New Delhi: The annual COP conference is the most important international gathering on climate change. It convenes leaders, policymakers, scientists and civil society from around the globe to identify joint solutions to advance climate action.
The Parliamentary Meeting to be held on the occasion of the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) is being jointly organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Egyptian House of Representatives. The meeting will take place on 13 November 2022 in Sharm-El Sheikh, Egypt.
The meeting will bring together the world’s parliaments and provide a platform to address key climate issues including emissions reductions, scaling-up adaptation efforts and mobilizing climate finance for developing countries that are on the front lines of climate change. The meeting will facilitate dialogue on the climate crisis among the global parliamentary community with the aim of identifying inter-parliamentary solutions for a more sustainable world.
According to the official release from organisers there will be five sessions besides official opening and closing ceremony. OFFICIAL OPENING will begin with welcoming remarks in which following dignitaries will participate: Dr.. Hanafy Gebaly, Speaker of the Egyptian House of Representatives, Mr. Sameh Shoukry, President of COP27 (tbc), Mr. Duarte Pacheco, IPU President, Mr. Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (tbc).
The FIRST SESSION will be on VOICES FROM THE FRONTLINES. This session will focus on the urgency to address the climate crisis. The latest scientific findings which highlight the drivers and impacts of climate change will be presented. These findings also point out what needs to be done to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Parliamentarians from highly vulnerable countries will share their national experiences and describe what living on the frontlines of climate change is like. Panellists will be Mr. Johan Rockström, Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Ms. Sherry Rehman, Federal Minister of Climate Change of Pakistan and Member of the Senate, Ms. Melati Wijsen, Founder, Youthtopia (tbc).
The SECOND SESSION will be on CLIMATE ACTION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: HOW CAN PARLIAMENTS ADDRESS THE INTERLINKAGES FOR A MORE RESILIENT WORLD? This session will highlight the critical inter-linkages between climate action and sustainable development. It will describe how parliaments can support sustainable development that is climate resilient, as well as climate action that contributes to sustainable development. It will focus on the particular development challenges of food security, displacement, conflict and fragile states, and energy, and their relationship to climate change. It will showcase concrete ways parliaments can use their powers to address these simultaneous climate and development issues. Panellists of participants for this session are: Mr. Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Federal National Council, United Arab Emirates, Mr. Gernot Laganda, Director of Climate, World Food Programme (WFP), Mr. Andrew Harper, Special Advisor on Climate Action, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) The panellists’ presentations will be followed by an interactive discussion.
The THIRD EVENT will be PARLIAMENTS FOR THE PLANET Teaser for a future IPU campaign to mobilize parliaments to take action on the climate emergency by Mr. Thomas Fitzsimons, Director of Communications, IPU
The FOURTH SESSION will be on PRIORITIZING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE. This session will focus on the issue of accountability as a major driver of climate injustice. There will be a discussion on the failure of developed and high-emitting countries to deliver on their promises to provide ample climate finance for and technology transfer to developing and most vulnerable countries. The session will explore ways parliaments can promote accountability and ensure developed countries play their part in the fight against climate change by reducing emissions, and scaling-up finance, particularly for adaptation. Panellists: Representative, Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (tbc), Mr. Saleemul Huq, Director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCD), Ms. Amira Saber, Member of the House of Representatives of Egypt (tbc) The panellists’ presentations will be followed by an interactive discussion.
The FIFTH SESSION will be on RAISING AMBITION AND ACCELERATING THE CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION: PARLIAMENT’S ROLE IN SUSTAINABLY POWERING OUR FUTURE. This session will highlight the urgent need to raise ambitions on emissions reductions targets. It will focus on the critical importance of accelerating the clean energy transition to reach the objectives of the Paris Agreement and promote sustainable development. Entry points for facilitating the energy transition and ensuring it is done in a just and inclusive manner will be presented. To inspire action on clean energy within their own countries, parliamentarians will also be informed of innovative renewable energy practices that are taking place around the world. Panellists: Ms. Miriam Hinostroza, Head, Global Climate Action Unit, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Mr. Henk Rogers, Founder, Blue Planet Alliance, Ms. Agnes Mulder, Member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands (tbc) The panellists’ presentations will be followed by an interactive discussion.
The LAST AND FINAL session will be OFFICIAL CLOSING in which adoption of the Outcome Document and closing of the meeting. The session will be led by the Rapporteur, Mr. Karim Darwish, appointed by the Egyptian House of Representatives. Closing remarks by Mr. Martin Chungong, IPU Secretary General, Representative of the Egyptian House of Representatives.
