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Letter: (ICCN) The role of advisory climate councils in supporting world leaders to deliver on the Paris Agreement

1. Outline

This is a letter from the International Climate Councils Network to Heads of Government of Parties to the Paris Agreement and the COP26 President Designate Rt Hon Alok Sharma, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa about the launch of a new global network of internartional climate advisory councils. It is summarised below.

International Climate Councils Network:

  • The International Climate Councils Network (ICCN) will provide an ongoing forum to facilitate collaboration and mutual support between Climate Councils from around the world.

2. Key messages

Together, we have identified the following five principles which we consider to be integral to enabling Climate Councils to fulfil their roles effectively:

  • A robust grounding in the latest climate science, as exemplified by the assessments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), supported by strong expertise across relevant economic, physical, ecological and social sciences.
  • A mandate to provide independent, evidence-led advice to and assessment of action by Government and stakeholders on climate mitigation and/or adaptation, with sufficient resources to deliver on that mandate.
  • A remit to produce advice on the socioeconomic aspects of the climate transition to ensure that it is procedurally and substantively fair.
  • A consultative and impartial approach to engaging stakeholders to help develop consensus and steer policy action, particularly in critical and/or challenging areas.
  • A sharp focus on strengthening and aligning adaptation, mitigation and just transition efforts, and improving their integration – all three are essential to effective climate action.

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