Following the publication of Pulling Together: The Multilateral Response to Climate Change, the Multilateral Organisation Performance Assessment Network (MOPAN) with the support of the Government of Luxembourg are organising a High-Level Roundtable of Multilateral Organisation (MO) leaders, Ministers and senior level officials to discuss how to accelerate the multilateral system response to climate change through concrete policy measures. Leaders of MOs will be invited to present how they are putting climate change at the centre of their strategies, and using innovative approaches to meet international commitments. Ministers from MOPAN members, as well as stakeholders and shareholders of the system, will consider how member states can further shape their policies towards multilateral institutions, in the pursuit of these common goals. Lastly, reflections from private sector perspectives will highlight the conditions that are necessary for private sector investments to be optimised. The event will identify concrete steps that can be implemented by stakeholders to strengthen the multilateral response. 14:00 Welcome by the MOPAN Secretariat - Suzanne Steensen, Head, MOPAN Secretariat 14:05 Scene setting introduction by the moderator - Laura Tuck, Former Vice President for Sustainable Development, World Bank 14:10 Opening remarks - Franz Fayot, Minister of Economy and Minister for Development and Humanitarian Action, Luxembourg 14:20 Keynote speakers Zakia Khattabi, Minister for Climate, Environment, Sustainable Development and the Green Deal, Belgium Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, CEO and Chair Person, Global Environment Facility Philippe Le Houérou, Economist and former Chief Executive Officer, IFC 14:40 Panel discussion Jorge Moreira da Silva, Director, Development Cooperation Directorate, OECD Haoliang Xu, Assistant-Secretary General, United Nations Development Programme Terhi Lehtonen, State Secretary, Ministry of the Environment, Finland Jyotsna Puri, Associate Vice-President,, International Fund for Agricultural Development Sinead Walsh, Climate Change Envoy, Deputy Director-General, Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland Bruno Carrasco, Director General of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, Asian Development Bank 15:15 Final reflections Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General, OECD 15:30 Conclusions and next steps by the moderator, Laura Tuck

Bringing together policy makers and representatives from the private sector, the event will shed light on wildfire risk in the context of a changing climate, outlining emerging policy and financial protection gaps in continental Europe. Different sessions will discuss how to align public policy to manage wildfires effectively, the role of financing and risk transfer mechanisms in wildfire resilience plans, as well as the role of technology and innovation to scale up wildfire prevention and management. High-level representatives from OECD countries will also share some best practices and insights on their ongoing policy efforts to adapt to growing wildfire risk. The symposium will offer an opportunity to highlight the ongoing OECD work on adapting to a changing climate in the management of wildfires. Please note that this event will not be streamed on the OECD COP26 Virtual Pavilion. Please copy-paste the following link to your browser to register for the event externally: https://go.guycarp.com/wildifre-2021 Agenda: 14:30 Introduction to agenda 14:35 Opening remarks 14:45 Wildfire and climate change: What is – or will be – the new normal in wildfires in Continental Europe? 15:00 Panel discussion: Aligning public policy to effectively manage wildfires 15:35 Panel discussion: Lessons learnt – The potential for natural resiliency measures to reduce wildfire risk 16:05 Break 16:20 Panel discussion: Innovations in wildfire mapping, detection and machine learning applications 17:00 Panel discussion: (Re)insurer perspectives - Effective risk transfer mechanisms for wildfire management 18:00 Closing address – Next steps: managing wildfire in the context of a changing climate 18:13 Closing comments

Climate change is driving fundamental changes to the planet with adverse impacts on human livelihoods and well-being, putting development gains at risk already today. A large share of the World’s population already face increasingly frequent, intense and even new climate-related hazards. Most vulnerable to losses and damages in the face of such changes in the climate are Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Furthermore, the scale and extent of future risks for a given location is subject to uncertainties in predicting complex climate dynamics as well as the impact of individual and societal decisions that determine future greenhouse gas emissions as well as patterns of socio-economic development and inequality. This high-level event aims to provide a call for action on the urgent need for state and non-state actors to reduce and manage the risks of losses and damages from climate change and to share approaches they are taking locally, nationally and internationally. The event will bring together distinguished panellists from government and the international and financial community to share their knowledge and experiences in reducing and managing the risks of losses and damages from climate change, locally, nationally and internationally.

