Climate Chance Summits

The organisation of federative events is the DNA of Climate Chance. The Climate Chance Summits in Europe and Africa are the moment of convergence of our community of actors and are the opportunity to make common proposals carried to the international stage..

Bringing together actors since 2015

In 2015, the Climate and Territories Summit in Lyon underlined the determination of non-state actors to contribute to the Agenda for Action. Recalling the challenge of mobilising them in the fight against climate change, it was also specified that it is through the territorial approach and the involvement of civil society that mitigation and adaptation efforts are undertaken.

In 2016, the 1st edition of the Climate Chance Summit in Nantes, a few months after the historic signing of the Paris Agreement, enabled non-State actors to draw the first concrete lessons and propose measures to strengthen action.

The 2017 edition of the Climate Chance Summit hosted by the Souss-Massa Region in Agadir from 11 to 13 September, brought together more than 5,000 stakeholders of 80 nationalities before the COP23, in an international context marked by the announcement by the Trump administration to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. « Progress in action » was the common thread of this key moment of mobilization, of valorization of actions and of testimony of the collective commitment of non-State actors. The Agadir Declaration « Let’s Intensify Action and Ambition Together », adopted at the closing session, was signed by all the major global networks of local authorities, companies and associations. It is the most widely signed declaration worldwide by non-state actors in all their diversity. This edition also sought to create new synergies with new actors and networks.
Thus, a day dedicated to the commitment of African local and regional elected officials resulted in a specific Declaration of African local and regional elected officials « Fighting together against climate change in Africa » reaffirming that the specific needs of the African continent can only be met through territorialized action, with the signatory elected officials committing to mobilize their local civil society.

Climate Chance Summits in Africa

As 2018 was a key year for accelerating action against climate change with several major events (Global Climate Action Summit in September in California / Africities Summit in November 2018 in Morocco / COP24 in Poland), the Climate Chance Summit – Africa 2018 in Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire brought together non-state actors of the climate in Africa and above all to develop sectoral and operational roadmaps adapted to the context of African local authorities.

The second edition of the Climate Chance Summit – Africa 2019 took place from 16 to 18 October 2019 in Accra, Ghana on the theme « Working together to accelerate action on climate change ». The second edition of the Climate Chance – Africa Summit brought together 2,00 participants, representing 50 nationalities (including 34 African nationalities) and the whole diversity of non-state actors mobilised against climate change: local governments, businesses, trade unions, environmental NGOs, farmers, women and youth organisations, researchers.
The Accra Declaration, adopted by the participants at the end of the summit, calls on States to create an enabling environment for local action and on banking institutions to facilitate access to financing for local governments and non-state actors. It proposes a new approach to reassess national commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the contribution of territories (Locally determined contributions). This declaration acknowledges the importance taken by the Climate Change Africa Summit, the annual meeting of African non-state actors, by proposing that the common messages delivered by each summit should henceforth be delivered under the umbrella of the Accra Climate Dialogue.

In 2020, the third edition of the Climate Chance Summit Africa was scheduled to take place in Rwanda, but the global pandemic of COVID-19 led to its cancellation.

In 2021, it was originally planned to be part of the Week for Sustainable Mobility and Climate #SMDC in Dakar, Senegal. Due to the health crisis, SMDC also had to be cancelled. It has been postponed to September 2022. The 3rd edition of the Climate Chance Summit Africa was held virtually from 15 to 17 September 2021. It was a great success, bringing together more than 2,500 participants from 86 countries (including 46 African countries) and constituted a high point of mobilisation on the issues of sustainability and the fight against climate change ahead of COP 26 to be held in Glasgow in November 2021. Find here the final communiqué.

In 2022, Climate Chance is organising its 4th Africa Summit in Dakar, Senegal, from 4 to 6 October, as part of the Week for Sustainable Mobility and Climate #SMDC2022, co-organised with the association Codatu and Cetud.

Gathered for two days in Yaounde for the Climate Chance Conference Africa 2023, 800 participants representing the diversity of non-state actors from 40 countries adopted a « Roadmap for Sustainable Habitats in Africa », the first of its kind. Signed by the continent’s leading local government networks and civil society organizations, it is also the most widely endorsed.

Climate Chance Summits in Europe

The Climate Chance Summit Europe 2022 was held from 7 to 8 March 2022 in Nantes, in synergy with the European Climate Conference organised by the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union (FPEU), on the theme « European Green Deal: local governments, businesses and citizens at the heart of the European transition ».
A necessary summit to reaffirm the common issues of climate and peace: Despite the context of the war in Ukraine and the health crisis, the event was able to bring together the climate community in all its diversity: 800 participants (more than 20 nationalities represented) and 200 speakers, high-level experts and actors in the field. It mobilised some thirty national, Francophone and international networks of non-state actors involved in climate action: local authorities, businesses, think tanks, educational and research institutions, environmental organisations, women’s and youth organisations. At the end, a set of proposals will be gathered in a final document and sent to the EU institutions and to the European leaders of the 27 Member States in mid May.

On 8 and 9 February 2024, as part of the Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union, Wallonia and the Climate Chance Association organised a gathering of climate stakeholders, the Climate Chance Europe 2024 Wallonia Summit. The main theme was « Adaptation to climate change, nature-based solutions and resilience ».
The event brought together almost 1,000 participants of over 20 nationalities, from numerous European networks and organizations of non-state actors such as businesses, researchers, civil society, local governments, and institutions.
At the end of the Summit, participants called for collective, coordinated action to meet the challenges posed by climate change and protect people, ecosystems and the European economy from its effects. The Liège Declaration, already signed by 75 organisations, represents a major contribution which can be taken into account by the European Environment and Climate Ministers.