This two-day summit is for government officials and staff, civil society, community, corporate, and thought leaders, journalists, and others interested in the governance issues raised by climate change resilience.Come if you work on climate issues and want to engage more on governance. Come if you work on and want to better understand the tensions climate change may increase.

Why participate?

To contribute to the conversation and deepen understanding of the governance challenges posed by climate change preparedness and resilience and to discuss ways to move forward.

Will the summit have a lasting impact?

Yes! This summit will make governance issues more prominent and increase the nuances in ongoing climate resilience discussions. The summit will bring people together to connect and work. Organizers will support ongoing conversations and follow-up activities.

What is Governance?

The United Nations Development Programme has said governance is "the exercise of economic, political and administrative authority to manage a country’s affairs at all levels. It comprises mechanisms, processes and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations and mediate their differences" (Governance for Sustainable Human Development, 1997).

Issues of governance—how collective decisions are made, interpreted, implemented, and challenged—will enable or impede activities to increase resilience. Governance in the context of resilience raises important questions:

• Who decides what resilience actions are taken?
• How are conflicts resolved?
• What creative steps are communities taking and what barriers are they encountering? how can people change them?
• Could a less centralized governance system work better in some cases?
• Where and how does governance happen outside “the state”?
• How can governmental organizations be more effective?