About the event
As climate impacts intensify and the urgency for climate action increases, Climate Action Accelerator brought together key stakeholders and the public to its Acceleration Days. Together, we explored and advanced concrete pathways to accelerate the deployment of climate solutions and strengthen resilience.
This year’s annual event gathered our partners and organisations from diverse sectors – donors, policymakers, governments, global health leaders, the private sector, climate action experts, civil society, and academia. Drawing from on our work in the international aid and health sectors, we shared insights on operationalizing climate commitments, partnering for locally led action and the pivotal role of funds programming in amplifying change.
We also debated how effective climate transformation not only generates crucial climate outcomes but also reinforces our capacity to deliver in extraordinary times, in a world characterised by increased constraints- whether from environmental shocks, higher energy and raw material prices or geopolitical instability.
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When and where?
📆 2 October 2024 (Wednesday) | 09:00 – 17:00 (CET Geneva time)
📍 L’Auditorium, Domaine de la Pastorale, Route de Ferney 106, 1202 Genève, and online
🌐 This event was held in both English and French, and interpretation services were available in person and online
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Setting the scene: keynote addresses
- Owen Gaffney, Chief Impact Officer at Nobel Peace Prize, co-founder Exponential Roadmap Initiative, co-lead Earth4All, formerly at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the Stockholm Resilience Centre
- Matthieu Auzanneau, Director, the Shift Project, Paris
- Simon Zadek, co-Director, Nature Finance
- Dr. Jemilah Mahmood, Executive Director, Sunway Center for Planetary Health, former Under-Secretary General of the International Federation of the Red Cross, former Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia on Public Health
Moderator: Elise Buckle, President/CEO Climate Bridges, Founder SHE Builds Bridges, Co-chair of the International Gender Champion Climate Impact Group
Generating knowledge for change
Climate Action Accelerator’s experience and learnings, including the presentation of our “Roadmap for halving emissions by 2030 in the humanitarian sector”, and an introduction to our work towards building climate resilient, sustainable and low-carbon health services.
Roundtables
Thematic roundtable. Partnering for change: what do local and national actors really need to accelerate climate action
- Runa Khan, Founder and Executive Director, Friendship
- Xavier Castellanos, Under Secretary General for National Society Development and Operations Coordination, International Federation of the Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
- Cheikh Mbow, Director General, Centre de Suivi Ecologique, Dakar
- Jérôme Oberreit, Executive Director, BRAC Global
Moderator: Benoit Miribel, President, One Sustainable Health for All Foundation
Thematic roundtable. Enabling and amplifying: the critical role of grant-making organisations
- Philippe Duneton, Executive Director, Unitaid
- Miren Bengoa, Managing Director, Swiss Solidarity
- Nicole Butts, Division Chief Acquisition and Assistance, Office of Humanitarian Business and Management Operations (HBMO), USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA)
Moderator: Anne de Riedmatten, Director, International Solidarity Unit, Canton de Genève
Final panel discussion. The impact of the climate crisis and increased resource shortages on the way we deliver services to populations
- Owen Gaffney, Chief Impact Officer at Nobel Peace Prize, co-founder Exponential Roadmap Initiative, co-lead Earth4All, formerly at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the Stockholm Resilience Centre
- Sonia Roschnik, Executive Director, Geneva Sustainability Centre of the International Hospitals Federation, former Sustainability Director of National Health Service, UK
- Stephen Cornish, Director General, Médecins Sans Frontières Switzerland
- Dr. Shailee Pradhan, Senior Sustainability Manager, Swiss Re
Moderator: Serge Michel, Chief Editor, Heidi.news
Closing Remarks
- Beatrice Ferrari, Directrice, Direction des Affaires Internationales, Canton de Genève
- Dr. Bea Albermann, Medical Doctor and Planetary Health advocate
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Photos of the event
Geneva, 2 October 2024
Watch the recording
Setting the scene | Keynote addresses
Generating knowledge for change
Roundtable 1 | Partnering for change: what do local and national actors really need to accelerate climate action
Roundtable 2 | Enabling and amplifying: the critical role of grant-making organisations
Roundtable 3 | The impact of the climate crisis and increased resource shortages on the way we deliver services to populations
Closing remarks
Acknowledgments
We’re thankful for the support of:
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Against time and the odds: accelerating climate action today to better serve populations tomorrow
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Meet the speakers: read their bios
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Credits
Cover photo: Pok Rie/Unsplash