ACE Focal Points Academy

Background

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”, 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 ACE Focal Points Academy has responded to the request to the secretariat under the priority area of tools and support of the Glasgow work programme on ACE to “strengthen the network of national ACE focal points at the international and regional level, including by facilitating regular exchanges of views, good practices and lessons learned to build and strengthen capacity and skills, and by facilitating peer support for ACE implementation”, which framed the objective of the workshop.

Objectives

The overall objective of the ACE Focal Points Academy is to strengthen the network of national ACE focal points at the international and regional level, including by facilitating regular exchanges of views, good practices and lessons learned to build and strengthen capacity and skills, and by facilitating peer support for ACE implementation.

A variety of training modules is provided based on the needs identified by ACE Focal Points and ACE negotiators, where countries could showcase good practices and interact with experts in the relevant fields who can share their expertise and answer questions.

*Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) is a term adopted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to denote work under Article 6 of the Convention (1992) and Article 12 of the Paris Agreement. The over-arching goal of ACE is to empower all members of society to engage in climate action, through the six ACE elements - climate change education and public awareness, training, public participation, public access to information, and international cooperation on these issues.

For more information on ACE, click here.

Credit: UNFCCC

The ACE Focal Points Academy took place from 10– 11 June 2024 and was organized as a hybrid event in collaboration with multiple local, regional and international partners. Simultaneous interpretation in French and Spanish was made available.

During the one-and-a-half days of the academy, various training modules were provided based on the needs identified by ACE Focal Points and ACE negotiators. National ACE focal points had an opportunity to showcase good practices; receive hands-on and interactive training and engage in meaningful discussions through diverse formats such as plenary discussions and breakout groups; as well as interact with experts in the relevant fields.

The ACE Focal Points Academy was divided into the following sessions:

Day 1 – 10 June

Session 1 - Context setting: The objective of this session was to strengthen the national ACE focal points network. This objective was achieved through sharing experiences on enhancing internal collaboration and coordination mechanisms for developing strategic and country-driven approaches to ACE, linked to national climate change objectives.

Session 2 – Tools and Support: The objective of this session was to develop the capacity of national ACE focal points to gather data including carrying out needs assessments for ACE implementation. The session was also useful in providing strategies for determining the most efficient and cost-effective way to implement ACE activities.

Day 2 – 11 June

Session 1 – Tools and Support: The objective of this session was to enhance the capacity of national ACE focal points by showcasing the added value of developing partnerships among Parties, as well as with intergovernmental organizations to facilitate the implementation of ACE activities. In addition, the session provided learning in developing funding instruments and approaches at the subnational and local levels to support ACE activities.

Session 2: Children and Youth Engagement at the National Level: The objective of this session was to highlight opportunities and best practices for national ACE focal points to engage with children and youth effectively in the implementation of ACE. The session also addressed several questions such as the various tools and support available to youth and national ACE focal points to implement ACE activities at the national level.

Skills-building: Various skills-building components were integrated into daily sessions to strengthen key skills national ACE focal points can utilize in their daily work.

