The Egyptian Minister of Foreign affairs and COP27 President, Sameh Shoukry on Tuesday commended the decisive role of Civil Society and NGOs in the climate action process stressing that “All of us need to be involved and engaged from institutions to individuals in both acting and persuading others of the need to act”
“The role of Civil Society and NGOs in the climate action process is absolutely crucial. Effective climate action requires a whole of society approach,” Shoukry said.
In final week of COP27 climate talks in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, the issue of adaptation payments, known as “loss and damage” continue to be a big topic of discussion though some developed countries such as the United States has already made clear that it won’t support legal structures for loss and damage liabilities’
Participants at COP27 ACE and Civil Society Day shared best practices and identified challenges, as well as networking and developing multi-stakeholder partnership opportunities. Events and sessions showcased the roles and contributions of civil society in various forms of climate action and policy response both on the ground and at multilateral sittings.
A dialogue on the role of civil society in prevention and response to climate-induced disasters featured presentations of experiences – notably from the developing world – and efforts from civil society in preventing, managing, and responding to climate-induced disasters. With a drive to enhance the localization of climate action through a more holistic approach, the COP27 ACE and Civil Society Day recognized and advanced crucial and valuable activities.
According to the most recent assessment of climate impacts from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), loss and damage can broadly be split into two categories: economic losses involving “income and physical assets”; and non-economic losses, which include – but are not limited to – “mortality, mobility and mental wellbeing losses”.
Despite its importance to people, intangible loss and damage has historically received less attention from researchers than economic losses from climate change, according to the IPCC.
Developed countries in 2009 pledged 100 billion U.S. dollars a year to help lower-income nations by 2020. However, they still have not lived up to their promises. Latest reports indicate that this goal could be pushed back to 2023.
This article has been published with the support from MESHA/IDRC grant for COP27 coverage