The Government of Indonesia, OECD and ETP (UNOPS) are hosting a session at the Indonesia Pavilion (Blue Zone) at COP 26 on 1 November 2021, 4:40-6:00 pm (GMT). The event will also be livestreamed. This session will discuss opportunities for further leveraging limited domestic and international public funds to mobilise clean energy finance and investment. It will bring together stakeholders to discuss country progress and consider opportunities to enhance collaboration that catalyses greater investments in emerging economies. Discussions will also highlight international experience and recent developments in supporting clean energy development and mobilising capital from the private sector

Rural areas are crucial for the green transition. They cover around 80% of OECD countries’ territories and contain the natural resources and ecosystem services needed to sustain our lives. However, climate change makes these areas vulnerable. Join the Rural Policies & Climate Change: Why are rural areas crucial to the green transition? event on 2 November 2021 in the Nordic Pavilion (COP26) to learn more about the crucial contribution of rural regions in the transition to net-zero economies. The event is co-organised with Nordregio. The event will launch the OECD Rural Agenda for Climate Action, a political document calling for a stronger role of rural policies to contribute to climate change goals and drawing attention to much-needed policy action in six areas: (1) capacity-building; (2) evidence base; (3) renewable energy; (4) land-use and ecosystem services; (5) circular and bio-economy; and (6) decarbonising transport. The event will kick off with a high-level panel discussion, followed by expert round-tables presenting best practices from Nordic and other OECD countries in the fields of bio-economy and renewable energy. You can follow the event on-site or virtually via the OECD Virtual Pavilion or Nordregio streaming platform.

Achieving climate-resilient economies and societies will not only require increasing the billions of financial flows for adaptation, but also to drive the trillions of public and private financial flows and investment away from potentially mal-adapted activities towards those that contribute to climate-resilient economies and societies. There is a need to align finance with adaptation and resilience goals. This event brings together leading experts to discuss what would be needed to accelerate progress towards Article 2.1c’s goal of making finance flows consistent with climate-resilient development.

As governments and businesses accelerate their efforts to meet climate targets, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are struggling to play their part in the green transition. Financing is a key prerequisite for SMEs to green their business models and drive the transition through eco-innovations; yet many small businesses lack the human and financial resources to undertake green actions. This session will bring together the OECD, public financial institutions focused on SME financing, and the business sector to discuss the main drivers and challenges for sustainable financing of SMEs, promising sustainable finance models and instruments for SMEs, as well as the role of policy in accompanying SMEs on their journey to net zero. The session will highlight the role for international cooperation in this area, and announce the creation of a new knowledge-sharing Platform on Financing SMEs for Sustainability hosted by the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities. The event will be opened by Ms. Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, Director of the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, and Ms. Gemma Peck, Director of Business Growth at the United Kingdom Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Confirmed high-level speakers include: · Ms. Catherine Lewis La Torre, CEO, British Business Bank · Ms. Isabelle Hudon, CEO, Business Development Bank of Canada · Mr. Jong-Won YOON, Chairman & CEO, Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) · Mr. Pascal Lagarde, Executive Director, Bpifrance · Ms. Hanni Rosenbaum, Executive Director, BIAC Key topics for discussion include:  What are the key issues SMEs face in financing the adoption of greener business models and driving green solutions through eco-innovation?  How can we bridge the knowledge gaps and increase awareness among SMEs about financing their green transition?  What are the latest trends in sustainable finance for SMEs? What promising financing and policy instruments are being developed to address the financing needs of SMEs?  How can public SME banks best accompany SMEs on the journey to net zero?  How can international collaboration be leveraged to accelerate SME access to sustainable finance?

Please note that a replay of this event is not available on the virtual pavilion. To achieve a decarbonised society, it is essential to promote subnational initiatives, integrating various stakeholders and sectors according to local characteristics from planning to implementation. Measures at the provincial, municipal or district level, on a large or small-scale, are critical to the realization of the central government's ambitious commitment. The Race to Zero campaign (RtoZ), spearheaded by the UNFCCC, encourages cities to raise their targets and participate through action. In addition, the Territorial Approach to Climate Action and Resilience (TACAR), implementing by OECD with support from Japan, will build policy framework aiming at the realization of the decarbonisation society collaborating at the country and subnational levels. In Japan, the national government is working with local governments to promote multi-level initiatives such as the preparation of regional decarbonisation roadmaps. Local governments that have committed to carbon neutrality are also accelerating their efforts to join the Race to Zero Campaign. Japan has been contributing to decarbonisation in cities overseas by creating a decarbonisation domino effect through city-to-city collaboration projects to support overseas cities toward their decarbonisation and sharing information by hosting the Zero Carbon City International Forum. Japan also plans to further promote city-to-city collaboration with partner countries and relevant international organisations. Such collaboration will not only help cities to formulate plans but will also lead to the sharing of experiences and knowledge during the implementation phase of the measures, and support ongoing actions.

