Climate and Development Ministerial on 31 March 2021

The world has already warmed by more than 1°C since pre-industrial times and the impacts of climate change are affecting lives, livelihoods and nature. COVID-19 and related crises have compounded vulnerabilities in the world’s most climate vulnerable communities and action has never been more urgent. Inequality and exclusion relating to gender, poverty, race, ethnicity, disability and age, drive vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and undermine resilience.
Ahead of COP26, the world needs to come together to ensure that no one is left behind as the world builds back better from COVID-19. On 31 March, the incoming COP26 Presidency will host a virtual Climate and Development Ministerial to identify practical steps that countries can take, together with key multilateral organisations, to support the delivery of the Paris Agreement and Agenda 2030 for Sustainable
Development in the world’s most climate vulnerable countries and communities. A representative group of countries and multilateral institutions will be invited to represent a diversity of views and maximise inclusivity. The Ministerial will provide opportunities to establish links between the issues faced by the most climate vulnerable countries, and actions and outcomes that can be agreed by countries and multilateral institutions throughout 2021.
Discussions will be organised into four themes, more detail for which can be found in the linked document below.

1. Responding to climate impacts;
2. Access to finance;
3. Quantity, quality and composition of climate finance;
4. Fiscal space and debt sustainability.

In preparation for the Ministerial, civil society representatives will host expert workshops in February followed by expert-level country and multilateral institution roundtables in March. The workshops will provide independent insights from global civil society and academia. The expert-level country and multilateral institution roundtables will mirror participation at the ministerial level and draw on the workshop outcomes to provide practical and implementable actions to be discussed by Ministers. Participants at each stage will also be asked to highlight
opportunities for inclusive and gender-responsive outcomes.
The Ministerial aims to shape international discussions across the climate, development and recovery agendas, to build a shared approach through 2021 that supports the most climate vulnerable countries and communities. Whilst this event does not focus on the COP26 negotiated outcome, it aims to make tangible progress and build momentum for a constructive
outcome in Glasgow. 2020 was the year of rescue and response. 2021 must be the year that paves the way for a sustainable, inclusive and resilient recovery. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape our economies in a way that delivers sustainable, good quality jobs, more resilient and inclusive societies and greater equity, whilst tackling
climate change head on.
Further detail is provided in the briefing document against each of these four themes to inform an inclusive co-development of solutions. This note is intended to illustrate the issues only and is non-exhaustive. In working through these themes, cross-cutting issues of gender, youth, social justice and the role of local communities will be paramount.