CBA7: Highlights of day four

Missed our live blog and webcast? Here are some highlights from the final day of the 7th community-based adaptation conference.

Blog by

Suzanne Fisher

25 April 2013

Highlights from day four

View the story "CBA7: Day 4" on StorifyCBA7: Day 4Missed our live blog and web cast? Here are some highlights from the final day of the 7th community-based adaptation conference. Storified by Suzanne FisherMurray· Tue, Apr 30 2013 00:50:36

Bangladeshi factory collapse

Early in themorning we held a minute's silence in solidarity with the injured and the at least 87 killed in a Bangladesh building collapse with many more trapped or injured.
Robert Gibson, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh spoke of the tragedy. “I hope the memory will be served by a greater respect for the rule of law at every level, by ensuring corruption is eliminated in private and public life. Human life is not cheap. We must do all we can to preserve it. ”#cba7 participants stand for a minute's silence in solidarity with the injured and killed in yesterday's building collapse in Savarpaul mitchell“I hope the memory will be served by a greater respect for the rule of law at every level" British High Commissioner to #Bangladesh at #cba7Suzanne FisherMurray

New CBA7-related blogs and press releases

Community maps reveal rich resources of land policymakers think is empty #CBA7 #Kenya #pastoralism bit.ly/YTCgebIIEDThe 'Day after Tomorrow' is actually today (but only for some) - blog by Paul Mitchell from Save the Children
Developing nations put #climate change at heart of plans bit.ly/YTChPb #CBA7 #adaptationIIED

Finance and other emerging challenges for mainstreaming community-based adaptation to climate change

Daniel Gallagher from the Adaptation Fund Boardsecretariat presented an overview of the fund - the fund, he says,"brings voices from the local communities up to the board level".Gallagher also talked about the challenges facing adaptation finance in fullyintegrating the community voice in decision-making. The fund has succeeded in incorporating the perspectives oflocal actors in the design stage, said Gallagher, but he asked how could thisbe strengthened at the review stage of proposals.

Gallagher later answered a question on how the Adaptation Fund was transparentwith their grant making and funding. Gallagher said that proposals that comethrough are published on their website, along with the technical reviews thatinform the Board’s decisions – the cycle happens three times a year. Theyinvite comments from civil society and other groups and would welcome furtherinput from any interested groups wishing to contribute to the review process.

How can local actors provide input at the design and thereview stage of proposals? Is this a challenge that any of you have overcome?

Final day at #CBA7 focuses on climate finance -- how to make it work for community-based #climatechange adaptationACCCRN. @IDS_UK 's Terry Cannon asks what is a community and how is it different from individuals or households? #cba7paul mitchellTerry Cannon from the Institute of Development Studies, UK said that he was going to throw out some controversial thoughts and urged participants to “think big.” He said we need to create linkages between climate change and previous climate change work and felt there was very little reflection on what we mean by community. What does it mean? Cannon said we don’t have enough top down policies. Actually we should be doing much more. The problem is that “the community is worshipped”. "So long as we put community-based in front of the name we think we have it covered", said Cannon. He wants to challenge that. Is community sufficient as a basis for climate change adaptation?"Is community sufficient as a basis for #climate #adaptation" challenges Terry Cannon, @IDS_UK at #CBA7ACCCRN“Communities aren’t warm and cuddly,” says Terry Cannon from @IDS_UK at #cba7. So, what is a community? What do you think?Suzanne FisherMurrayHow do we enable adaptation to happen for everyone? CBA can only reach a small number of people. It isn't sufficient. Terry Cannon #cba7paul mitchellTerry Cannon @IDS_UK 's self-described “cynical” definition of community: “Community = where we work” (RT'd with hashtag: #cba7)Suzanne FisherMurray. @IDS_UK 's Terry Cannon asks what is a community and how is it different from individuals or households? #cba7paul mitchell"We shouldn’t be afraid to talk about social class and power. In many places in Asia people are landless yet I haven’t found any research on land tenure and climate change adaptation," Cannon said. What is the role of CBA? He thinks it enables experimentation and the emergence of new adaptation methods. "We need top down policies" to explore, for example, the extension of social protection measures such as cash transfers. “We need to be think much bigger.”

Cannon quoted Rob van den Berg of the GEF who said current funding available for adaptation is around US $10 billion. Yet estimates of what is needed for adaptation is $100 billion per annum.

Cannon said subsidies (from public money) going to fossil fuel industries and agriculture (which make the greenhouse gas emissions worse) are worth around (US) $1000 billion. And the top 200 energy companies spent $674 billion to explore oil, gas and coal (Guardian 19 April 2013). “We are tiny insects trying to push an elephant” says Cannon.