The joint OECD-France high-level panel discussion on IPAC at COP26 is an opportunity to share the OECD contribution to the COP26 agenda of ambition and transparency through the presentation of IPAC on a global stage. The OECD International Programme for Action on Climate (IPAC) supports country progress towards net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and a more resilient economy by 2050. Through regular monitoring, policy evaluation and feedback on results and good practices, IPAC helps countries strengthen and co-ordinate their climate action. It complements and supports the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement monitoring frameworks. IPAC is articulated in four components: the Dashboard of climate-related indicators, the Climate Action Monitor Progress Report, an annual digest of countries’ progress towards climate objectives building on the preliminary Dashboard, country notes with targeted policy advice (to be published in 2022), and an interactive platform for dialogue and mutual learning across countries with policies in practice. Secretary-General Mathias Cormann will share the dashboard and policies in practice, and launch the first edition of the IPAC Climate Action Monitor Progress Report, which features examples of climate mitigation and adaptation good practices and results. Several distinguished Ministers will then contribute to the panel discussion on the IPAC dashboard and Climate Monitor.

This event will discuss the policy challenges and opportunities in the quest to decarbonise hard-to-abate transport sectors, which include heavy-duty road freight, shipping and aviation transport. The first section of this event will focus on the broader decarbonising transport framework to identify solutions and transformational opportunities that stakeholders can collaborate on. After setting the scene, the ITF will present policy options that are available to decarbonise the three transport sub-sectors, showcasing the work that the ITF has done in the context of its Transport Climate Action Directory (TCAD). The ITF will further present its work under the “Driving Implementation Actions” project, funded by the European Commission, that brings together different stakeholder groups from both the Global North and South. These stakeholders are working on the development of concrete pathways for policy makers to deploy and accelerate technical and policy solutions that will help decarbonise the hard-to-abate sectors.

Please navigate to the official UNFCCC stream to watch a replay of the event: https://unfccc-cop26.streamworld.de/embed/responsible-business-conduct-and-climate-action-2 This joint OECD and UNFCCC session will explore how internationally recognised standards, such as the government-backed OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) and related instruments, can help to ensure net-zero targets are implemented with integrity, accountability and responsibility – taking into account impacts on both people and the planet. This event follows on from the joint UNFCCC-OECD event at COP 25 that explored what it means for business to act responsibly in the face of a climate emergency.

The OECD’s Clean Energy Finance and Investment Mobilisation Programme is partnering with International Solar Alliance (ISA) to co-host this side event to present ISA’s new Blended Finance Risk Mitigation Facility for solar energy development. It will provide countries, development finance actors and investors an opportunity to highlight lessons learned from establishing blended finance mechanisms for clean energy and help to inform the development of ISA’s new facility.

Pricing carbon-based energy is an effective way to curb CO2 emissions, a principal driver of climate change. While the latest OECD data show that around half of emissions remain unpriced in 2021, significant progress has been made in just a couple of years. Still stronger action is needed to successfully transition to net-zero emissions by 2050. Supported by OECD data and analysis, enhanced international co-operation on climate mitigation policies could help spur more widespread climate action. This event will discuss the role of carbon pricing in driving greenhouse gas reductions and highlight the latest carbon pricing progress in G20 countries – which together account for over 80% of energy emissions. Join us to engage in discussions on how to advance carbon pricing and greenhouse gas mitigation efforts for climate action.

Rural areas are crucial for the green transition, and governments worldwide are mobilising vast amounts of resources to accelerate the net-zero transition in rural areas. Join the Rural Regions - Realising the net-zero opportunity event on 4 November 2021 to learn more about how rural places can capitalise on the opportunities emerging from the transition to net-zero economies. The event is co-organised with the Scottish Enterprise. The event will develop pathways on how the OECD’s Rural Agenda for Climate Action can be implemented, highlighting leading policy practices and needed actions. The Rural Agenda for Climate Action is a political document calling for a stronger role of rural policies to contribute to climate change goals and drawing attention to much-needed policy action in six areas: (1) capacity-building; (2) evidence base; (3) renewable energy; (4) land-use and ecosystem services; (5) circular and bio-economy; and (6) decarbonising transport. The event will kick-off with a high-level panel discussion, followed by an expert round-table and four parallel sessions showcasing leading practices in all the policy areas identified in the Rural Agenda for Climate Action. You can follow the event virtually via the OECD Virtual Pavilion.