Agenda

Time	Topic / Format	Speaker
DAY 1, June 10
13-15-14:15	Lunch
14:15 -14:40	Opening and Welcome Welcomes Survey results to situate ACE Focal Point needs and the Academy agenda Brief re-cap on ACE and linkages to expert run session focusing on developing a project proposal	Fleur Newman, UN Climate Change Ameil Harikishun, CDKN
Peer to Peer Introductions
14:40 -15:40	Peer to Peer Introductions Interactive session to strengthen the National ACE Focal Points network Interactive ice breaker activity to get ACE Focal Points meeting each other and getting oriented to the focus of the Academy Station A: NDCs Massiel Cairo, Dominican Republic (Presentation here) Station B: NAPs – Teddy P Taylor, Liberia (Presentation here) Station C: Enhanced Transparency Framework Marcia Tinto, Trinidad and Tobago (Presentation here) Station D: Long -term strategies Saadatu Gambo, Nigeria (Presentation here) Online Johanna Arriagada Diaz, Chile	National ACE Focal Points
BREAK (15 min)
Data gathering to inform the development of project proposals and identification of entry points
15:55 -17:15	Approaches to carrying out needs assessments to inform the development of project proposals (either something new or feeding into one on e.g., adaptation etc.) GEF SGP (20 min) UNICEF and Education Cannot Wait (25 min) FAO (20 min) Q&A (15 min)	Valentyna Kyrychenko, GEF SGP Ingrid Tapia Sanchez, UNICEF and Raakhi Williams, Education Cannot Wait Liva Kaugure, FAO
5 min	Room Change
17:20-17:45	Group A Breakout + Online Needs assessments on training + identification of entry points (Facilitated by Marcia Tinto, Trinidad and Tobago) Group B Breakout Needs assessments on climate education + identification of entry points (Emmanuel Obeng, Ghana) Group C Breakout Needs assessment on public awareness + identification of entry points (Facilitated by Kavindu Ediriweera , Sri Lanka) Group D Breakout Needs assessment on public access to information + identification of entry points (Facilitated by Johanna Arriagada Diaz, Chile) Group E Breakout Needs assessment on public participation + identification of entry points (Facilitated by Massiel Cairo, Dominican Republic)	National ACE Focal Points
5 min	Room Change
17:50 - 18:00	Report Back
DAY 2, June 11
Tools and support for national ACE focal points
09:30 -10:00	Recap of Day 1 Programme for the Day
10:00 -10:30	Approaches of engagement: consensus building for fostering joint action Knowledge brokering and sharing Collaboration, coordination, and partnership development techniques Q&A	Ameil Harikishun, CDKN
10:30 -10:50	Approaches of engagement: Raising visibility of ACE in NDC implementation Case study: Developing an NDC Implementation Plan on Climate Change Education in Ethiopia Q&A	Lisa Maina, UNITAR
10:50 –11:15	Approaches of engagement: How to communicate your needs and increase political will Pitching to improve buy in for collaborations, coordination, partnerships, or adoption of the idea	Ameil Harikishun, CDKN
15 min	Break
11:30– 12:00	Exercise	National ACE Focal Points
5 min	Exercise wrap-up
12:05– 12:30	Report Back
1.5 hours	Lunch
14:00– 14:50	Developing Funding approaches for ACE implementation at the national and sub-national level responsive to people’s needs Innovative mechanisms to fund ACE - Quebec Case study (25 min) Case Study: Chile (10 min) Q&A (15 min)	Jean-Thomas Lortie-Keating, Quebec Johanna Arriagada Diaz, Chile
Youth engagement session
14:50– 15:20	Approaches for engaging with stakeholders: including local communities, Indigenous Peoples, children and youth, and other vulnerable groups. Effective integration of the principles of inclusivity, participation, and gender, children and youth responsiveness into project proposals.	Elena Oliveros - EUROCLIMA+
15 minutes	Break
15:45– 17:00	Approaches for mapping sources of finance + Exercises	Joshua Amponsem, Youth Climate Justice Fund
17:00-17:10	Discussion	Joshua Amponsem, Youth Climate Justice Fund
Next Steps for Action
17:10- 17:30	Wrap up session Key Takeaways Next Steps Final remarks	Ameil Harikishun, CDKN Fleur Newman, UN Climate Change
17:30 –18:00	Networking	ALL

The ACE Focal Points Academy was organized over a period of one and a half days on 7 and 8 June 2023 as a hybrid event in collaboration with multiple local, regional and international partners. The event was delivered in English, with simultaneous interpretation in French and Spanish.

A variety of training modules were provided based on the needs identified by ACE Focal Points and ACE negotiators. ACE Focal Points were provided with an opportunity to receive hands-on and interactive training and engage in meaningful discussions through diverse formats such as panel discussions and breakout groups to allow for discussion of topics at both the regional and international levels. During the session, countries were able to showcase good practices and interact with experts in the relevant fields. Various skills-building components were also integrated into daily sessions to strengthen key skills National ACE Focal Points can utilize in their daily work.

