D&C Days: day one

The 14th D&C Days event took place on 12-13 November 2016 at the UN climate talks in Morocco. It featured three programme streams to look at efforts to deliver the goals of the Paris Agreement, ways to ensure equitable decision-making on climate finance, and how to bridge the gap between climate and humanitarian development work

Martin van Aalst, director of the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, introduced the conference and speaker Clare Shakya, director of the Climate Change research group at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)

The conference's first session saw participants enrolled into an interactive game that examined the links between global ambition, local action and climate resilience through the lens of social protection. The games asked whether attendees were ready to take on the role of farmer, government, humanitarian worker or development practitioner. And what would be the consequences of their decisions?

At the end of the game, participants were asked to tweet a summary of their thoughts on what they had experienced

As the day progressed, the Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice led a session (notably with an all-female panel) on ensuring frontline communities have their voices heard in climate decision making

This D&C Days saw the private sector included for the first time, and another session that proved popular was led by We Mean Business, which asked how businesses can act to enhance their own adaptive capacity while enhancing societal resilience

With lunch approaching, it was apt that food was used to represent data in one session that explored innovations in climate communication through cuisine

The morning also included a session led by the International Development Research Centre that shared different perspectives and experiences of implementing low-carbon, climate-resilient development efforts, and provided lessons for others looking to support ambitious action.

The break for lunch allowed participants to continue their conversations and network with peers. But there were plenty of other activities available as well

The afternoon began with four parallel sessions, including a talent show concept, CoP’s Got Talent (on politics and adaptation) that saw adaptation practitioners try to use a variety of incentives and arguments to persuade politicians and senior government functionaries to take up their idea

Elsewhere the topics of conversation ranged from drones to Dragon's Den, from catalysing climate action and leadership to adaptive social protection

In one of the final sessions of the day, the focus shifted to the legislation needed to achieve the Paris ambition. The session heard from a Kenyan politician who explained how his efforts on climate change had helped him to gain re-election

Elsewhere, participants looked at the cultural links between art, food and climate change, and examined how global and local ambitions are connected under the Paris Agreement

Robert Hofstede, associate director of the International Development Research Centre, had a distinctive way of 'rapping' up the day's events - and enrolled participants to provide backing music

Some further stories from the day's discussions:

D&C Days is organised by the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, IIED, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice (MRFCJ), Competence Centre Climate Change in Morocco (4C Maroc), and We Mean Business (WMB).

Contributing partners also include the World Resources Institute (WRI), Action on Climate Today (ACT), Partners for Resilience (PRF), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extreme Disasters (BRACED).