Arab Centre for Climate Change Policies

The ESCWA Arab Centre for Climate Change Policies addresses the implications of climate change on sustainable development in the region. Drawing upon strategic partnerships, the Centre works on strengthening member States’ capacity in climate change assessment, adaptation, mitigation and negotiations, and in implementing the Paris Agreement. 

The Centre supports member States through five areas of work: 

1. Providing technical assistance and advisory services to Arab States; 
2. Building the capacity of Arab States and regional stakeholders to strengthen institutional frameworks and develop programmes and policies; 
3. Supporting regional platforms to harmonize positions and build regional consensus; 
4. Promoting comprehensive responses to climate-related challenges affecting water, energy and food security; 
5. Providing access to knowledge products and to regional data and information using the Regional Knowledge Hub. 

Our approach

ESCWA, through the Center, seeks to: 

• Expand capacity-building efforts at various technical levels by holding workshops on climate modelling, means and financial instruments to support climate change negotiations, assessment processes, access to financing and technology transfer; 
• Provide regular updates on climate change developments to negotiators and other actors in the field of adaptation and mitigation, while emphasizing the principle of coordination in implementation with concerned organizations; 
• Ensure that the multidimensional aspects of climate change are taken into account in work on water, energy, food security and sustainable development; and  
• Support the Arab Climate Outlook Forum (ArabCOF) and to strengthen partnerships with concerned organizations. 

The activities of the Centre consolidate the work of different ESCWA clusters , which have been looking at climate change as a megatrend that creates multiplier effects which exacerbate conflict or threaten peace and security in the region. 

Governance 

The Centre is hosted at ESCWA in the Climate Change and Natural Resources Sustainability Cluster, which has been leading the Centre’s work since June 2018. Its governance structure consists of a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) and a Partnerships Advisory Group (PAG), supported by a secretariat based at ESCWA. The Centre’s work programme combines resources available through extrabudgetary projects, RPTC and the ESCWA regular programme of work to ensure the management, coordination and implementation of its activities. 

The TAG provides scientific and technical input in the planning, implementation and review of the Centre’s programmes of work and activities. The TAG is composed of multidisciplinary members who are leaders in the field of climate change research and policy making, and its related areas, and are appointed on the basis of their outstanding technical expertise and relevant experience in those fields. 

The PAG comprises a network of partners ranging from the League of Arab States and its specialized agencies, to United Nations sister agencies, international climate research centres, and other relevant institutions. Through the PAG, the Centre fosters complementarities across the work of partner institutions, which conduct activities in various climate change areas. In doing so, ESCWA seeks to ensure that collective efforts are pursued in an Arab context and that dialogue and exchange are fostered among Arab States. 

Our partners

The Centre builds upon a number of partnerships that have allowed for the provision of technical assistance and capacity development support to member States, and for the generation of new knowledge on climate change issues facing the region. 

This includes a strong network of partners and collaborators within the United Nations System, with the League of Arab States and its associated organs, and with international development agencies committed to supporting climate action. Strengthening existing partnerships and forging new ones also supports the coordination and complementarity of regional work on climate change through the Centre. 

Our activities

The Centre draws on a series of programmes and activities that build on accumulated knowledge through scientific assessments developed over a wide range of projects since the adoption of the first Arab Ministerial Declaration on Climate Change in December 2007 by the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment. It has thus established leading technical knowledge expertise in the field and provides access to knowledge products, regional data and geospatial technical tools for informing climate change assessment, adaptation, mitigation, disaster risk reduction, financing and technology transfer in key sectors in the Arab region. These can be accessed through a dedicated Regional Knowledge Hub, comprised of a specialized website and a data portal.