Climate Negotiations and Justice for Vulnerable Populations: Perspectives for COP 17 and Rio+20

A C4D Learning Conference in collaboration with
CCIC Africa Canada Forum and
Asia Pacific Working Group and
Canadian Food Security Policy Group

September 26, 2011

At the Best Western Plus Victoria Park Suite,
377, O’Connor Street, Ottawa, Ontario

Agenda

See Below for Background and Objectives of the Conference

8:30 – 9:00    Registration and Coffee


9:00 – 9:30    Welcome and Objectives

• Carol Thiessen , Public Policy Advisor, Canadian Foodgrains Bank

9:30-10:30     Setting the Scene: 

This panel will provide an overview of the trajectory of climate debates through UNFCCC, Rio+20 and other fora, highlighting key issues for vulnerable populations.

• Pat Mooney, Executive Director, ETC Group
• Mohau Pheko, Her Excellency High Commissioner of the Republic of South Africa
• Moderator: Carla Sbert, Manager of Conservation Programs and Legal Issues, Nature Canada

10:30-11:00   Break

11-12:30         Financing Climate Change Mitigation: the Case of Forests

This panel will look at proposals for cutting greenhouse gas emissions through reducing deforestation and degradation, and forest conservation. Key debates are how to finance these efforts, the role REDD+ may have in achieving climate goals, and outcomes for vulnerable populations.

• Jessica Boyle, Project Officer Climate Change and Energy, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
• Maria Theresa Nera-Lauron, Coordinator, People’s Movement on Climate Change, Philippines
• Estebancio Castro, Executive-Secretary, International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of Tropical Forests
• Moderator: Julia Sanchez, President-CEO, CCIC

12:30-1:30     Lunch and networking

1:30-3:00       Agriculture and Climate Change

This panel will examine the debates on how agriculture can help mitigate climate change, while also adapting to increased climate risks and improving food security. Key questions include how agriculture is being addressed in current negotiations and the implications for smallholder farmers. What path would best achieve the co-benefits of mitigation and adaptation?

• Doreen Stabinsky, Senior Advisor Trade and Governance,  Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP)
• Assétou Founé Samaké, Director, Institut Africain pour l'Alimentation et le Développement Durable (IAD), Mali (by videoconferencing)
• Moderator: Susan Walsh, USC

               
3:00-3:30    Break

3:30-4:30    Now What? Mobilization and Policy openings in the lead-up to Durban, Rio+20 and beyond

The panel will provide a scan on hopes for Durban, Rio +20 and beyond, highlighting possible policy openings and possibilities for Canadian CSO action.

• Steven Guilbeault, Cofounder and Deputy Executive Coordinator, Equiterre
• Roger Rashi, Climate Justice Campaign Coordinator, Alternatives
• Moderator: Gauri Sreenivasan, Policy Coordinator, CCIC

 

Public Forum: Farming, Forests and Fuel – Southern Perspectives on Climate Change

September 26 from 7pm to 9pm
Senate Room (TBT083), Tabaret Hall, University of Ottawa

This event will provide a general overview of peoples’ responses in the South to climate change and upcoming international negotiations.

• Maria Teresa Nera-Lauron, People’s Movement on Climate Change, Philippines
• Estebancio Castro, Executive-Secretary, International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples ofTropical Forests
• Mithika Mwenda, Coordinator, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance
• Moderator: François Fortier, Assistant Professor, School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa

September 27:  CCIC Africa-Canada Forum and Asia Pacific Working Group Symposia on climate justice debates in the continents.








Background:

There is a growing public and political debate on the intersection of the food, climate and development crises. Upcoming international negotiations for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (in Durban, November 2011), and for Rio+20 (in Riode Janeiro, Brazil, June 2012), will push such debates further into the limelight and prompt important reflection in Canada about strategies for government, CSO  and citizen action. Canadian civil society organizations in the Canadian Coalition on Climate Change and Development (C4D) are interested to deepen their understanding of key policy debates in these negotiations, particularly in terms of their implications for small farmers, indigenous peoples and other marginalized populations who are deeply affected by climate change and international efforts to address it, and whose voices—often calling for different approaches—are rarely heard.


Allied and linked CSO coalitions in Canada, including C4D, FSPG and the Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCIC) geographic working groups, have similar interests to deepen knowledge on policy debates and boost members’ capacity and readiness for engagement in the coming year. Collaboration among such networks will broaden CSO participation and enable a building block approach to the learning of complex issues through linked events over several months, culminating in a conference in fall 2011.


Debates on some of the core issues in the negotiations reflect very different perspectives and world views, and have partly resulted in different ‘silos’ of understanding.  It is important for CSOs to learn about policy and political bottlenecks through exposure to multiple viewpoints, including critical Southern CSO perspectives.  Key issues that have emerged for small farmers, fisher folk and forest dwellers include debates about whether market-based mechanisms are effective vectors for arresting climate change, and questions as to the most effective means for addressing agriculture  in both mitigation and adaptation strategies.


Objectives

• To improve coalition members’ understanding of the different perspectives in the major debates regarding COP 17 and its implications for vulnerable populations such as small farmers and indigenous peoples.  Key issues to explore include REDD+, the role of agriculture in the UNFCCC negotiations, and diverse agendas for mitigation and adaption strategies.
• To increase CSO understanding of the opportunities and relevance of policy and advocacy work on these issues outside of the UNFCCC, notably the RIO+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development.
• To enhance linkages and networking among Canadian coalitions and working groups, help break down silos, and build shared understanding of diverse, particularly Southern, perspectives on climate justice.
• To contribute to public debate and discussion ahead of COP 17 on opportunities for Canadian action, and enhanced understanding of the perspectives and agendas of farmers and indigenous peoples.
  

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