14th International Conference on Community-based Adaptation to Climate Change

Join us for the 2020 International Conference on Community-based Adaptation to Climate Change, the leading practitioner-focused forum on climate adaptation, delivering dialogue and evidence to inform policy and action – from the local to the global scale.

The 14th International Conference on Community-based Adaptation to Climate Change (CBA14) will take place from 21-25 September 2020, bringing together practitioners, grassroots representatives, policymakers and donors for interactive discussions, workshops and skillshares.

CBA14 is the only conference that focuses on community-based adaptation, putting the people most vulnerable to climate change at the centre of the conversation. This year this key event in the climate adaptation calendar will take place online, with an innovative programme focused on learning, networking and creative dialogue.

Benefits of attending      

Although we are sad to not be able to meet in person, we are aiming to maximise the exciting potential of delivering a digital conference. We are designing a digital event with the community at its heart. CBA14 will enable participants from around the world to share, learn and engage in creative conversations via computer or via a smartphone app.

This event will not be a series of presentations and panels! We are building a wide-ranging and innovative programme that offers the fullest range of sessions, dialogues and ways to connect.

Flexible delivery

We are building a programme that can be delivered in ways to suit your schedule. You can join conference sessions live or download session videos and then contribute to the ongoing discussions online.

Learning opportunities

The conference videos and presentations will provide a valuable learning resource for practitioners and policymakers alike. At CBA14, you will be able to learn directly from those working on adaptation on the ground, as participants share examples of projects, evidence, tools, approaches through the marketplace, skillshares, and workshop sessions. We will be delivering our hugely popular Dragon’s Den sessions, which focus on developing strong funding proposals.

We will be giving training certificates to participants who have completed sessions in the CBA capacity building track.

Maximum networking

CBA conferences draw a wide range of people, from grassroots organisations to policymakers. In this year of cancelled in-person meetings, CBA will be one of the few places where South-South networks will have a chance to connect – both with colleagues from the global South and with major development partners.

Having the conference online allows us to bring together a wider, more diverse group, and can make it easier for you to contact the people you want to meet.

The programme structure is built around networking: we will be hosting online ‘meet-and-greet’ events in the run-up to the conference, and you will have the opportunity to connect online with leading practitioners from our community and others. We are keeping numbers limited so that session numbers are small enough to allow meaningful conversations.

You can use the search tools and message boards to identify colleagues working on similar issues and connect with them directly on the platform.

Programme

CBA14 will focus on five key themes and will aim to address these questions: 

• Climate finance: how can public and private sector finance be accountably and transparently mobilised to scale up climate action, while remaining inclusive? 
• Adaptation technology: how can technology be used to bring about adaptation at the national level, and be integrated through policy and finance?  
• Responsive policy: how can social movements inform policy that is ambitious enough to meet the Paris Agreement targets and improve climate adaptation for communities?
• Nature-based solutions: how can nature-based solutions be made to work for people, nature and climate?
• Youth stream: how can we transform our institutions so that they can take advantage of young people’s participation in delivering local-level adaptation?

Collaborate on the programme design

We want you to help develop the programme: submit your proposals for sessions, skillshares or the marketplace and collaborate with other organisations to develop them.

Online support 

This is an online workshop that people can attend via the internet from their computer or mobile phone. For best results – use both! 

We will provide registered participants with detailed guidance on how to attend and how to host sessions on the conference platform. 

Practical details: costs and how to register

We want to make CBA14 as inclusive as possible: to bring people together from all walks of life to share their lived experiences of community-based adaptation.

Pricing

To support this aim, we’ve created a sliding scale pricing scheme that addresses the expense of organising a major event but also minimises the cost for as many people as possible. We are asking those who can to pay a little more so that we can provide sponsorship for those who may not have the resources to attend. 

We are offering a range of registration fees and asking participants to pay what they can afford. Ticket prices range from £50, £100, £150 to £200. In addition, we have a ‘solidarity’ ticket for larger organisations. This is priced at £300 and includes a contribution to our sponsored places fund (see below).

Solidarity fund for sponsored places

To support a wide range of participants, we are offering sponsored places and are asking organisations to contribute to this sponsorship scheme via a solidarity ticket priced at £300. 

By contributing to the solidarity fund, you will be helping us to offer a more diverse and inclusive event with a wider cohort of participants from community organisations across the global South. Your contribution will be acknowledged on your profile page on the conference platform.

Sponsored places

We have reserved one-third of available places for students, representatives of community-based organisations, small NGOs and local government officials based and working in the global South that do not have support from international/global organisations, with a focus on women and young people. If you would like to apply for a sponsored place, please submit an application. 

Contact

For questions about registering or attending CBA14, please email event manager Karin Pointner (karin.pointner@iied.org). 

Opportunities to support this event

We are also seeking conference partners who can contribute expertise, strategic thinking, publicity and funds. CBA is not part of a large organisation with access to large amounts of unrestricted funds, and we rely on our community of partners to put this event together.

Taking into account the funds saved from your initial travel budget lines, please consider investing in this process with us by contributing your financial support. Your organisation can financially support CBA14 in a way that works for you. If you are interested in becoming a funder, a host or contributing partner, please email CBA programme manager Teresa Sarroca (teresa.sarroca@iied.org).

About the organisers 

CBA14 is organised by CARE, the Climate Justice Resilience Fund, the Global Resilience Partnership, Irish Aid, Practical Action and IIED, in collaboration with BRAC, the Huariou Commission, Green Africa Youth, IUCN NL, Environmental Management for Livelihood Improvement Bwaise Facility, African Centre for Trade and Development and Slum Dwellers International.