EESC Side Events

Date: 16 November 2026
Time: 10:00-11:00 (GMT+3)

Justice by Design: A Socially Just Transition through Social Protection

A socially just transition requires embedding justice into climate policy from the outset, addressing structural inequalities throughout the policy cycle, from participation to the distribution of costs and benefits. This panel brings together governments, climate finance actors and practitioners as well as the Task Force on Linking Adaptive Social Protection and Climate Financing to explore country experiences in leveraging climate finance for social protection and social climate action.

Where: Just Transition Pavilion | COP31, Antalya, Türkiye
Organised by: EESC, ILO, GIZ/BMZ and the European Commission

Date: 18 November 2026
Time: 15:00-16:00 (GMT+3)

Transitioning away from fossil fuels for a clean energy future: preparations for Global Stocktake 2

COP31 offers a critical opportunity to reinforce climate multilateralism and accelerate a just, orderly and equitable transition away from fossil fuels, in line with the first Global Stocktake. COP31 is also the moment when preparations for the second Global Stocktake starts. This event will feed into a timely assessment, policy recommendations and civil society perspectives on fossil fuel phase out and a clean and just energy future into the opening of second Global Stocktake. 

Where: Finland Pavilion | COP31, Antalya, Türkiye
Organised by: EESC and the European Parliament

Date: 18 November 2026
Time: 11:30-12:30 (GMT+3)

Climate litigation: enhancing climate action and implementation 

In recent years, two debates have emerged in parallel and are increasingly intersecting. The first concerns the reform of climate governance, particularly how to make the UNFCCC process more effective and efficient, more inclusive of civil society, and more representative of the interests at stake. The second focuses on the growing impact of climate litigation worldwide, reinforced by international advisory opinions, most notably that of the International Court of Justice in July 2025. This side event will explore how these two narratives interact and how they may influence negotiations through the external actors and pressures shaping them. As more courts issue favourable rulings supporting calls for more ambitious state climate action, opportunities may arise for international climate governance to incorporate principles, standards and ambitions first articulated in judicial settings.

Where: Spanish Pavilion | COP31, Antalya, Türkiye
Organised by: EESC and the Spanish Ministry

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