14 September 2018: Two Talanoa Dialogues convened on the sidelines of the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS): a high-level dialogue on ‘Rapid Transition to a Net-zero Society,’ and a dialogue themed, ‘Financing the Road to Resilience and Net-Zero Economies,’ bringing together participants from across sectors and geographies.

The GCAS convened from 12-14 September 2018 in San Francisco, US, and resulted in range of new climate commitments and announcements by subnational stakeholders.

During the dialogue on rapid transition to a net-zero society, participants shared stories and ideas on the leadership and change required to make zero emissions development a reality, including strengthening and expanding public and private sector partnerships and synergies.

The dialogue aimed to: help to set the scene for the GCAS by bringing the Talanoa spirit into the Summit through constructive and inclusive dialogue with inspiring stories; provide high-level inputs to the GCAS outcomes; and contribute to the development of high-level key messages to be presented at the political phase of the Talanoa Dialogue during the 24th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 24) to the UNFCCC in Katowice, Poland, in December 2018.

Many NDCs do not incorporate the “best ideas and solutions,” which are currently being implemented at the sub-national level, said Frank Bainimarama.

During the dialogue, COP 23 President and Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama stressed that current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) “fall far short” of the Paris Agreement’s goals, noting that many NDCs do not incorporate the “best ideas and solutions,” which are currently being implemented at the subnational level. The event focused on the third of the three questions posed by the Talanoa Dialogue process: How do we get there?

Participants called on political and government leaders at all levels to set national, regional, sectoral and city-level targets, and create the necessary frameworks to establish “predictable economic and a socially-conscious environments.”

Dialogue participants called on business leaders to:

  • establish and ensure the necessary resources to achieve science-based targets, including creating an environment that encourages innovation;
  • expand their climate ambition into supply chains; and
  • motivate their peers to take action.

Additionally, the dialogue called on:

  • the investment community to commit their companies and clients to use financial resources to expand technologies, incorporate the assessment of climate-related risk and promote financial disclosure;
  • civil society leaders to call for responsible, committed and accountable governments and companies, and promote behavioral change; and
  • spiritual leaders to unlock spiritual pathways for addressing climate change by helping people to reconnect to “the wonders of nature and creation, nurture love for the planet and foster compassion and reconciliation.”

The Fijian COP 23 Presidency and the Office of the Governor of the State of California organized the event.

The COP 23 Presidency also hosted a finance-themed Talanoa dialogue on 14 September 2018, which brought together representatives from across the financial system to determine what is required to reach net zero emissions and contribute to the SDGs. The event was co-organized by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Climate Policy Institute.

Talanoa is a traditional Fijian word used across the Pacific to reflect a process of inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue. The process aims to support governments in raising their national climate ambition as they prepare for the Katowice Climate Change Conference, where dialogue outcomes will be formally presented to governments to inform the next round of NDCs, along with helping to raise short-term ambition. [GCAS Press Release on Talanoa Dialogue] [UNFCCC News Story] [Video of Event]