Peace@COP28 Acts on Historic Thematic Day for Peace

COP28 in Dubai marked a significant milestone as we witnessed its first-ever thematic day dedicated to peace. Annika Erickson-Pearson, GPP’s Community Management Lead, led Peace@COP28, a collaborative effort of peacebuilding organizations and actors to contribute expertise from the peace community, and in particular, local civil society actors. 

Peace@COP28: Amplifying Voices and Initiating Dialogue

With a strong presence of more than 40 ECCP members in the Blue Zone, Peace@COP28 engaged in negotiations, side-events and new partnerships. COP28 saw a substantial increase in events related to peace, conflict sensitivity, security, and finance, with more than 70 events, compared to roughly 30 events at COP27. The Peace@COP28 group aims to create a lasting impact, not just through events but also through strategic policy advising, as well as creative collaborations and initiatives. The Peace@COP28 community will continue to work together to provide thoughtful and concrete examples of peace responsive climate action, driven by those most impacted by climate change.

High-Level Declaration for Peace: A Pivotal Moment

On 3 December 2023, the UAE COP28 Secretariat, alongside 70 countries and 40 organizations, unveiled a Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery, and Peace.

• Read the collectively produced set of policy demands

We welcome the UAE COP28 Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery and Peace. This is a very timely moment to highlight the mutually reinforcing intersection between conflicts and the climate crisis, and the lack of finance reaching those affected by the double burden. We hope that it provides much needed momentum. We would however like to see mechanisms be put in place to guarantee this is not a one-shot occurrence, that this is just the beginning, and the Declaration will be carried into COP29 and beyond. We want to see the Declaration have a legacy. As a community that recognizes the relationship between climate action and sustainable peace, we have collectively produced a set of policy demands which we urge decision makers to reflect in their commitments and pledges.

Nature Footprints: Bridging Art, Policy, and Climate Action

To grab attention of negotiators outside of multilateral meeting rooms, the community hosted an art exhibition and created shareable cards with art and policy messages.

Nature Footprints, an online art gallery featuring works from 19 global artists, launched the on-site exhibition in the Blue Zone during COP28 and online on 30 November. The gallery aims to connect policymakers and COP28 attendees with the stories of communities impacted by climate-related conflicts. You can explore the gallery here today.

Through painting, poetry, ceramics, dance, photography, documentary, and more, these artists have expressed stories of climate change, conflict, community, and peace. Each collection is accompanied by an artist statement, providing context and telling the story of their work in words. 

Resources for a Peaceful Climate: ECCP's Library for COP28

For those unfamiliar with COP28 and climate change negotiations, Annika provides a curated list of resources available on the Peace@COP28 landing page.  From policy recommendations to documentary films, the resources cover diverse aspects of climate, conflict, and peace. Readers are encouraged to explore these materials and gain insights into the critical intersections between climate action and sustainable peace.

As COP28 progresses, the ECCP community stands united in its commitment to fostering peace in the face of climate challenges.

Find out more about the community of practice on ECCP here.