Almost all of Southern Voices partner networks engaged in the COP21 in Paris as observers – and a considerable number as advisors to their Government delegations. This enabled us to host a Southern Voices evening on Monday Dec. 7th,  as a social gathering and get-together for SVA-partners and friends – including sessions for sharing experiences and looking ahead – and a joint dinner.

Outlining SV-Adapt achievements

After a funny ice-breaking session where participants at each of the four tables shared personal facts about their work, family, what they like and dislike + a secret and a lie – the evening started by outlining and celebrating the achievements of the SV-Adapt project so far:

• The Joint Principles for Adaptation has been finalized in a version 3
  
• The report Putting Principles into Practice – with 15 case stories from partner networks – and an analysis of the many ways in which the JPA have been used by partner networks
• The recognition of the JPA in several fora relating to the UNFCCC – such as the NAP Expos and the Nairobi Work Programme
• The successful application to CISU for a second phase of SV-Adapt 2016-7

 Looking ahead: How to use the JPA in the next phase

The main focus of the evening was to engage SVA-partners and friends in a discussion on how JPA can be used in different ways in the next phase – all with the objective of promoting equitable and pro-poor adaptation frameworks. Divided into four groups, the participants discussed how the  JPAs can be used for 1) Influencing institutions managing adaptation finance 2) Mainstreaming adaptation concerns into other policies at local/national level 3) For social audit/monitoring purposes 4) How using the JPA at local level can help influencing national level plans and policies.  

Among the recommendations from groups were: Communities can be involved in monitoring of policies using the JPA; there should be room for civil society to act as a watch-dog; the JPA can be used to follow up implementation of the INDCs. A report is being prepared summarizing the outcome of the discussions.

How to communicate and work as a network

Among the objectives for the next phase of the SVAdapt is to strengthen interaction between partner networks by establishing a community of practice around the JPA. Experiences were shared from the Adaptation Fund NGO-network on how to work as a network (read the paper "Critical Interventions") – and debates on how communication between partner networks can be strengthened. Some of the ideas considered were increased use of on-line webinars: the use of discussion groups on Facebook, and if the SV-adapt Discussion Forum could be improved.

The participants also discussed how to bring the outcomes of the high-level global climate negotiations back to their national contexts, and how to ensure a continued engagement and responsibility from their national governments.

Turning point

At the end of the meeting, participants greeted the two regional facilitators who will move on to other work assignments at the end of the year: Herbert Mwalukomo from CEPA, Malawi, who has been with SV since October 2012, and Tania Guillén Baltodaños, from Centro Humboldt, Nicaragua, who has been with SV-Adapt since 2014.

The SVEvening was facilitated by Raja Jarrah (SVA Consultant) and attended by 24 partners from 11 different countries, 7 colleges from the CARE Adaptation Learning Programme (ALP), and friends from Germanwatch, The Adaptation Fund NGO Networks, and IIED.