It is widely acknowledged that government support for fossil fuels undermines global efforts to mitigate climate change by distorting price signals for technology and energy-related investments, production and consumption decisions, while draining scarce fiscal resources that could be put to better use. Governments have committed to phasing out inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies in a number of international fora, but reforms are difficult to put in place if the magnitude and full impact of support measures are not fully understood. To enhance transparency and help governments to commit to reforms, the OECD and its partners have designed data tools that provide detailed information on support measures for fossil fuels that could be considered for a phaseout. Such data tools cover both consumer and producer support and complement existing tracking efforts of other international organisations. They allow researchers and governments to track national and global progress towards achieving climate objectives. This session will showcase these data tools explaining their functionalities, content and how they be used for analytical and policy use. The session will also highlight complimentary data source for emissions resulting from fossil fuel use.

Please note that a replay of this event is not available on the virtual pavilion. This event will focus on the key aspects of the operationalisation of the Article 6.4 mechanism. It will discuss the work and the resources needed for the implementation of the new mechanism. It will also look into the quantitative options for “overall mitigation in global emissions” (OMGE), share of proceeds (SOP) and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) transition, such as OMGE percentage cancellation rate, increase of the rate for SOP, as well as the transition of CDM activities and the transfer of pre-2020 certified emission reductions (CERs) for use under the Paris Agreement. It will also analyse a transformative capacity-building programme for Article 6 co-operative approaches, aiming to enable their use to engage the private sector in NDC implementation and to raise ambition. Agenda: 16:00-16:05 - Opening by moderator: Susanne Pedersen, Director, UNEP DTU Partnership 16:05-16:35 - Presentations - Luca Lo Re, International Energy Agency and Jane Ellis, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - Harry Fearnehough, New Climate Institute - Karen Olsen, UNEP DTU Partnership 16:35-16:45 Discussant - Sonam Phuntsho Wangdi, Royal Government of Bhutan and LDC Group Chair 16:45-16:55 - Q&As and open discussion 16:55-17:00 - Closing remarks by moderator Please note that this session will not be streamed on the OECD COP26 Virtual Pavilion. If you are interested in following this session virtually, copy-paste the follow URL to your browser to register directly: http://www.cop26eusideevents.eu/

The transition to net zero emissions will mean that all aspects of our lives need to become more sustainable, including our jobs. Many young people are entering the workforce feeling a “double anxiety” – concern around the climate crisis and the pressure to find a quality job. However, it is young people who are going to bring forward the ideas, energy and innovation needed to make the green economy a reality, now and into the future. But for all the talk of “green jobs”, what are the career paths that will allow young people to meaningfully contribute to the climate fight? We invite panelists to discuss what skills young people need to make a positive environmental impact, how young people can navigate their dual anxieties on climate and career, and what role they might expect from employers in ensuring the transition is both sustainable and inclusive.

The UK Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the OECD are organising a roundtable to discuss the critical need for, as well as existing challenges and achievements in, measuring progress in implementing national adaptation policies. Country representatives will come together to share insights and discuss key policy priorities their countries are pursuing to accelerate progress in adaptation measurement. The discussions will benefit from an ongoing OECD work that supports countries in strengthening their adaptation measurement frameworks. Panellists will reflect on how these experiences can inform a broader international debate on measuring, and reporting on, achievements in climate change adaptation, notably under the Global Goal on Adaptation. Moderation: Andrew Carr, Head of Adaptation Science, Climate Evidence, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

Food systems globally face the daunting triple challenge of providing food security and nutrition for a growing population, ensuring livelihoods for millions of people working along food supply chains, and doing so while achieving environmental sustainability and moving from a linear to a circular economy. Although these challenges are usually seen through the lens of agriculture and rural development, there is increasing recognition that cities have a crucial role to play in achieving sustainable food systems: as the world is increasingly urbanized, by 2050 an estimated 80% of all food will be consumed in cities. Food systems are seen as a key driver of urban and regional development and livelihoods. As a result, cities are adopting food policies as part of their broader urban development and SDG localization strategies, including in the framework of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact which engages 174 cities worldwide. How can such territorial approaches successfully engage different sectors, stakeholders, and governance levels? In this event, representatives of local and national governments as well as OECD experts will discuss the opportunities and challenges of developing territorial approaches to food systems, and lessons learned from experiences to date.

