Development and Climate Days 2023
Join us in Dubai on 7 December for Development and Climate Days 2023 (D&C Days) – a day of informal discussion and honest dialogue linking climate change and development.
This year's D&C Days will take place in person, in Dubai, at COP28 (Image: IIED/D&C Days)
Update: This event sold out in late November, although it's still possible to join the waitlist for tickets.
The UNFCCC climate conference (COP28) in December 2023 is a critical moment for climate action, with the first ever Global Stocktake designed to assess the global response to the climate crises we are facing.
Early indications show just how far we are from meeting the targets of the Paris Agreement. It stresses the urgency of the situation, emphasising that if we don't step up our efforts, we will continue to see global temperatures rise with devastating consequences.
D&C Days 2023 will bring together leaders, thinkers, and innovators from across the globe united by the challenge of advancing climate action and effecting positive, lasting change. It will create a safe space for the uncomfortable yet necessary conversations about the challenges of inaction and shifting the status quo.
Our focus areas
This year we will focus on climate actions across adaptation/resilience, climate justice, and climate finance. We’re creating a space where bold initiatives and game-changing solutions can confront the challenges of inertia and slow progress towards meeting the world’s climate goals head-on.
Decolonising climate finance
The collective slow action of these initiatives and institutions mean that climate finance is not being accessed by those that need it most, and available funding is fragmented, sectoral, and restricted – especially for the most vulnerable countries. How can power and resources shift to the local organisations working on the frontlines?
What must be done differently to disrupt the current systems that are failing to deliver climate action and finance at local levels?
Equitable climate partnerships
While discussions about locally-led climate solutions have been ongoing, their implementation has been characterised by unequal partnerships that concentrate power and resources in the Global North. D&C Days will delve into how partnerships can be strengthened to be truly inclusive, equitable, and empowering, sharing risks and accelerating climate action.
It will also explore the knowledge and practice the Global North can learn from the Global South in meaningful and equitable ways.
Accountability for the Paris goals
Economic disparities rooted in colonial histories persist, allowing powerful companies in sectors like finance and energy to dictate the course of climate action.
D&C Days 2023 will examine how actors across governments, the private sector, philanthropies, civil society organizations, businesses, and academia can be held accountable to take positive steps within their organizations to address climate impacts and reduce the risk and vulnerability of those most affected by the climate crisis.
Within each focus area, we will address uncomfortable truths, tackle big questions, seek effective and practical answers, and work together on fair solutions that leave no one behind.
At D&C Days we share learning experiences by engaging, being productive and having fun. The dynamic format encourages dialogue on a range of issues that link policy, knowledge and practice. Innovative approaches encourage participants to interact, challenge existing thinking and generate new ideas.
We welcome everyone at the frontline of sustainable development and climate agendas to join us at D&C Days, including practitioners, NGOs, grassroot organisation representatives, national climate leaders and policymakers at all levels.
The venue and timings
D&C Days 2023 will be a one-day event held at Sofitel Dubai Downtown, Sheikh Zayed Road Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Check-in will open from 8am.
Sessions will start from 9am and finish at 7pm.
Following D&C Days online
In the build-up to D&C Days, you can follow on Twitter via #DCDays23, and we will also be providing coverage of the event on the day itself.
The opening and closing plenary sessions will be live-streamed.
Organising partners
This year’s event is organised in partnership by the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre (RCCC), the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), the Anticipation Hub, the Climate Emergency Collaboration Group, the Climate Justice Resilience Fund (CJRF), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Bank.
Contributing partners
Contributing partners to this year’s event are the Adaptation Research Alliance (ARA), “Generating Ambition for Locally Led Adaptation” core partners, with funding from the Government of the Netherlands, NAP Global Network, hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), and the Least Developed Countries Initiative for Adaptation and Resilience (LIFE-AR).
Contact
Katherine Shepherd (katherine.shepherd@iied.org), project manager, IIED's Climate Change research group
