The seventh edition of Adaptation Futures (AF2023), hosted by Ouranos, the Government of Canada and the United Nations’ World Adaptation Science Programme (WASP), will take place in Montréal from 2-6 October. AF2023 will be a critical meeting point to advance discussion about climate change adaptation in an increasingly complex world. CDKN will be co-hosting three sessions and co-leading a masterclass. Find out more and register below.

AF2023 is the premier international conference devoted entirely to climate change adaptation, bringing together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, industry representatives and communicators. Participants will engage in workshops, panel discussions and networking sessions, providing a unique opportunity to share expertise, skills and backgrounds and exchange experiences with an active adaptation network.

More information on the conference programme, masterclasses, exhibition space, side events and details on how to register can be found here.

CDKN co-hosted sessions

Advancing knowledge brokering for climate action: A collective reflection and learning journey

Session 459
Collaborative - Teaching and Learning
Date: Wednesday 4 October 2023
Time: 14:00 - 15:30 (GMT-4)
Location: Room 524A (Collaborative)
Organising partners: CDKN, International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

Join CDKN for an interactive reflection journey in which we will all learn more about the world of knowledge brokering. CDKN’s 12 years of working at the intersection of knowledge and adaptation action has revealed the urgent need to enhance capacities for more effective knowledge brokering. This year, CDKN and several diverse partners are developing a series of modules, tools and approaches to strengthen the skills of climate knowledge brokers. This interactive session will focus on one of these tools - the ‘All hands on deck’ card game - which aims to create a learning space for participants to reflect on their climate knowledge brokering experiences - wherever they are along the journey. 

Driving equitable systems change in a world of urgent transitions: Effective knowledge brokering practices in the global South

Session 319
Equity, Justice and Health
Date: Wednesday 4 October 2023
Time: 08:30 - 10:00 (GMT-4) 
Location: Room 525
Organising partners: International Development Research Centre (IDRC), CDKN

Addressing climate change is fundamentally a socio-economic, rights-based and governance issue, hindered by systemic barriers such as power asymmetries, conflicting knowledge systems and incentive structures. Effective climate knowledge brokers are essential for bridging the gap between producers and users, operating within the context of multiple transitions and driving systemic change in a complex environment. This session will share lessons from practitioners and researchers in the global South on effective approaches to climate knowledge brokering, emphasising methods that challenge established power relations, promote under-represented forms of knowledge, women’s leadership and youth voices. 

Advancing women’s leadership in climate action: Lessons from within and beyond adaptation

Session 835
Hybrid - Equity and Justice
Date: Wednesday 4 October 2023
Time: 14:00 - 15:30 (GMT-4) 
Location: Room 520C (Hybrid)
Organising partners: International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Universidad Nacional de General San Martin (UNAM), Nepal Water Conservation Foundation (NWCF), Overseas Development Institute (ODI), CDKN, Fundación Salvadoreña para el Desarrollo Económico y Social (FUSADES), ForestAction Nepal, OP Jindal Global University; Environment Technology & Community Health (ETCH) Consultancy Services, Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre

Efforts to advance women’s leadership in climate change adaptation aim to address gender-related barriers and harness women’s diverse expertise and perspective towards adaptation research and action. These efforts emphasise the importance of sustained commitment to achieve greater gender equity in adaptation scholarship and practice. This session will highlight lessons from multiple initiatives across diverse contexts to demonstrate and articulate lessons about advancing women’s leadership. The session aims to bring together the often-siloed research communities in adaptation and mitigation and draw on innovative approaches from the global South that promote women’s leadership in low-carbon economic activities.

Masterclass - closed event

Operationalising co-creation for transformation: A masterclass by the Adaptation Research Alliance and Climate and Development Knowledge Network

Date: Monday 2 October 2023
Time: 13:00 - 17:00 (GMT-4) 
Location: TBC
Organising partners: Adaptation Research Alliance (ARA), CDKN/SouthSouthNorth

This masterclass is a closed event with a maximum group size of 50 participants.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has called for systems-wide transformations, resilience building and an urgent all-of-society response to climate change. Effective adaptation efforts must consider socio-economic and governance issues while also navigating barriers such as power asymmetries, conflicting knowledge systems and different worldviews. Collaboration across a range of sectors, knowledge types and stakeholders is essential, including through processes of ‘co-creation’. This masterclass builds on ARA and CDKN’s extensive experience of working with diverse stakeholders and knowledge types, with a particular emphasis on the global South. The session aims to provide practical, interactive and experiential tools and skills to empower participants in their co-creation efforts.