Clima-Med recognizes the power of working together, circulating information and learning from one another about the successes and challenges of implementing climate action.
This is fundamental to ensure sound decision-making, secure political commitment and increase the effectiveness of actions.
Clima-Med’s Vision: Acting for Climate in South Mediterranean
Similarly, involving multi-stakeholders in the beneficiary countries in the design and implementation of capacity building measures is a core aspect of our participatory approach in order to enable strong collaboration between countries and scale-up on the long-term best practices from local and national levels to a regional perspective.
Clima-Med’s contribution to climate change governance and mainstreaming climate action includes the following:
- Tailoring Clima-Med’s approach to the specific priorities and challenges at national level and addressing all phases of the policy cycle including policy framework development and NDCs Implementation Plans and monitoring.
- Strengthening appropriate coordination mechanisms at supranational, national and local level through National Coordination Groups, NCGs, who will stimulate ownership to embed mainstreaming mechanisms, support policy-making process and lead climate coordination efforts.
- Formulating with NCGs, Climate Action Coordination Strategy in each country that is fully agreed and set for implementation by national authorities and actors.
- Taking stock of past and current projects’ momentum: We are planning, designing and implementing activities in a complimentary and integrated manner with web and social media, media relations, information material and research – and in close partnerships with the multi-levels’ actors.
Concerning sustainable local actions, Clima-Med is:
- Empowering Local Authorities as innovators and facilitating their interaction with National Authorities (i.e. in terms of implementing national policies on energy sustainability and climate resilience at the local level).
- Establishing the SEACAP Support Mechanisms, SSMs, at the national level and supporting cities in the technical and organizational aspects needed to increase the number of local Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plan (SEACAPs) and drive sustainable climate actions at the local level.
- Adopting a participatory learning approach to contribute to local key actors’ capacity building in developing and implementing climate actions. This is achieved through a Training of Trainers programme, an effective peer learning network and a range of regional workshops.
- Instituting the regional Covenant of Mayors Office in the Mediterranean, CoMO Med, as the initiative that empowers local authorities and supports the design and implementation of their SEACAPs and sustainable local climate actions across the region.
Financial flows are nowhere near required climate investment to implement Paris agreement, specifically by cities and local authorities; Clima-Med’s challenge is to go beyond the traditional climate financing and to promote much needed innovative and effective climate finance solutions, by means of:
- Designing and testing innovative financing mechanisms, such as performance-based PPPs, preferential private sector investment and support to operators/service providers.
- Raising the project implementation capacity of public and private sector and cities to implement national SEACAPs.
- Identifying and assisting in the implementation of quick-win pilot projects that are easily replicable at multiple levels and by different actors.
- Prioritizing and developing funding for Adaptation actions
- Identifying and formulating innovative and well adapted and replicable pilot projects that have high potential to access financing.
Communication is key to contribute to the Project’s visibility, disseminate its generated information, applications and best practices, showcase the achievements and results, and scaling lessons learnt about climate actions; all through using various tools and by building networks and connections.
It is also about spreading Climate Awareness in South Mediterranean to ensure that there is general understanding, participation and support; and create interactive momentum for change across the region. This is achieved through:
- Empowering local authorities as awareness-raisers, as due to their proximity to citizens, they can be essential actors in raising public awareness about climatic effects and instigate change of habits in energy consumption and environmental behaviours.
- Involving local populations with regard to sustainable local policies, including climate issues and sustainable energy.
- Promoting multi-stakeholders dialogue, supporting joint actions, networking and linking similar initiatives both at the civil community, local and national levels.
- Participating in national or regional events involving various partners and attracting financing partners and businesses.
- Coordinating through the Covenant of Mayors Mediterranean, CoM-Med, communication efforts at regional, national and local levels.