women, youth, disabled, displaced, Indigenous Peoples and marginalized groups. The global climate crisis disproportionately impacts those social groups and further affects their right to live in a healthy and secure environment, their right to health, to food, to clean water, to education, to development, to cultural heritage, etc. In this context, this side-event will focus on how (extreme) poverty, structural inequalities and root vulnerabilities cause marginalized communities to be most and disproportionally affected by climate change. The speakers will explore how revisiting existing policies, field approaches and resource allocation resolutely driven by/from a human rights perspective may ensure effective benefit for the most vulnerable communities.
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