Countries negotiating trade agreements may seek to assess the potential effects of these agreements on sustainability to ensure the best possible outcomes for climate action and address growing concerns from the civil society. Such sustainability impact assessments (SIA) may help promote environmental protection, support a better integration of women, vulnerable populations and small businesses into the global economy. The process underpinning an SIA provides a critical opportunity for dialogue among stakeholders and trade policymakers, empowering the public voices and rebuilding confidence in the trading system. However, different approaches to assessing sustainability impacts, including economic modelling, qualitative causal chain analysis and stakeholder consultations, come with their own strenghts, challenges and limitations. They need to be suited to the circumstances at hand to provide reliable and policy relevant conclusions in due time. Among them, public participation and stakeholder consultations can be an important means of gathering more granular evidence not available via other methods, while offering a critical path for enhancing dialogue and trust between policy makers and society, promoting greater awareness and building support for the negotiated provisions. This panel will share perspectives on the challenges, opportunities and best practices for involving the public in assessing the sustainability impact of trade and trade agreements.

The event will bring together Ministers from Africa, Asia and Latin America to share their perspectives and to discuss what an “equitable pathway” towards a low-carbon economy could look like for extractive-based emerging and developing economies, and how those economies can prepare for the impact of the projected decline in oil, gas and coal demand. The event also aims to identify international support measures to make this transition happen and concrete commitments by extractive-based developing and emerging economies to reduce the carbon footprint of oil & gas operations.

Please note that this event will not be directly streamed on the OECD COP26 virtual pavilion. The Roundtable is organised as an invitation-only event, held under the Chatham House Rule. Should you be interested in attending the Roundtable, please reach out to CGFI@oecd.org. A replay of this event is also not available on the virtual pavilion. Successfully delivering the Paris Agreement requires a plurality of approaches to decarbonisation as well as sufficient and affordable financing. Decarbonisation necessitates not only upscaling industries and activities that are near-zero or low-carbon, but also supporting emission reduction efforts in high-emitting and hard-to-abate sectors. Multiple definitions of and approaches to transition finance are emerging at the national, regional and industry levels, shifting from a binary ‘green/non-green’ approach to include a wider range of sectors and actors. With discussions on transition finance still in their infancy, and an urgent need to accelerate emission reductions and associated finance, the proposed Roundtable aims to convene key governments and private sector stakeholders for strategic, action-oriented discussion on transition finance. The Roundtable will provide a platform for active exchange of ideas on how to bridge the differences in emerging approaches and build consensus on the possible shape and form of High-Level Principles on Transition Finance. Such Principles would facilitate inter-operability among different approaches, drive transparency in the market and facilitate capital flows. The proposed Roundtable supports key elements of the ‘Finance’ theme of the COP26 Presidency, offering an opportunity to make meaningful progress towards a common understanding and coherent actions on low-emission transition finance.

The session will take place shortly after the release of the B4IG statement “Putting people at the core of climate action - Eight key indicators to measure the social challenges of the Just Transition". Climate change will have a major social impact that must be addressed in a systematic manner. We cannot ensure a Just transition if we do not put the people at the core of climate action. Governments have a central role to play in this, encouraging innovation and investment and addressing the macroeconomic challenges of the transition. Businesses have to play their part as well, by ensuring that the social impact of the ecological transition is not overlooked and is properly integrated into corporate policies. Governments, businesses, and other stakeholders must partner to carry out the responses to the social challenges of the transition. We must collectively ensure that no one is left behind. Panellists will discuss key topics such as public-private partnerships and corporate policies to minimise the negative social impact of climate policies and turn decarbonisation into an opportunity.

Most climate action focuses on optimising individual components within systems whose functioning is unsustainable by design, rather than on transforming such functioning. This limits the effectiveness of climate action and leaves numerous opportunities for radical emission reductions untapped, as well as for improving well-being. How can we harness such opportunities? How can we trigger the transformational change needed to reach net-zero goals on time? How can we transition towards net-zero systems by design? The well-being lens process developed by the OECD aims to help policy makers identify and prioritise policies with the potential to redesign systems so that- by their functioning- they improve well-being while requiring less energy and materials, and thus producing less emissions. In the report Transport Strategies for Net-Zero Systems by Design, we have applied the well-being lens to climate action in the surface transport sector. During the event, we will briefly present key insights from the analysis and host a discussion with policy makers on how the potential of systems redesign can be applied in different contexts and by different government levels, to reduce emissions while improving people’s lives.