The ACE Focal Points Academy focused on the following topics:

Day 1 - 7 June

Session 1 - Context setting: The objective of this session was to strengthen the National ACE Focal Points network. This involved a variety of kick-off activities meant to build the network and identify challenges and opportunities for collaboration.
Session 2 – National ACE Strategies: The objective of this session was to build the capacities of ACE Focal Points to develop and/or implement their national ACE strategies depending on need.
Session 3 – Monitoring, evaluation and Reporting (MER): - The objective of this session was aimed at strengthening monitoring, evaluation and reporting of the implementation of all six ACE elements at the national level, according to Parties’ specific priorities, needs and national circumstances.

Time	Topic / Format	Speaker(s)
9:00 - 9:10	Opening and Welcome Welcome Survey results to situate ACE Focal Point needs and the Academy agenda	Fleur Newman, UNFCCC Marcia McKenzie, MECCE Project
Peer to Peer Introductions
9:10 - 9:30	Peer to Peer Introductions Interactive session to strengthen the National ACE Focal Points network Interactive ice breaker activity to get ACE Focal Points meeting each other and getting oriented to the focus of the Academy	Joy Mlambo, UNFCCC
National ACE Strategies
9:30 - 9:45	Introduction to National ACE Strategies (with Q&A) What is a national ACE strategy? Importance and benefits of having a national ACE strategy	Angus Mackay, UNITAR
5 min	Room Change
9:50-10:35	Group A Breakout Initiating discussion on the development of a National ACE strategy (steps and processes, contents of the strategy, etc.) Roles and responsibilities of National ACE Focal points in developing national ACE strategies Group B Breakout Experience in implementing National ACE strategies (successes, challenges, gaps, opportunities for scaling up, etc).	Stina Soderqvist, National ACE Focal Point Sweden and Johanna Arriagada, National ACE Focal Point Chile Fairda Malem, National ACE Focal Point Thailand and Tatenda Mutasa, National ACE Focal Point Zimbabwe
5 min	Room Change
10:40 - 11:00	Report Back: Lessons on successes and challenges from various stages and phases of work	ALL
15 min	Break
Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting
11:15 - 11:45	Introduction to MER (with Q&A) Why MER? Supporting policy coherence, coordinated action, target setting, e.g., in NDCs What is monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of ACE?	Marcia McKenzie, MECCE Project
11:45 - 12:45	Skill Building Presentations and Workshop: Evaluation Tools and approaches to analyze and assess ACE approaches	Nicola Chopin, MECCE Project
1 hour	Lunch
13:45 - 15:00	Skill Building Presentations and Workshop: Monitoring What and why to measure; indicators and resources (example indicators, SDGs, MECCE Project data, etc.)	Marcia McKenzie and Aaron Redman, MECCE Project
15 min	Break
15:15 – 15:40	Interactive Discussion: Reporting Tools and approaches for reporting on M&E findings, e.g., in National Communications	Aaron Redman, MECCE Project
15:40 - 16:30	Closing: Interactive Reflection Interactive session on how MER can support mainstreaming of ACE What’s on for Day 2	Susie Ho, MECCE Project
Until 17:00	Networking	ALL

Day 2 - 8 June

Session 1: Youth engagement at the national level: The objective of this session was to highlight opportunities and best practices for ACE Focal Points to engage with youth effectively. The session aimed at building the capacity of national ACE focal points on how to make youth engagement meaningful particularly related to the MER of ACE.

