Global Call for Climate Action Annual Report 2014

1 3 Global Call for Climate Action Annual Report 2014 The GCCA Annual Report 2013 Contents Message from the Executive Director 1 Our highlights in 2014 2 What is GCCA? 4 Financial statement 5 UN PHOTO/CIA PAK Kathy Jetnil-Kijner speaking at the UN Message from the Board Chair 6 GCCA partners 8 COVER PHOTO: JASON DECROW/AP About GCCA 2 GCCA partner organisations represent citizens from a broad spectrum of civil society who are concerned ADOPT A NEGOTIATOR COP20 in Lima about climate change and recognise a need for genuine leadership and meaningful action. J.SOUTEYRAT IPCC Action Japan Catalysing people-powered climate action by Antonio Hill, Executive Director 2014 was a year of new beginnings, for the climate streets of Lima on December 10th, Human Rights Day; a swirl movement, for GCCA, and for me, joining the team as of colour and music tempered by genuine alarm about the very Executive Director in April. human consequences of climate change already being felt in Peru and across the region. The movement was strengthened by science, primarily in the form of IPCC’s 5th Assessment Report that was released in GCCA was a key player in of all of this. Working behind the stages starting in late 2013 and continuing throughout 2014, scenes, months in advance of the big moments, to gather the each one serving to further isolate and discredit the rhetoric of stories, connect the people, interpret the science, and supply ‘deniers’ and vested interests. The economic case for climate our partners’ campaigns with tools, training, access to the action also shifted significantly, with a commission including media, and the immeasurable strength that comes from being five former heads of state and government headlining the part of a global force for change. We continued to show our New Climate Economy report showing that climate action partners and the world the sum of the movement’s many parts and economic development are not only complementary – how our partners influence public discourse and political but also interdependent. But most of all the movement was outcomes – and through our communications work we often strengthened by people. Millions of us in far-flung places reached governments, UN officials, and opinion leaders with marching, writing, demanding, dreaming, and most of all the movement’s core narratives and messaging. And, finally, we acting, to turn the tide of climate change. were there on the ground on the day, briefing NGOs and other activists, sending out our unrivalled, up-to-the-minute briefings The phenomenal Peoples’ Climate March in September created of what was actually happening, amplifying the voices and a renewed energy and optimism that permeated the UN Climate catalysing the actions of our partners to fortify the impact of the Leaders Summit. The message was clear: the debate about entire movement. Personally, I was thrilled to confirm what I had whether climate change is happening is over, we need to look suspected when I signed-up with GCCA: it’s the ultimate fixer 1 to the future, to change everything we need everyone, and we and facilitator, a leading collaborator in the climate movement need to start now. ‘Everyone’ was out in force on September known for getting stuff done. 21st, including the dozens of ministers and even world leaders who joined 400,000 people on the streets of New York, while We opened up to vast new audiences in 2014 as the Tree nearly 300,000 others took part in 2,600 events in 162 countries. communications platform grew branches to serve Chinese, Inside the UN Summit, Marshall Islands poet Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner French and Spanish speakers, and extended operations into became a sensation when she told the climate movement’s Latin America. The 20+ members of the Secretariat continue story in poetic form. The world took notice. This is no fringe to pioneer virtual team work. Based in 12 countries – from movement. This is people power, and it heralds a new, more Australia and China in the East, through Europe, and across determined, and more influential phase in the evolution of the South, Central, and North America in the West – we benefit global climate movement. from different perspectives and opportunities, while still working closely together thanks to the full spectrum of modern Negotiations were tougher, and official outcomes more guarded, communications technologies. This format fits the needs of the three months later at the annual UN climate conference in Lima ‘networked call-to-action’ that GCCA is spearheading and which (COP20), but the people at least did not disappoint. Living in is set to help partners engage with new audiences in their home South America myself, I was proud to see the continent’s largest languages in the run-up to the Paris UN climate conference. ever climate march when over 15,000 people rallied on the Joining the GCCA team is an exciting challenge for me, and I am hugely indebted to outgoing Executive