A worldwide response to the climate crisis is only possible with the contribution of an informed and fully involved society.  Strong climate governance, participatory processes, and capacity building are key to achieving a just transition. If done effectively, they can harness and benefit all of society while meeting the commitments of the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.

ACE has an essential role to play to ensure climate action centers people and justice.

Key aspects for climate governance include accountability, coordination, decision-making ability, broad public support, and fair and equitable processes. In order to achieve these, we need to build national competencies among government officials and citizens, unlocking the power of a whole-of-society approach to accelerate a just transition that leaves no one behind.

ACE operationalizes access rights in international agreements (such as the Aarhus Convention and Escazú Agreement) and supports key aspects of the Sendai Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals (i.e SDG 4, 5, 8, 10, 13, and 16). People, with unique knowledge of their environment and themselves, properly resourced and properly informed, are the ideal agents of change.

ACE offers an opportunity to remedy international and institutional fragmentation, strengthen synergies, and promote policy coherence within and beyond the UNFCCC. The overarching goal is to ensure that all members of society are informed, engaged, and active in building a sustainable and livable future.

ACE identifies six elements to empower all actors involved in climate action:

At Issue

Since the adoption of the original UNFCCC treaty, ACE has been critically under-resourced and under-utilized. A growing number of people-centered climate efforts and tools already exist within local, national, regional, and international contexts, yet these often remain fragmented.

The lack of prioritization and definition for effective ACE implementation has prevented us from unlocking the potential of ACE to accelerate climate action and protect human rights. To date, many countries still have yet to follow UN guidelines and appoint an ACE National Focal Point within their government, or create an ACE National Strategic Plan. Yet, Many actors have built a wealth of knowledge on driving just climate action through ACE-related components.

“Countries can’t act at the scale required without vastly increased and deeply coordinated engagement across civil society.”

— Laura Weiland, ACE Observatory Co-Director

Together, we can change this!