Time	Topic / Format	Speaker(s)
9:00 – 9:15	Recap of Day 1 Programme for the Day	Susie Ho, MECCE Project
Meaningful Youth Engagement in MER
9:15 - 10:00	Skill Building Presentations: Youth Engagement in Country-level MER (with Q&A) Experiences with youth engagement in MER Youth engagement in ACE at the national level and opportunities for collaboration in MER	Aidan James, Aether Mariana Campos Rivera, MECCE Project
5 minutes	Room Change
10:05 - 10:55	Breakout Groups: Discussion of Youth Engagement in MER Strengthening civil society, and youth, engagement in all aspects of ACE MER Developing monitoring indicators of youth engagement in ACE	ALL
5 minutes	Room Change
11:00 - 11:30	Session Closing Report back Overview plan for next session	ALL
15 minutes	Break
Next Steps for Action
11:45 - 12:05	Skill Building Presentation: Consensus Building Tools and Supports (with Q&A) Engagement and consensus building How to build shared directions for action with key communities	Marcia McKenzie, MECCE Project
12:05 - 12:55	Skill Building Presentation and Workshop: SWOT Analysis of MER Implementation (with Q&A) How to conduct a SWOT analysis Considering your learnings from the previous sessions, map the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for implementation of MER of ACE	Nicola Chopin, MECCE Project
12:55 - 13:15	Peer to Peer Interaction Gallery tour of SWOT analyses	Nicola Chopin, MECCE Project
13:15-13:20	Closing remarks from MECCE Project	Marcia McKenzie, MECCE Project
13:20 - 13:30	Final Remarks	Laura Vinuela, UNFCCC
1 hour	Lunch

The academy was 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.

For more information on ACE, click here.

The ACE Focal Points Academy was organized virtually from 18 – 20 October 2022 with interpretation provided in French and Spanish.

ACE Focal Points had the opportunity to receive hands-on and interactive training and engage in meaningful discussions through diverse formats such as panel discussions and breakout groups to allow for discussion of topics at the regional level.

The ACE Focal Points Academy in 2022 was focused on ACE national strategies and meaningful engagement of youth at the national level.

Agenda for day 1 - Context Setting

Minutes	Agenda Description
12:30 - 12:40	Welcome & Opening
12:40 -13:00	Introducing the Purpose of today’s focus area Mural introductions
13:00 – 14:25	Sharing wins and deepening connection: Small group activity Break (5 minutes) Plenary debrief (40 minutes) Capture Insights (5 minutes)
14:25 -14:55	Voices within our System
14:55 -15:00	Closing/ Thank you

Agenda for day 2 - ACE National Strategies

Minutes	Description
12:30 -12:35	Opening Welcome remarks About ACE Academy Introduction of KITE facilitators
12:35 -12:50	Our role and the global agenda
12:50 -13:55	National strategy process & methodology to design EUROCLIMA speakers Country examples
13:55 - 14:00	BREAK
14:00 -14:55	Raising National Visibility UNITAR speaker
14:55 - 15:00	Plenary Closing

Agenda for day 3 - Youth Engagement

Minutes	Description
12:30 -12:35	Welcome Remarks About ACE Academy Introduction of KITE facilitators
12:35 -12:40	Attendance
12:40 - 13:40	Actions for meaningful youth engagement NDC Partnership presenter How to engage youth in developing and implementing NDCs
13:40 - 13:45	BREAK
13:45 - 14:30	Meaningfully engage young people Care about Climate presenters Small group activity
14:30 - 14:40	Questions & Answers NDC Partnership Care about Climate
14:40 - 14:55	Learning cells: Peer consultations
14:55 - 15:00	Plenary Closing

Materials and presentations:

UNITAR presentation

Care About Climate presentation

EUROCLIMA presentation

ACE Focal Points Academy summary article

The academy was supported by the Action for Climate Empowerment Hub (ACE Hub) and the ACE ^AT Action for Climate Empowerment Innovation project.

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.
The ACE ^AT project is a collaborative global effort towards strengthening ACE within and beyond the UNFCCC process. Initiated and funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, with the secretariat as the lead partner and the Education, Communication and Outreach Stakeholders informal NGO groups, International Association of Advancement of Innovative Approaches to Global Challenges and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability being associated partners, the goal is to empower all members of society to engage in climate action and to change the perception of ACE.

For more information on ACE, click here.