Virtual participant Keshab replied: "But, if 1000 spiders unite they can trap a lion."
“We are tiny insects trying to push an elephant” Cannon @IDS_UK Adaptation funds =$10 billion. Fossil fuel subsidies = $1000 billion #cba7IIEDGEF makes 10bn USD available for adaptation to climate change per year - but 100 bn annually is what is actually needed... #CBA7BangkokDi“Fossil fuel companies are committing genocide” says Terry Cannon @IDS_UK #cba7Suzanne FisherMurrayCommunity-based adaptation cannot ignore issues of land tenure, access to resources, and power relations. (Terry Cannon, IDS) #cba7BangkokDiThere's $10Bn globally for #adaptation while subsidies to oil and agriculture are $1000Bn--we need to do more against this tide #CBA7ACCCRNAt same time, fossil fuel subsidies amount to 1000bn/year - making GHG emissions worse. #cba7BangkokDiTerry Cannon, IDS: fossil fuel co exploration is genocide #CBA7Alison WrightVirtual participant Keshab: "We need to have a mass policy advocacy strategies and actions of climate change networks to centralize and increase funding in adaptation. We need to enter into the national, regional and global political debated with evidence and lobbying. I see the roles of global networks and increased voices from LDCs and SIDS and also support from environmentalists of the developed countries."
Saleemul Huq from @IIED has announced location of CBA8 will be #Nepal. The theme will be: financing community-based #adaptation #CBA7IIEDLooks like next year's CBA8 will be in Nepal, focusing on financing for CBA, #CBA7ACCCRN“@IIED CBA8 in #Nepal - financing community-based #adaptation #CBA7” interestes in learning more in @FundecorCR where we implement EbAFelipe CarazoBIG THANKS to all who contributed 2 & worked 2gether on the #cba7gender photo stream! It's been so much fun! goo.gl/u2lDo #cba7Agnes OtzelbergerMary Robinson speaking soon at the closing session of #CBA7Mary Robinson MRFCJ

Conference closing session

The conference closing session included four high-profile women, including a video address with Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UNFCC, Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland, Camilla Toulmin, Director of IIED and Pauline Tamesis, Country Director, UNDP Bangladesh.#CBA7 closing session includes video address with @CFigueres Exec Secretary of @unfccc, Mary Robinson, & Camilla Toulmin Director @IIEDIIED“Villagers cannot be left alone” says Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UNFCC in a video address. “Activate stakeholders and action at all levels – it is the combination of mitigation and adaptation and us working at all levels that is our only chance of success.”The combination of mitigation and adaptation at all levels that is our best and only chance of addressing #climatechange - @CFigueres #cba7paul mitchell"Communities need national and international support...we have to work together at all levels" says Christiana Figueres, unfccc #CBA7ACCCRN@CFigueres addressing #cba7 by video message: Our work is not done until we have a global framework that provides local supportAgnes OtzelbergerVDO address by Christiana Figueres, unfccc at #CBA7 closing pic.twitter.com/BUZOryuBVKACCCRNP Tamesis UNDP at #CBA7: unlike in the west, climate change in the developing world is not about emissions, it's about people & livelihoodsMary Robinson MRFCJToday Bangladesh remains a leader in building resilience and is one of UNDP’s key areas of support said Pauline Tamesis, Country Director of UNDP. “This conference flags the issues close to UNDP’s goals such as inequality and justice, …how to create gender equality and issues of climate finance – allowing communities to innovate and try out new options. Giving more money doesn’t mean it will reach the marginalised – reaching these hundreds of millions of people is an immense challenge,” she said.
#cba7 Fiona Percy, CARE International on African Adaptation Learning Program & CBA s.scrbliv.me/ZOlY6m via @ScribbleLiveAgnes Otzelberger“This conference fits well with the climate justice dialogues which aims to mobilise political will to reach a climate agreement by 2015,” says Mary Robinson.Mary Robinson at #CBA7 "we need to focus on climate justice and fairness, including intergenerational justice" #CBA7 @MRFCJPlan EmergenciesA new 2015 climate agreement must recognise action by countries on adaptation as well as mitigation, says Mary Robinson at #cba7Mary Robinson MRFCJAccess to resources, gender equality and power asymmetries are key #climatechange equity issues - Mary Robinson at #cba7 @MRFCJpaul mitchellRobinson said she enjoyed participating in the session yesterday after her presentation and having reviewed the feedback sheets filled in by participants the key equity and justice issues identified were: gender inequality, unequal power relations within the community and unequal access to resources.
“I want to challenge you today to be more strategic to help us increase our impact. Use your alliances and networks – including reaching out to religious networks. Use all available platforms to say that reaching a 2015 climate agreement is imperative. Tell human-centred stories that appeal to our humanity – find a way to tell them to the right people,” she urged.A new 2015 climate agreement must recognise action by countries on adaptation as well as mitigation, says Mary Robinson at #cba7Mary Robinson MRFCJ"let's be brave and bold" Mary Robinson on climate justice at #CBA7 closing session. @MRFCJ pic.twitter.com/7J18Ww0LMPA ScozzaroMary Robinson at #CBA7: "let's be brave and bold and get a climate agreement in 2015", plea to CBA practitioners on climate changeMary Robinson MRFCJCall to action! "@MRFCJ: A new 2015 climate agrmnt must recognise action by countries on adaptation as well as mitigation, says MR at #cba7"Kimberley MarchantMary Robinson at #CBA7 "we need to focus on climate justice and fairness, including intergenerational justice" #CBA7 @MRFCJPlan EmergenciesAccess to resources, gender equality and power asymmetries are key #climatechange equity issues - Mary Robinson at #cba7 @MRFCJpaul mitchell

Shafiqur Rahman Patwari, Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forests of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh said we “pray for the souls” of the people who have died in the building collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Patwari said he hoped international and national participants will create a “positive momentum” in addressing climate change.

