EESC side events

Wednesday 3 November 2021 | 14:15-15:30 | UK time (15:15-16:30 CET)

Skills for a just transition to achieve the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

ILO research shows the transitioning to renewable energy sources and a circular economy will create 100 million jobs. However, the jobs are conditional of investing in skills and reskilling of the workforce. The ILO Guidelines for a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all are calling for the well planned for transition to a greener and more sustainable future. This requires a whole of society approach with government and social partners. In other words, closing the skills gap is absolutely crucial for a just transition with green jobs and prosperity for all.

Following the United Nations Climate Action Summit 2019, where some 48 countries made commitments to support a just ecological transition by formulating national plans for a just transition through social dialogue, the Climate Action for Jobs (CA4J) was launched the COP25 in Madrid to drive climate ambition with a just transition for all.

In the spirit of one UN, the CA4J is designed to support countries in implementing their national climate action commitments, while ensuring that jobs, well-being and a just transition remain at the heart of climate responses. This session brings together representatives from across UN Member States, business and industry, trade  unions, civil society and UN agencies to address the question of skills for a just transition for all, in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Where: SDG Pavilion
To join the event: www.un.org/en/COP26/SDGPavilion 


Wednesday 3 November 2021 | 16:30-17:30 UK time (17:30-18:30 CET)

Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration COP26 event

The Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration unites the most forward-thinking sub-national and local authorities with a pledge to accelerate the development of integrated food policies and a call on national governments to act.

The Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration is open to signatures from subnational, regional, local and indigenous governments of all sizes across the world. National governments are encouraged to endorse the Declaration and its call to action! Non-governmental, private sector and civil society organisations, networks and associations are welcomed to join as partners and supporters.

Where: Multilevel Action Pavilion
To join the event register at: www.cities-and-regions.org/multilevel-action-pavilion/


Friday 5 November 2021 | 13:00-15:00 UK time (14:00-16:00 CET)

Towards more inclusive and fair Climate Action: a Multilevel and Multigenerational Europe

This session brings to the table all these actors, including youth representatives, as well as national  and local policy makers, to share an outlook on possible future governance and organisational structures. Through several rounds of discussion, the session will discuss measures and actions already being  implemented to move towards a multi-level and multi-generational governance, and bring forward ideas on the next steps needed to ensure fairer more inclusive climate action

The moderator will ask panellists to address the following questions:

  1. How do you see your context (city, nation, institution) in 20 years from now?
  2. Who are the actors involved and how are relations among them?
  3. What should be done now in order to reach that future?
  4. Share an example of what is already ongoing to make this happen

Where: Multilevel Action Pavilion
To join the event register at: www.cities-and-regions.org/multilevel-action-pavilion/


Saturday 6 November 2021 | 10:00-11:00 UK time (11:00-12:00 CET)

Circular solutions by communities, business and youth: scaling up to reach the 1.5-degree target

Starting with inspiring stories from community, business, and youth perspectives, we showcase how the circular economy contributes to climate targets. The subsequent panel will discuss how to integrate and upscale circular solutions into national climate strategies like Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) and National energy and climate plans (NECPs). Interactive tools will be used to engage all stakeholders needed for kicking off circular climate action.

Where: EU Pavilion
To join the event register at: www.cop26eusideevents.eu/


Wednesday 10 November 2021 | 16:30-18:00 UK time (17:30-19:00 CET)

The power of localizing collaborative climate action

The shift towards a climate-resilient and sustainable economy is increasingly driven by bottom-up initiatives led by local authorities, communities, citizens, consumers, workers and innovative enterprises. Today, many countries, regions and cities also recognise the benefits of local climate action and support initiatives led by local communities.

Nevertheless, local communities continue to face obstacles and challenges that make them unable to realise their huge transformative potential. Civil society and local authorities should always be engaged in the development, implementation and monitoring of climate policies and strategies. Local climate action is where the leave-no-one-behind principle can be best applied, through offering equal chances to all those taking an active role as citizens, workers, members of associations and groupings.

The partners of the Coalition on Multi-level and Multi-stakeholder Climate Governance (Comité21, Committee of the Regions, ECOLISE, EESC, ICLEI, OECD) have been making efforts to support collaborative local climate action, make it visible to the policy-makers and advocate for an enabling framework. The webinar will take stock of the most recent achievements and propose new avenues of accelerating climate action with local communities.

Where: OECD Pavilion
To join the event register at: oecd-events.org/cop26


Thursday 11 November 2021 | 11:30-12:30 UK time (12:30-13:30 CET)

Youth and decision-makers discuss nature, energy, water and sustainability in the global economy

This event will feature an intergenerational and international discussion on critical areas for climate and social justice: nature, energy transition, water management and sustainability in the global economy. Youth and high-level decision-makers will engage in a dialogue on opportunities, challenges and ways to make climate and sustainability policies participatory.

The intergenerational aspect of climate and sustainability policies needs to be reflected in strong  meaningful youth engagement at all stages of decision-making processes. This event wants to be a step in this process. 4 youth experts will present the role that youth play in the 4 critical areas and the challenges of their participation. They will also introduce 4 main questions to address to the decision makers. The decision-makers will have 10 minutes each to respond to the 4 questions. A debate and an open Q&A session will follow.

Where: EU Pavilion
To join the event: no registration is required. You can watch the webstream live on our dedicated website.


Thursday 11 November 2021 | 13:15-14:30 UK time (14:15-15:30 CET)

Just Transition - a multi-sectoral perspective to achieve ambitious climate policies

Ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) are best achieved if they focus on just transition principles developed jointly with civil society. In this event, we will explore how a just transition can promote the implementation of ambitious climate policies in key sectors in different regions in the Global North and South.

Where: UNFCCC side event - Multimedia Studio
To join the event: COP 26 Side Events YouTube Channel