The Government of Bangladesh requested support from CDKN in their capacity as hosts of the 2011 Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF).

The CVF is the first global partnership of nations from Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Pacific that has formed to deliver a powerful message on the need for urgent action on climate change, on the international stage.

The members of the CVF have contributed least to the problem of climate change, but are suffering the most from its effects. In many cases, their survival is at stake. The Forum, first convened in the Maldives in 2009, issued a declaration highlighting the urgency of the issue and calling on all nations to accept an equitable and ambitious international climate change agreement. In addition, the members committed themselves to working together to find solutions for adapting to the effects of climate change.

As chair, Bangladesh hosted a ministerial meeting of the CVF in Dhaka on 14–15 October 2011 with a view to helping vulnerable countries to address challenges and seize opportunities related to climate change.

DARA has acted as an ad hoc Secretariat for the CVF, working with chair governments, and providing communication and organizational support and technical assistance where requested.

Activities:

• Preparing and sending invitations and background information (concept note, draft programme, agenda etc.) to the October CVF in Dhaka.
• Preparing, organising, hosting and documenting of a CVF planning meeting held in London on Friday 16 September 2011.
• Preparing, organising and hosting a CVF event to brief CVF delegates on the October CVF in Dhaka, held in New York on Friday 23 September 2011.
• On-going communication and outreach efforts with delegates in the run-up to the October CVF in Dhaka.
• Developing briefing papers, the final programme and agenda, and a draft declaration for the October CVF in Dhaka, supporting decisions and outcomes of the October CVF.
• Coordinating air travel of up to 25 delegations and invited speakers for the October CVF in Dhaka.
• Preparing, organising, hosting and documenting of the CVF ministerial meeting held in Dhaka on Saturday 15 October 2011, and the senior officers meeting held prior to the ministerial meeting.
• Developing terms of reference for all aspects of the Vulnerability Framework and identifying suitable case countries for phase 2.

The CVF meeting also resulted in a future work plan for the forum, and an agreed set of working procedures and modalities, and crucially, a plan for its long-term sustainability.

CVF members participating in the Dhaka meeting include; Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh (Incoming Chair), Barbados, Bhutan, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Kenya, Kiribati (Present Chair), Liberia, Maldives (First Chair), Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nepal, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Vietnam. The US, China and other global powers, and important stakeholders such as the UN, will also be participating as observers.

CDKN funding: £310,000

Photo courtesy of Amir Jina.