Loss and Damage in Focus: 10 Years of the Warsaw International Mechanism

Warsaw International Mechanism 10 Year Anniversary Photo Exhibition

Credit: Gildart / Midjourney

2023 marked the 10th Anniversary of the establishment of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts. The 10-year Anniversary provided an opportunity to reflect on advances made in institutionalizing efforts aimed at averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage and put a spotlight on challenges and solutions.

The WIM Executive Committee organized
Loss and Damage in Focus: 10 Years of the Warsaw International Mechanism
A Photography Exhibition at COP28

The impacts of climate change are felt more acutely than ever before. Supercharged storms, intense floods and persistent droughts are already affecting billions of people around the world. Loss of lives and livelihoods and damage to properties and assets are the tragic and inevitable result of these impacts. Slow onset events – sea level rise, ocean acidification, land degradation, biodiversity loss and more – are also poised to cause loss and damage. The latest reports of the IPCC confirm that urgent action is needed.

COP 19 established the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change Impacts (WIM) in 2013. It also established its Executive Committee (WIM ExCom), which guides the implementation of the functions of the WIM promoting integrated and coherent approaches to loss and damage associated with climate change impacts.

To commemorate its establishment the WIM ExCom presents Loss and Damage in Focus: Ten Years of the Warsaw International Mechanism, a photography exhibition that took place at COP 28. The exhibition, featuring select photos from a diverse set of contexts, aims to illustrate responses to loss and damage and showcase possible solutions, while telling the stories of the people and the communities on the frontlines of climate change.

Guidelines for Submitting Photos

DEADLINE EXTENSION FOR SUBMISSION OF PHOTOGRAPHS: 30 September 2023

Submit your image to LossAndDamageInFocus@unfccc.int (max size 5MB)

Guidelines for submitting photographs:

Only photographs that will be assessed to depict imagery that is coherent with the theme of the exhibition will be accepted. The focus of the exhibition is to showcase loss and damage relevant solutions and examples of efforts to avert, minimize and address loss and damage.
Submissions are open to all, including professional photographers and UN system staff, with the exception of UN Climate Change staff.
Winning entries in photo announced before 5 June 2023 are not eligible for the exhibition
Photographs must not be copyrighted elsewhere.
No entry fee will be charged.

Steps to submit your photographs:

1. Complete the Copyright Release Form, including signature(s) and acceptance of legal conditions. The Form will also require you to provide identifying information, a brief image title (~20 words), a description of the image (~150 words) and legal release.

2. Email your photographs and Copyright Release Form to LossAndDamageInFocus@unfccc.int with the subject “Loss and Damage in Focus”.

3. Entries will be received until the 30 September 2023 at 11:59 CEST.

Format of photos for submission:

Images must be submitted in JPEG format and should be sized to be between 2,000 and 6,000 pixels in the longest dimension.
Please limit your images to a maximum file size of 5.00KB (5MB). Larger files may be requested for printing.
Please do not include any watermark or borders on your images.
Color or monochrome images will be accepted.
Entries may have been taken from any camera, digital (including smartphones) or film (as a high-resolution scan).
Image data files can be created with digital smartphones and digital cameras, including medium and large-format cameras.
Submitters should perform all digital manipulation before submission. Images will not be further manipulated in any way.
Post-processing images is allowed. This includes global adjustments to exposure, contrast, burning, dodging, cropping, sharpening, noise reduction and tone. Minor cleaning of images is permitted.
Techniques that involve using multiple images taken at the same time and place are also allowed.
Images that appear to be overly processed may be subject to disqualification at the organizer’s discretion.

Selection and Legal Details

Selection of photographs:

Selection of photographs for the exhibition will be conducted by the Executive Committee of the WIM and UN Climate Change. The selection process include additional partners or experts.
Selected photographs may be displayed at the COP 28 UN Climate Change Conference in November 2023, on the UN Climate Change website, on social media as well as on other platforms.
All submissions will be included in an image bank and may be used by UN Climate Change for outreach purposes and in future publications, royalty free and with proper accreditation.

Legal details:

The UN Climate Change reserves the right to use, name, and publish any entry at its discretion, without any compensation to the photographer. The copyright will remain with the photographer.
Credit will be given to the photographer.
Submitters must own all legal rights to the photographs submitted, and have the responsibility of obtaining and including with their submissions all necessary legal releases. In case of any discrepancies as to the ownership of a photograph, UN Climate Change reserves the right not to include the photo in the exhibition.
Entries must include a signed release from any person(s) appearing as a primary subject in the photograph or from the legal guardian(s) of minor(s) appearing as a primary subject.
Individuals who submit photographs are responsible for any claims that might arise from the use of photographs submitted by UN Climate Change, and UN Climate Change shall not be held responsible for any such claims.

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