The informal virtual networking meeting for National ACE Focal Points was organized as an online event on 4 April 2023 repeated in two, one-hour sessions. Interpretation in French was available for the first session and interpretation in Spanish was available for the second session.

The Glasgow work programme on ACE encourages Parties “to designate, assign responsibilities to, and provide support, including technical and financial support, and access to information and materials to national Action for Climate Empowerment focal points” (Decisions 18/CP.26, para. 8 and 22/CMA.3, para. 8), also known as national ACE focal points. The responsibilities of national ACE focal points “could include identifying areas for possible international cooperation and opportunities for strengthening synergies with action under other conventions, and coordinating the preparation of the chapter on ACE in national communications, ensuring that relevant contact information, including weblinks, is provided therein.”

The informal virtual networking meeting responds to the request to the secretariat to support “Increased peer-to-peer exchange among national ACE focal points about ACE activities carried out at the national level through, inter alia, the ACE Dialogues, the regional climate weeks and informal virtual networking meetings organized by the secretariat.” (Action Plan of the Glasgow work programme on ACE Activity B.2, priority area coordinated action).

Following submissions for structuring the 2023 ACE Dialogue, the meeting was an opportunity to present these findings to National ACE Focal Points who were provided with the opportunity to collectively reflect on the findings and share concrete country experiences that can be shared at the ACE Dialogue. In addition, the National ACE Focal Points were provided with the opportunity to highlight some of their needs for the ACE Focal Points Academy scheduled to take place in June 2023 during SB 58. Moreover, the meeting fostered peer-to-peer exchange among National ACE Focal Points about ACE activities carried out at the national level with a presentation by the ACE National Focal Points of the UAE regarding the UAE’s 100-day Action for Climate Empowerment Road Map which lays the groundwork for the development of their National ACE Strategy.

Agenda  

The informal virtual networking meeting is supported by the Action for Climate Empowerment Hub (ACE Hub). The ACE Hub is a three-year collaboration between the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and UN Climate Change. The overarching goal of the project is to foster the implementation of ACE, as well as to enhance the cooperation between national governments, non-Party stakeholders and organizations, experts and companies within and outside NRW in addressing climate change.