Director Kelly Rigg, and the entire GCCA staff, for their warm welcome and invaluable support. Together we have now undertaken a strategy ‘refresh’ aimed at meeting the ever-shifting challenges faced by the climate movement and ensuring that GCCA focuses on activities that best serve the priorities of our partners. GCCA is more determined than ever to grow and activate our partnership, to build ever-bigger global moments, and help our partners to win game-changing national campaigns. These are our priorities going forward into 2015, and with the power of so many people behind us we are confident that we will make a CHRISTINE IRVINE/SURVIVAL MEDIA AGENCY CHRISTINE IRVINE/SURVIVAL real difference in the crucial year ahead. Kids play for Climate Justice in New York The GCCA Annual Report 2014 Our highlights in 2014 Peoples’ Climate March: putting boots on the ground at localising and personalising the complex science contained GCCA worked behind the scenes for over a year to prepare for the in the Working Group (WG) reports, to enable partners and biggest date in 2014, leveraging every possible asset and contact journalists to transmit accurate, relevant and engaging stories. to rally around the historic Peoples’ Climate March in the run-up At the heart of the materials provided by GCCA and our main to the UN Climate Leaders Summit. It was an opportunity to work partner the Climate Action Network (CAN) were the Global closely with new partners, especially in the New York area, and Resource Packs created for the WG2 release in Yokohama build the capacity of the entire network. Grassroots mobilisation (March), WG3 release in Berlin (April), and the Synthesis in NY focused on building a unique network of parents groups, Report release in Copenhagen (November). These broke down social entrepreneurs, the clean energy community, and the yoga extensive scientific reports into easily digestible and actionable community. We also linked with the people behind the Future materials, including key findings, social media content, of Energy documentary and landed a national AP story when it press releases, and more. Partners were also given Regional premiered in NY a week before the march. Breakdown Reports and powerful story-telling material to help give the science a human face. Dozens of personal accounts In the preceding months, GCCA convened weekly calls with and images of climate action and resilience were sourced from key partners 350.org, Avaaz, USCAN and Climate Nexus to partners around the world and shared across our network of catalyse activities and identify gaps. Our new Climate Tracker partners and allies. global #call4climate, asked participants to write and pitch opinion pieces linked to the march. GCCA collaborated with Climate The GCCA played a crucial role in coordinating Nexus to secure celebrity outreach and the successful placement the civil society effort on the ground at several of opinion pieces related to the Peoples’ Climate March. IPCC meetings during the year, aimed at Everything came together on the day as we bore witness to the vigilantly tracking the negotiations in real world’s biggest ever climate march, and inspiring events across time and ensuring that governments agreed the globe, with world leaders, business people, activists, parents the strongest possible Summaries for and artists walking shoulder-to-shoulder. Policymakers (SPMs). To further help partners 2 to target their advocacy efforts back home, Climate Leaders Summit: poetry in motion we also organised AR5 strategy catalyst The role we played around the UN Climate Leaders Summit workshops in Argentina, Brazil, China, India, showcased GCCA at its best; playing catalyst, connector and Nigeria, Peru, South Africa and Tanzania. These facilitator, and leveraging the strengths of our partners to generate efforts resulted in a lot of – mostly helpful – media much more than the sum of their parts. In partnership with Avaaz coverage of the IPCC science around the world. and 350.org, GCCA helped to organise and shape the civil To strengthen media coverage in the South, and build society portion of the Summit’s high-profile Opening Ceremony capacity with science and environment reporters, a series by working closely with the UN Secretary-General’s Climate of media briefings and ‘webinars’ were held in collaboration with Change Support Team and the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Internews and Earth Journalism Network, and co-funded by Service. This joint effort helped secure the strong participation of the European Climate Foundation (ECF). These took place in civil society representative and poet Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner from the Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and the Philippines, in Marshall Islands, alongside speeches by Ban Ki-moon, Mayor order to brief local and regional journalists about AR5. Bill de Blasio, Al Gore, and actors Li Bingbing and Leonardo DiCaprio.

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