Designing strategic engagement and a long term strategy action plan for mitigating and adapting to Climate Change with the Republic of Kiribati
Background
During November 2023, we travelled to Kiribati on mission 1 for the purpose of developing a Long Term Strategy (LTS) Action Plan for Kiribati. 2024 sees this work continue. An LTS is a national, whole of economy, long-term strategy that envisions low emission development and just transitions to global net-zero emissions with a timeline to 2050 and beyond. An LTS Action Plan outlines resources, processes and mechanisms required for the Republic of Kiribati to complete an LTS.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is supporting its developing member countries to expand action on climate change and has been invited by Kiribati to take this journey with them. Asia Development Bank (ADB) have brought on Relative Creative as a Strategic Engagement Specialist to work in an international team of five including adaptation specialists, mitigation specialists and project management specialists.
Relative Creative designed strategic and appropriate engagement processes, tools and activities to ensure active participation from all relevant stakeholders as we move toward a final action plan. We have been designing and facilitating consultations, roundtable discussions, and futures thinking/foresight workshops that are participatory, inclusive, culturally relevant and encourage ownership of the LTS action plan. This has included preparing reports, presentations, concept notes, related workshops and events, supporting cross-learning and facilitating peer-to-peer learning, ensuring that the understanding of long-term strategies is enhanced and appreciated. It has also included working closely with an international project team.
Opportunity for futures
LTSs are officially submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by nations, in accordance with the Paris Agreement to ‘strive to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre- industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre- industrial levels. Importantly for The Republic of Kiribati, which consists of 32 inhabited low–lying coral islands, an LTS provides an opportunity to lead by example, showing much larger GHG emitting countries what proactive mitigation, adaptation and resilience strategies look like.
Our approach
Relative Creative have travelled to Kiribati in November 2023, and will again in March 2024 to work closely with stakeholders there; listening, learning and providing our expert contributions of strategic engagement and critical design.
Flying internationally comes at a cost. We can only hope we provide warranted benefit to Kiribati, a small island Pacific atoll nation under imminent threat from rising sea levels, as we continue our work with them through 2024 helping to develop their long term strategy for adapting to Climate Change over the coming decades. It truely is a stunning place. Facing mounting social, economic and environmental wicked problems, all worth their ongoing fight and international support to overcome.