Technology and innovation are major building blocks in achieving the deep cuts in carbon emissions that are needed in enabling the transition to a net-zero carbon world. Reaching net zero by 2050 – and also enabling a green, more resilient, digital and more productive future – requires not only the rapid deployment of currently available technologies, but also further innovation in breakthrough technologies. Yet low-carbon innovation efforts have recently declined despite the ambitious climate objectives set out in the Paris agreement. Moreover, the emphasis on such policies has declined in the overall policy mix linked to climate change. At a time when countries are seeking to reach climate change objectives and re-ignite economic growth in the post-COVID era, integrating low-carbon innovation support in green recovery packages will be of the utmost importance. Current policy debates in the US, EU and many other countries and regions point to a renewed emphasis on technological change in the discussion on climate change. This event aims to: 1) assess the current state of innovation for net-zero, 2) provide practical tools for policy makers, and 3) explore policy actions that can drive the low-carbon transition.

Current and future losses and damages from climate change are limiting the fiscal space of many developing countries. Governments, especially in vulnerable countries, such as Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States are witnessing how their ability to pursue sustainable development shrinks as the climate changes. Finance, including development finance and humanitarian assistance, can help developing countries reduce and manage climate-related losses and damages through risk reduction, risk retention and risk transfer. Each label hides a variety of possible approaches. For example, can reduce risks, by promoting social protection systems and an enabling environment conducive to insurance systems that can help developing countries be more resilient to climate change. In addition, development finance providers can help improve access to international climate-related finance, both from bilateral and multilateral sources. Furthermore, governments and providers can encourage more coherent development co-operation and humanitarian activities, which also help anticipate risks and ensure government debt levels remain sustainable over time. This side-event takes stock of trends and recent progress in these areas, drawing from the recent OECD report on losses and damages from climate change.

From G20 to COP: The path towards a green recovery. The magnitude and urgency of the climate change challenge require a new holistic public governance approach to infrastructure and public spending to make the climate transition happen. Governing green implies the mobilisation of all public policy and expenditure tools for an effective green transition. Choices made on infrastructure systems and public expenditures will be critical for achieving net-zero carbon emissions in the next decades, for halting the dramatic loss in biodiversity and making infrastructure more resilient, today. Last week, G20 leaders endorsed the G20 Policy Agenda on Infrastructure Maintenance, acknowledging that resilient, properly funded, well maintained and optimally managed systems are essential to preserving infrastructure assets over their life cycles. They also committed to scaling up and encouraging the implementation of Nature-based Solutions or Ecosystem-based Approaches as valuable tools that provide economic, social, climate and environmental benefits. With COP26 meetings underway, this webinar will explore current proposals and actions needed to build infrastructure resilience and ensure a green recovery. Speakers will offer insights into new technologies and nature-based solutions for infrastructure drawn from the G20 report Building Resilience developed by the OECD and recent work from T20 and CDRI-Resilience Shift.

Meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement will require economies to significantly mobilise climate and development finance. Multilateral development banks (MDBs) and International Financial Institutions (IFIs) will have a central part to play, and will need to focus on financing emissions reductions across a broad range of sectors and activities. Against this background, global installed nuclear energy capacity is expected to play an important and growing role in a net-zero scenario with at least a doubling of installed capacity. A large share of the growth in nuclear energy capacity is expected to be driven by non-OECD economies. Pathways to net-zero will further benefit from a wave of near-term nuclear innovation – such as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and hybrid nuclear-renewable energy systems – that are coming to market within the next 5 to 10 years. This webinar will explore the role of nuclear energy in net-zero pathways and the availability of climate and development finance to support nuclear innovation to meet climate goals.

This event will officially launch the report “The Circular Economy in Glasgow, United Kingdom, as part of the OECD Programme on the Circular Economy in Cities and Regions. The report is the result of a 20-month policy dialogue between the OECD and the city of Glasgow, which gathered more than 60 stakeholders from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors and presents the state of the art of the circular transition, the main challenges and the ways forward for the implementation of the Glasgow Circular Economy Route Map launched in 2020. The event will benefit from the insights from representatives of the three partner institutions that are leading the transition in the city: Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and Zero Waste Scotland.

