How to Achieve Effective Climate Action in International Cooperation?

Side Event to the Annual Conference of Swiss Development Cooperation ‘Saving the climate, fighting poverty’, based on the findings of the ‘Report on Effectiveness 2014’ by Swiss International Cooperation.

Rationale
The impacts of climate change on development are becoming more and more evident. Due to widespread poverty, lower resilience and coping capacities, people in developing countries are more severely affected than inhabitants of industrialized countries. The negative impacts threaten their lives and livelihoods and the hard-won gains achieved in reducing poverty in recent decades. That is why Swiss development cooperation has been profoundly engaged in interventions mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and improving the resilience and adaptation capacities of the affected populations in partner countries.

Background
The purpose of this event is to report whether and in what ways climate related Swiss development interventions have contributed to climate change mitigation and adaptation. External experts have carried out an independent assessment of SDC’s and SECO’s climate change related portfolio activities 2000-2012, which has generated valuable findings and conclusions. These shall be presented and discussed with the panellists and the audience.

Goal
The participants will explore and discuss pathways on how to better integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation into development cooperation programs and projects. In addition, they will seek to provide ideas and share best practices on how to improve the effectiveness of climate change related Official Development Aid (ODA). By sharing their expertise in the field of climate change and by fostering international cooperation, SDC and SECO intend to contribute to limiting the adverse effects of global warming and thus securing progress made in reducing poverty worldwide.

Programme
10:00 Welcome and opening remarks by SDC
10:10 Results (including a short video) & lessons learned
10:30 Comments on the link to international climate negotiations by the Swiss Federal Office of the Environment
10:40 Moderated panel discussion with SDC/SECO and invited guests from the academic community (UNIGE), international organisations (UNITAR), and NGOs (Helvetas Intercooperation)
11:20 Closing remarks by SECO
11:45 Transfer to “Geneva Arena”