The Education, Communication, and Outreach Stakeholder Community (ECOS) https://climateecos.org/ was formed and officially recognized as an informal group of observer organizations within the UNFCCC process, by the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat in October 2016.
ECOS supports effective, innovative efforts to build the capacity of individuals, communities, and organizations (both non-government and government) to make informed climate decisions and to take impactful climate action. In addition to supporting the engagement of stakeholders from the education, communication and outreach community within the UNFCCC process, ECOS aims also to serve the needs of individuals, communities and organizations that are outside the United Nations process.
ECOS does not have the status of a legal entity and is therefore dependent in many ways on its member organizations for the implementation of actions and for technical and administrative support functions.
In this context the Austria based UNFCCC accredited civil society organization IAAI (International Association for the Advancement of Innovative Approaches to Global Challenges) www.glocha.info is an important enabler of ECOS activities. IAAI has been the UNFCCC accredited entity which has requested the meeting room for ECOS morning meetings at COP22, COP23 and COP24, provided accreditation to UNFCCC events for ECOS members, enabled virtual participation to those, who couldn’t attend the UNFCCC conferences in person and facilitated ECOS press conferences at COP24 and COP25 (https://unfccc-cop25.streamworld.de/webcast/iaai-ecos-building-the-knowledge-base-for-global-c). As a civil society organization that is also accredited to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York, IAAI also helps ECOS to connect with UN processes and events that are important for ACE, but outside the UNFCCC process (e.g. at the UN STI Forum 2019).
Because of above explained institutional situation of ECOS, IAAI will be in the framework of ACEAT the formal legal partner for the BMK for the ACEAT+ECOS component, serving as interface to the ECOS community and its intellectual resources and social capital.
Contact:
Dr. Miroslav Polzer
Executive director
International Association for the Advancement of Innovative Approaches to Global Challenges IAAI
Co-Founder and Core Team Member
ECOS, Education, Communication and Outreach Stakeholders Community, https://climateecos.org/
Neuer Platz 10/I, At 9020 Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria
www.glocha.info – polzer@glocha.info; Tel.: +43 (0) 664 4203648 (mob/Austria)
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network of more than 1,750 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 100+ countries, we influence sustainability policy and drive local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development. ICLEI is accredited to the UNFCCC in 1995 and since then acts as the focal point of Local Governments and Municipal Authorities Constituency to the UNFCCC. ICLEI also co-leads the Human Settlements Thematic Working Group of the UNFCCC Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action since 2016, one of the first data partners of NAZCA Platform since 2014 and one of the partners of UNFCCC Race-To-Zero Campaign since December 2019.
ICLEI´s recent engagements within the ACE agenda includes, participation at ACE Workshop at SB46 in May 2018, welcoming the COP24 decision to enhance engagement of local governments in the ACE agenda, submission of its views on the future of work of ACE in March 2019, participation of the Burgenland Symposium and endorsing the Burgenland Declaration as one of its signatories in October 2019, supporting the dissemination of Beethoven Pastoral Project and endorsements to its Artists Declaration in June 2020, mobilizing Deputy Mayor of Tirana at the Eastern Europe Dialogue upon request of the UNFCC Secretariat in August 2020.
On 7-28 October 2020, ICLEI, together with City of Bonn, and in collaboration with the State of North Rhine Westphalia, German Federal Ministries of Environment (BMU) and Development Cooperation (BMZ) convened Daring Cities 2020 Global Virtual Forum for Urban Leaders which mobilized more than 4000 registered participants into more than 100 sessions, including a side event hosted by IAAI, extending the ongoing collaboration between ICLEI and IAAI over the past few years.