18th Development & Climate Days: The Power of Grassroots Voices to Shape Effective Climate Policy

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This session will showcase grassroots organisations’ experiences and insights gained from developing innovative and effective climate resilience strategies, solutions, and policies. It will also discuss the actual and potential impact of partnerships between other urban stakeholders, such as development agencies and multilaterals, and grassroots movements in channeling resources and institutionalising effective policies at scale.
It will explore how grassroots movements and decision makers engage with and learn from one another to formulate and implement policies and programs that are responsive to the priorities of those historically marginalized from public planning processes. The session will focus on grassroots engagement with local and national stakeholders, reflecting on strategies to build trust and partnership with the government and other decision makers, and making a case for the inclusion of grassroots voices in shaping policies through the experience shared by multilateral organisations.
Facilitated by Margaret Arnold, Senior Social Development Specialist at the World Bank, the session will showcase the leadership and insights from seasoned grassroots leaders in community resilience, highlighting the distinct roles, tools and impacts of their movements to build community resilience from the ground up. Urban and rural grassroots leaders will share experiences utilising decentralised policies and programs to address community needs by influencing local government plans and decisions. Key discussants from the IIED, CJRF and SDI will share their insights and experiences on the impact of partnerships with social movements for their institutions and the need for international and multilateral agencies, government and private sector to meaningfully engage grassroots organizations in climate change decision / policy making.
Objectives
Highlight the distinct role of organized grassroots communities in advancing community resilience
Showcase successful strategies by grassroots social movements to influence and impact climate policy
Demonstrate the critical role of collaborative and trusted partnerships and alliances between grassroots movements and other decision makers to champion community-based solutions to climate change