Group of Friends of Culture -Based Climate Action
About the Group of Friends of Culture-Based Climate Action
The Group of Friends of Culture-Based Climate Action at the UNFCCC is an informal coalition of UNFCCC member states directed towards strengthening political momentum for an effective, coherent and coordinated action to support and advocate for culture and heritage-based climate action. The primary objective of the Group of Friends is to serve as an informal coalition of Parties & non-Party stakeholders dedicated to championing the comprehensive integration of culture into the UNFCCC agenda.
Chaired by the Ministers of Culture of the UAE and Brazil: H.E. Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi and H.E. Margareth Menezes, over 30 national governments from across the globe are now members of the Group of Friends, represented by diverse culture and environment ministers and other government representatives. Intergovernmental and civil society organisations may join as Knowledge Partners to support the Group of Friends through the provision of subject matter expertise.
The importance of the creation of the Group of Friends of Culture-Based Climate Action is reflected in that it was acknowledged by G7 Ministers of Culture in the Declaration adopted in September 2024 in Naples.
Global Call signatories strongly supported the Group of Friends.
The High Level Ministerial Meeting at COP28, DubaiThe Group was launched on 8 December 2023 at COP28 at the first ever multilateral high-level ministerial on culture-based climate action to be held at a COP. This Dubai event built on the bi-lateral High Level Ministerial Dialogue on Cultural Heritage-Based Climate Solutions convened by Egypt and Jordan at COP27.
The Group of Friends includes the following countries:
Antigua & Barbuda
Bahrain
Brazil
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Chad
Democratic Republic of
Congo
Egypt
France
Gabon
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Iraq
Italy
Jordan
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Mali
Malta
Mexico
Morocco
Namibia
Nigeria
Pakistan
Paraguay
Peru
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Spain
Slovenia
Uganda
Vietnam
What’s next for the Group of Friends?
The Group of Friends of Culture-Based Climate Action at the UNFCCC (GFCBCA) will reconvene on 15 November 2024 at COP29 in Baku for the 2nd High-Level Ministerial for Culture-Based Climate Action at COP29, “fortified by the shared conviction that acknowledging the cultural dimensions of climate action is crucial for achieving effective and sustainable solutions to the climate crisis.”
We will share an update on the outcome of this meeting via our newsletter.
Thanks to the support of ALIPH
