Mark your calendars for 16 November when the Climate Heritage Network will hold an action-oriented Annual General Assembly (AGA) of its members  focused on organising, planning and preparing to bring the voice of arts, culture and heritage to the next UN Climate Summit (COP26).

The Climate Heritage Network Terms of Reference provide that:

The General Assembly of the Climate Heritage Network will be held on an annual basis. If practicable, the General Assembly shall occur alongside the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP) or another major global climate event as determined by the Steering Committee.

While the next UN Climate Summit (COP26), which was scheduled for November 2020 , has been postponed until November 2021, there’s still no time to waste!  The CHN Steering Committee has resolved to devote this year’s virtual Annual General Assembly to the theme: ‘Road to COP26: Bringing the Voice of Arts, Culture and Heritage to the 2021 UN Climate Summit.’  Indeed, the AGA date — 16 November — marks almost exactly one year until COP 26, making it an especially fitting time to begin our planning in earnest.

This COP follows the 5-year anniversary of the Paris Agreement and marks a critical juncture in the global effort to address climate change.  At the end of 2020 all nations must submit new national plans (called Nationally Determined Contributions or NDCs). It is worried that these NDCs will not show sufficient ambition or set clear targets for 2025 or 2030 to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C.  COP26 will need to fill this ‘ambition gap’ and that will require a strong global push form every sector, including culture.  Other key issues are on the agenda too, including:

• Adoption of a new direction for the UN’s Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) programme, the global platform for climate education, training, public awareness, public participation, public access to information, and international cooperation;

• Completion of the ‘rule book’ governing a new global carbon market system to help countries decarbonise their economies at lower cost, provided for under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Countries tried and failed to agree on rules governing this mechanism at COP25. Among the open issues is the extent to which development projects whose carbon credits may be traded on the new market will be subject to strong environmental and social safeguards (and whether those safeguards will protect Indigenous Peoples and cultural heritage).

• Climate finance, Loss and Damage, Adaptation and Resilience, Nature Based Solutions, Just Transition and sectoral decarbonisation for buildings, agriculture and more.

The CHN AGA will coordinate the work of CHN members to make sure we’re bringing an arts, culture and heritage perspective to all these issues.  We’ll discuss the best platforms for linking diverse arts, culture and heritage constituencies already planning on being at Glasgow and for encouraging engagement by new, diverse colleagues.  We’ll lay the planning for CHN sponsored tours, side events and other happenings and discuss strategies for building global engagement and momentum among those who won’t be at COP26 in person.

The 2020 Climate Heritage Network Annual General Assembly of members beings the 365-day countdown to COP26.  Get in on the ground floor by joining us on 16 November.  Not a CHN member yet? It’s not too late!  Join by 6 November to participate in the AGA!

Registration information has been sent to all CHN members. If you are a member and haven’t received registration information, contact Andrew Potts at andrew.potts @ icomos.org.