Camilla Toulmin, Director of IIED, said her early experience was in western Africa in the Sahel where she watched people coping with risk and build resilience. “It’s great that next year we’ll be looking at financing because getting the financial architecture right to get the money to the right people,” said Toulmin. She thinks about financing as plumbing – the pipes have quite a few leaks. “We need a plumbing system with smaller pipes to reach right down to the grassroots. Let’s think about how we can redesign that plumbing,” Toulmin said.
We need new 'plumbing' for #climatechange finance to make sure the 'pipes' reach the most vulnerable - @IIED 's Camilla Toulmin #cba7paul mitchellMary Robinson and Camilla Toulmin: haws have to think about post 2015 development goals and cc framework together #cba7 @CAREClimateEd BoydellAccess to resources, gender equality and power asymmetries are key #climatechange equity issues - Mary Robinson at #cba7 @MRFCJpaul mitchell

Lessons we can learn from gender mainstreaming

Agnes Otzelberger from CARE talked about the gender user-generated content project with over 80 photos and “lots of wisdom on mainstreaming”. One common message is that the voices of women and girls need to be much more present in community-based adaptation. They are not passive victims and want to be actively involved in the work. Some have said that the work is not just about women, gender equality is about equality between men and women and boys and girls. Another important message was to address the underlying vulnerabilities that women face.MT @agnescare: Wow! Thank u all 4 over 80 smiles n messages 4 CBA mainstreaming! Thanks 2 everyone who captured them!! #cba7gender #cba7GGCA SecretariatWe need to figure out the system in order to transform it - Pablo Suarez #cba7 #cba7gender flic.kr/p/edVjQbpaul mitchellGender equality = justice. Do we (the men) accept the challenge? - Mirko Gaimez #cba7 #cba7gender flic.kr/p/edsnUv via @ptmitchellGGCA Secretariat

CBA8 will be in Nepal: how can we make it even better?

Saleemul Huq from IIED announced that the location of the next conference - CBA8 - will be Nepal. The theme will be on financing community-based adaptation.Saleemul Huq from @IIED has announced location of CBA8 will be #Nepal. The theme will be: financing community-based #adaptation #CBA7IIED#cba7 decides to host cba8 in Nepal focusing on finance for CBA. Nepal allocates 80% of its adaptation funding to local actionpaul mitchell

“What innovative approaches will be used to finance CBA” asked Atiq Rahman from Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies. “How will we merge finance and local government?” These are some of the questions the next conference needed to answer, he said.

He also announced that CBA9 will be in Nairobi, Kenya in 2015 and CBA10 Dhaka, Bangladesh. He said some participants have asked about Latin American representation. Rahman says they will work to get more Latin American representation in the future.

“We as scientists are bad communicators. How do we communicate better to the governments, to the practitioners and the community themselves” asked Rahman.CBA7 participants had some suggestions on how to improve the conference. Pablo Suarez said: “We need to spend some of our time constructing something new that doesn’t exist – even some of the time – a real workshop is one where you create something where something before didn’t exist.”

Diane Archer, a research in the Human Settlements group at IIED suggested the next conference had more local actors. Paul Mitchell from Save the Children said: “more controversy at the start and not at the end” (referring to the presentation by Terry Cannon from IDS).

Virtual participants also had some suggestions. Mirko Arias: "I want to suggest for the next conference to improve the promotion of the conference in Latin America to bring the experiences and lessons learned and also analyse the problematic of climate change and community based adaptation fom this part of the world."

Melissa Bull: "And the Pacific region! We also need to figure out how we can support these small island communities who are geographically isolated from these types of knowledge sharing and learning events."

Atiq Rahman from Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies has officially closed CBA7. Thanks again for taking part! A big thanks to all our virtual participants for all their comments and questions. We know that 7795 people have viewed the CBA7 webcast so far, so we know lots of you have visited and listened. Thanks for all your participation. We hope to see you next year!Full 3 days of dialogue & strategy on community based adaptation with 200 participants from 40 countries. Great. #cba7A ScozzaroThanks @CAREClimate! "RT @CAREClimate: Way to go #cba7 ! The real VIPs were our 1500+ virtual participants! Less flights - more dialogue!"IIED

Watch all the video interviews with key speakers and participants at CBA7

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CBA7: Highlights of day four