2 December 2012: Two events addressing climate change adaptation and development took place simultaneously at the Ezdan Hotel and Suites in Doha, Qatar, on 1-2 December 2012, in parallel with the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) to the UNFCCC.

Development and Climate Days (D&C Days), which has been organized at UNFCCC COPs since 2002, celebrated its tenth anniversary in Doha. It was organized in a new partnership between the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre (Climate Centre), the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), and focused on “innovative approaches, and incisive dialogue on climate-smart development.” The event featured a new format of “experiential learning” where inventive games were used to help participants experience real life dilemmas.

Adaptation Practitioners Days (APD), meanwhile, is a new event that aims to bring together pioneers of adaptation to share experiences of climate-resilient development in action, and address the question “what is adaptation in practice?” It featured a number of presentations on experiences on the ground gained from over ten years of creative adaptation financing through the two adaptation-related funds established under the UNFCCC, namely the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF). The Global Environment Facility (GEF) facilitated APD in collaboration with the UNFCCC Secretariat, with the sponsorship of the Governments of Germany, the Gambia and Tuvalu.

The two events shared the same venue, with D&C events taking place on the morning of Saturday, 1 December and the afternoon of Sunday, 2 December, while APD events took place on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. A number of side-events also took place. Over 200 participants attended over the two days. [IISD RS Coverage of D&C and APD]