Please note that a replay of this event is not available on the virtual pavilion. To achieve a decarbonized society, it is essential to promote subnational initiatives, integrating various stakeholders and sectors according to local characteristics from planning to implementation. Measures at the provincial, municipal or district level, on a large or small-scale, are critical to the realization of the central government's ambitious commitment. The Race to Zero campaign (RtoZ), spearheaded by the UNFCCC, encourages cities to raise their targets and participate through action. In addition, the Territorial Approach to Climate Action and Resilience (TACAR), implementing by OECD with support from Japan, will build policy framework aiming at the realization of the decarbonisation society collaborating at the country and subnational levels. In Japan, the national government is working with local governments to promote multi-level initiatives such as the preparation of regional decarbonisation roadmaps. Local governments that have committed to carbon neutrality are also accelerating their efforts to join the Race to Zero Campaign. Japan has been contributing to decarbonisation in cities overseas by creating a decarbonisation domino effect through city-to-city collaboration projects to support overseas cities toward their decarbonisation and sharing information by hosting the Zero Carbon City International Forum. Japan also plans to further promote city-to-city collaboration with partner countries and relevant international organisations. Such collaboration will not only help cities to formulate plans but will also lead to the sharing of experiences and knowledge during the implementation phase of the measures, and support ongoing actions.

The rapidly accelerating momentum on climate ambition in the lead-up to COP26 has been very encouraging, with more and more countries committing to net-zero emissions. Greater focus is now needed on implementation and ramping up the action needed now to make net-zero emissions feasible. To make that implementation count, how can we ensure that net-zero transition strategies are resilient for the long-term? What needs to be done to “future-proof” climate policies against potential disruptions, including impacts from climate change itself, and against changing economic circumstances, such as strained public finances and increased debt? This event, carried out under the OECD’s flagship project on climate and economic resilience, will explore these different dimensions and what governments can do to make sure climate strategies are themselves resilient .

Given the urgency of addressing the climate crisis combined with the push towards a post-Covid green recovery, it is more critical than ever for regions and cities to align their budgets with climate objectives and to increase climate-related expenditure and investment, from both public and private sources. The OECD and CCFLA are joining forces for this event to convene national and subnational policy-makers, climate and public finance experts, and private sector stakeholders and leverage their combined expertise in subnational climate finance to tackle these obstacles. Participants will discuss the instruments available at the subnational level, beginning from the budgetary stage, through to the use of green budgeting, until climate finance tracking and accountability practices. The objective of the event is to generate actionable policy advice to mobilise additional private and public finance for subnational climate action, ensure the alignment of these financial flows with global climate objectives, and enhance the potential of subnational actors to become climate leaders.

The global response to the climate crisis must be fair to be effective. If responsibility for preventing catastrophe falls disproportionately on those who did least to cause it or are least able to bear the cost, cooperation will collapse. Yet international climate policies risk undermining the imperative of climate justice for low-income countries by prioritising near-term emission reductions over broader support for economic development and energy transformation, with comparatively little climate benefit. This approach could severely hinder poverty alleviation, development and climate resilience — the very opposite of justice. This Dev Talk, a collaboration between the OECD Development Centre and the Carnegie Africa Programme, will examine the concept of climate justice for low-income countries, especially in Africa, through the lens of the energy transition. It will also set out the options available to development funders and financiers to ensure that the energy needs and priorities of energy-poor low-income countries can be met in ways that strengthen rather than undermine the global response to the climate crisis. With: • Zainab Usman, Senior Fellow and Director of the Africa Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace • Katie Auth, Policy Director, Energy for Growth Hub • Carlos Lopes, Professor, University of Cape Town and former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) • Stéphane Hallegatte, Senior Climate Change Advisor, Sustainable Development Practice Group, World Bank Moderated by Ragnheidur Elín Árnadóttir, Director of the OECD Development Centre

The shift towards a climate-resilient and sustainable economy is increasingly driven by bottom-up initiatives led by local authorities, communities, citizens, consumers, workers and innovative enterprises. Today, many countries, regions and cities also recognise the benefits of local climate action and support initiatives led by local communities. Nevertheless, local communities continue to face obstacles and challenges that make them unable to realise their huge transformative potential. Civil society and local authorities should always be engaged in the development, implementation and monitoring of climate policies and strategies. Local climate action is where the leave-no-one-behind principle can be best applied, through offering equal chances to all those taking an active role as citizens, workers, members of associations and groupings. The partners of the Coalition on Multi-level and Multi-stakeholder Climate Governance (Comité21, Committee of the Regions, ECOLISE, EESC, ICLEI, OECD) have been making efforts to support collaborative local climate action, make it visible to the policy-makers and advocate for an enabling framework. The webinar will take stock of the most recent achievements and propose new avenues of accelerating climate action with local communities.

