Deadline: 31-Mar-23

Applications are now open for the Climate Academy programme to support community choices in a changing climate – learning from planned relocations.

The Climate Academy 2023 will take place in two stages:

• Stage I: virtual 11 – 15 September 2023
• Stage II: in-person event 25-29 September 2023.

The stage II (in-person) event is scheduled to take place in Dakar, Senegal depending upon the COVID-19 situation and prevailing regulations. In case an in-person event will not be possible, stage II will take place virtually as well. Additionally, to virtually engage with interested actors from across the globe and enhance the collective voice, key virtual events of the academy will be open to everyone. The 2023 academy will have a special focus on sharing lessons from experiences of planned relocations

Objectives of the Academy Programme

The Climate Academy programme has three objectives:

• First, it aims to advance the scientific understanding of people’s perception and concerns towards climate change induced risks, including indigenous knowledge systems and values. It aims to do so by convening leading researchers, policy makers, practitioners and other key stakeholders to collect, discuss and jointly advance latest approaches related to the academy’s thematic focus from across scales and world regions. The academy will also address and debate existing participation mechanisms in the global climate change policy making and implementation mechanisms.
• Second, it aspires to apply this understanding to advance participation pathways to enhance the effectiveness of the existing and proposed solutions that reduce exposure and vulnerability of people and societies to climate change impacts.
• Third, the academy aims to foster the science-policy-action interface by feeding knowledge and solutions gathered and generated directly into policy processes (crucially, in collaboration with UNFCCC). At the same time, the agenda of the academy is itself driven by transdisciplinary co-creation to facilitate the formulations of comprehensive solutions and their implementations. Academy participants will engage with these selected policy gaps and needs and contribute the created knowledge and reflections into UNFCCC discussions around national adaptation planning, closing adaptation knowledge gaps, planning and creating contingency arrangements, research dialogues, relevant committee work programs and other policy outlets. Academy participants similarly have the opportunity to interact with communities of practice engaged with decision making.

Focus Areas

To further explore these points of interest, they invite applications which address the prospect of community-led relocations at one of three interconnected scales. Work at each scale will need to pay special attention to community involvement and leadership in decision-making; as well as to communication, bridge-building, and the identification of responsibilities across scales. Participants will also reflect on the gendered dimensions of their work, bringing a perspective from one of three key foci:

• Local focus
  • Issues to be addressed at this scale may include local risk assessment processes, community-led and inclusive decision-making processes, trauma-informed work and mental health, identifying and addressing locally inscribed inequalities and interactions with national authorities.
• National focus
  • Issues to be addressed at this scale may include national evaluation and planning processes, political mandates, the allocation of ministerial/agency responsibilities for relocation-related processes, inter-ministerial coordination, finances and their attribution and legal issues pertaining to, e.g. land tenure.
• Global focus
  • Issues to be addressed at this scale may include regional coordination processes, information-sharing and development of best practices, comparative research, ties to global policy dialogues and fora such as the UNFCCC or Global Compact on Migration, South-South cooperation and access to global funds.

Benefits

• A unique network and dialogue opportunities with UN delegates and government officials
• Close cooperation with leading policy makers and actors from the climate change domain
• Financial assistance to deserving applicants (for participation in stage II in Dakar, Senegal)
• There is no fee to participate in either virtual or in-person part of the academy.

Envisaged Outputs of the 2023 Academy

• The Climate Academy 2023 will produce concrete outputs such as research papers, policy briefs, guidelines for practitioners, and presentation materials for seminars & science-policy workshops. Academy participants and organizers will define the precise format and target audience of these outputs depending on opportunities for impact identified together.
• The in-person meetings of stage II will be dedicated to delivering these mutually agreed outputs. The Academy will also lay the foundations for longer term collaborations, such as a special issue in a peer-reviewed journal, conference session proposals, and further meetings and engagement with global and regional processes, policy makers, and climate-impacted communities.

Eligibility Criteria

• They are looking for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners with documented experience of working on the themes of interest to the Academy at one or more of the aforementioned scales.
• Successful candidates are qualified persons with profiles such as doctoral researchers in the final stages of their research, post-doctoral fellows, lecturers, assistant professors, practitioners working in public bodies, implementing agencies, civil society advocates, or any other organization related to the theme of the academy.
• Particular attention will be given to outstanding candidates from Least Developed Countries. Successful candidates are expected to fully participate in stage I and II of the Academy.
• Selected participants are expected to engage proactively before and during the academy and contribute to Academy outputs. Advanced English language skills will be necessary.

For more information, visit United Nations University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS).