November 22, 2018 - 8:00am
Timezone: Pacific/Majuro
The CVF Virtual Climate Summit will be broadcast live on 22 November 2018 starting 8 AM Majuro Time (MHT) / 8 PM Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). It is a strategically-timed political moment for national leaders to stand in solidarity with those most vulnerable to the growing impacts of climate change, and reinforce efforts under the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5ºC.
This entirely online event is a major opportunity for leaders to signal a strong intent to enhance their ambition ahead of the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit in September 2019, and the Paris Agreement’s “Step Up” moment in 2020.
The Summit is convened by the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) in its capacity as the new Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) President.
In order to highlight the importance of women’s leadership in climate action, and to promote the success of the Summit, President Heine of the Marshall Islands appointed a special voluntary group of all-women 'Summit Champions' co-chaired by Ms. Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and Ms. Rachel Kyte, CEO of Sustainable Energy for All. The aim of the Champions group is to actively communicate on the Summit, to champion the role of women in addressing climate change, and to encourage the CVF Virtual Summit’s different member and observer state leaders to fully engage with the initiative, complementing the official outreach of the Marshall Islands government and other Summit partners.
Participation
The CVF invites Heads of State/Government and high-level representatives of other partners to contribute a three-minute video intervention. Reaffirming commitment to the Paris Agreement, leaders are encouraged highlight:
What is at stake for vulnerable countries due to climate change; A climate story (local struggle, inspiration); Any new climate efforts or intentions to raise ambition, including in relation to updating NDCs.Why the Summit is important
The IPCC’s 1.5 degrees report - which was released on October 8, 2018 - reaffirmed the fact that efforts of nations currently fall short of the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degrees limit. At the December 2018 UN Climate Change Conference at Katowice (COP24), Poland, the world’s governments have a rare opportunity to identify options and possibilities to take further actions together to limit global warming. Just ahead of COP24, the CVF Summit aims to provide new impetus for such an outcome, and to strengthen calls for vital support to vulnerable groups who face increasingly severe risks.
A Virtual Summit
This zero emissions summit will take place on a reliable and secure Google-based online platform for 24 hours on Thursday, November 22, 2018. Leaders will join live-streamed or by pre-recorded video segments. The audience – governments, global companies, cities, states, civil society and media – will be encouraged to engage interactively by commenting on the secure platform, or via social media using the hashtag: #VirtualClimateSummit. The event will include “plenary” statements and “thematic discussions” on key topics each convened by leading organizations.
Anticipated Summit Outcomes
Deliver concrete signals reaffirming the importance of the Paris 1.5C limit and demonstrating new climate efforts or intentions to raise ambition, in solidarity with the most vulnerable; Galvanize momentum, ahead of COP24 and towards the UNSG’s Climate Summit next year as a key political moment for raised ambition to keep the vulnerable and the world safe.Background
The CVF was founded in 2009 as a platform for those nations, which are most vulnerable to, and suffer the worst impacts from, climate change. There are currently 48 CVF member countries. Through the Forum’s 2016 Vision adopted at Marrakesh, CVF members undertook to seek maximal resilience, to emerge as wealthy nations, and trigger efforts by all to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, encouraging other nations to act by preparing mid-century low-carbon long-term development strategies and strengthening their national climate targets by 2020.
The CVF Virtual Summit is designed to reinforce this commitment and encourage others to urgently join the movement.
