Race To Resilience

Catalysing a step-change in global ambition for climate resilience By Climate Champions | December 12, 2020

Marking the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, the High Level Climate Champions launched of Race To Resilience — the sibling campaign to Race To Zero — at the UN-convened Climate Ambition Summit.

At the Summit, Zakiatu Sesay, a community leader from Freetown, Sierra Leone, said: “I’m here to launch the Race To Resilience through which the High-level Champions aim to catalyse action from non-state actors to help make 4 billion people from vulnerable groups and communities, like me, more climate resilient by 2030.”

The campaign sets out to catalyse a step-change in global ambition for climate resilience, putting people and nature first in pursuit of a resilient world where we don’t just survive climate shocks and stresses but thrive in spite of them.

Led by the High-Level Climate Champions for Climate Action – Nigel Topping and Gonzalo Muñoz – Race To Resilience aims:

• By 2030, to catalyse action by non-state actors that builds the resilience of 4 billion people from groups and communities who are vulnerable to climate risks

Through a partnership of initiatives, the campaign will focus on helping frontline communities to build resilience and adapt to impacts of climate change, such as extreme heat, drought, flooding and sea-level rise.

• Urban: Transform urban slums into healthy, clean and safe cities
• Rural: Equip smallholder farmers to adapt and thrive
• Coastal: Protect homes and businesses against climate shocks

Join the Race To Resilience

Non-state actor-led regional, national or global networks and initiatives are now welcome to join the Race To Resilience.

Initiatives must agree with the vision and goals of the Race To Resilience, and meet the criteria:

• Pledge: To translate new and existing targets, directly or indirectly, into the numbers of people from vulnerable groups and communities who will be made more resilient to climate risks
• Plan: To use the best knowledge and scientific evidence, and share a clear plan by COP26 to take action towards this commitment with interim targets and milestones
• Proceed: To take immediate action to pursue commitment in support of Race To Resilience, and has an active and functional secretariat able to request and monitor members
• Publish: Agree to report back on progress annually starting at COP26

To register your interest please fill out this form and send it to resilience@climatechampions.team

For more information on the criteria, please see here.

Please note that individual companies, NGOs or organizations are not able to join the Race To Resilience on their own, but can through the approved partner initiatives. These will be live from 25 January 2021 after launching at the Climate Adaptation Summit.