What’s the issue? There is a strong case for enhancing climate policy with a place-based perspective. Per capita emissions vary more within than across countries. Regions therefore require different climate actions. The transition can only be inclusive if place-based. Harnessing the co-benefits of climate policy improves the political economy of climate action, but requires local action. Due to the transition to climate neutrality, some manufacturing sectors will undergo particularly large transformations and their activities are often regionally concentrated. Industrial transitions to climate neutrality may therefore affect employment differently across regions. These industrial transformations will alter the skillsets as well as the production and infrastructure assets. Understanding regional variation can ensure that the transition is just and does not aggravate existing regional inequalities. ■ About the event The event will consist of a webinar with two sessions. For each session, OECD staff will present their work and policy recommendations, followed by a panel discussion between policymakers and experts. ■ Language The event will be held in English. 09:00-09:05 CET Opening remarks Rüdiger Ahrend, Head of Division, Economic Analysis, Data and Statistics, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions, and Cities 09:05-09:25 CET OECD staff will present key findings from the OECD Regional Outlook 2021, making a case for place-based action on climate change. Andrés Fuentes Hutfilter, Head of Unit, Regional Outlook and Environmental Economics, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions, and Cities, Jolien Noels, Junior Policy Analyst, Regional Outlook and Environmental Economics, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions, and Cities 09:25-09:50 CET Panel Discussion and Q&A with policymakers and experts touching on topics from the first presentation. The discussion will provide insights for integrating the climate challenge into regional policy making, drawing on regional experiences from within OECD countries, integrating climate policy into urban and rural development, leaving no region behind. Moderator: Varinia Michalun, Senior Project Manager Regional Development and Multi-Level Governance Division, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions, and Cities Speakers: Nehmat Kaur Head of Global Government Relations, Under2 Coalition, Ralph Chapman, Professor, School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Andy Gouldson Professor of Environmental Policy, University of Leeds, UK, Chair of the Leeds Climate Commission, Director of the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission, Andrés Fuentes Hutfilter Head of Unit, Regional Outlook and Environmental Economics, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions, and Cities. 09:50-10:00 CET OECD staff will present ongoing work to identify EU regions most concerned by transformations to move difficult-to-decarbonise manufacturing sectors to climate neutrality, including the spatial distribution of employment, emissions and place-based consequences for energy systems and infrastructure. Speakers: Andrés Fuentes Hutfilter, Head of Unit, Regional Outlook and Environmental Economics, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions, and Cities, Jolien Noels, Junior Policy Analyst, Regional Outlook and Environmental Economics, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions, and Cities. 10:00-10:25 CET Panel discussion: session 2 Panel discussion and Q&A with policymakers and experts touching on topics from the second presentation. The discussion will aim at shedding light on key driving forces and how these place-based impacts can be analysed to support a just and regionally balanced transition. Moderator: Varinia Michalun, Senior Project Manager Regional Development and Multi-Level Governance Division, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions, and Cities Speakers: Sander Haeperts, Coordinator Just Transition Fund, Directorate General for Regional Policy, Sustainable growth team, European Commission, Catherine Saget, Chief of Unit with the Research Department of the International Labour Office (ILO), Andrés Fuentes Hutfilter, Head of Unit, Regional Outlook and Environmental Economics, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions, and Cities. 10:25-10:30 CET Closing remarks Speakers: Varinia Michalun, Senior Project Manager Regional Development and Multi-Level Governance Division, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions, and Cities

Developing countries, particularly Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States, face very long, costly and arduous processes to access financing. Such processes are often complex, differ across providers of development co-operation, can take too long, and demand resources not present in the poorest and most vulnerable countries. Furthermore, there is a recognition that there are structural issues that go beyond the design of individual funds, for example relating to enabling environments or credit ratings, as well as to the absorptive capacity that countries have once they access finance. While efforts are being made across climate finance channels and providers of development co-operation to access finance for climate change, more needs to be done if we are to collectively achieve the goals enshrined in the Paris Agreement and to promote sustainable development. Capacity development can be a key lever to ensure developing countries can do so. This side-event will focus on some of the challenges and bottlenecks that developing countries and providers of development co-operation face in this area. It will also emphasise current good practices, experiences and examples of success that could inspire replication and scaling-up of approaches to deliver capacity development and that ultimately can help developing countries access much needed climate-related resources.