00:00:00 Introduction

Victoria: Thank you, Fay, for the introductions and welcome once again to everyone participating, both those returning and those joining us for the first time. We are glad that you could take the time to join us today. Before we dive in, we would like to take a poll for one or two minutes to inform some of our support and educational resources on this subject of climate justice and inclusive action. We would like to know if you are currently involved in any climate justice initiatives, if you have implemented any M&E frameworks for climate justice programs, and if you are currently using any information management tool or database for climate justice.

Thank you all so much for the responses. We see from the trend that not many of us have implemented or have been involved in climate justice initiatives; just over nine of us on the call. Of that number, not many have implemented M&E. This is an opportunity for us to provide background knowledge and share some experiences from experts like Josephine within the climate justice and climate action space.

Without further ado, I will move on to the outline. Josephine will delve into the essentials: understanding climate justice and inclusive climate action. Thereafter, she will move on to M&E for climate justice. Following that presentation, I will come in with some of the considerations for selecting or designing your indicators, and then discuss ICT for development, where we will be showcasing a template from ActivityInfo that has been designed with some of the best practices in mind. Now, I would hand over to Josephine to begin the presentation.

00:04:41 Understanding climate justice and inclusive climate action

Josephine: Thank you very much, Victoria. My name is Josephine Agbeko, and I work as an Inclusive Climate Action City Advisor with C40 Cities. I am glad to join this session to talk about the inclusive climate action work that I have been leading in the city of Accra and more recently expanding to other cities across Africa.

We know that there is no climate justice without social justice. We also have data predicting that about 130 million people could be driven into extreme poverty levels by 2030 because of the impacts of climate change if nothing is done. Action at the city level is very important to addressing this because cities are currently home to nearly 70% of the world's population and contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Whereas climate change doesn't treat us all equally because of various socioeconomic inequalities, climate action—the steps governments take to address climate change—could also have negative unintended consequences when not approached from a perspective of equity, justice, and fairness.

Inequalities related to informality, unemployment, gender, disabilities, and race exist within cities. When climate hazards like flooding or droughts strike, the existence of these inequalities means people are not able to adapt equally. People who experience these inequalities are open to greater exposure and vulnerabilities to climate hazards. This creates a vicious cycle: exposure to hazards further reduces their adaptive capacity, moving them further into poverty or reduced resilience. This is why we cannot deliver climate justice without thinking of the social elements of development.

For our Inclusive Climate Action program at the global level, key emerging trends requiring urgent equity lenses include the engagement of indigenous communities, affordable housing, skills gaps for green jobs, loss and damage, and informal settlements. In Accra, we are working with informal workers to develop partnerships for climate resilience. In Warsaw and Barcelona, they are looking at energy poverty. In South Africa, they are looking at industrial transition and unions. In Bangalore, we are looking at inclusive climate action regarding waste service delivery stakeholders.

C40 uses a three-point pillar to guide inclusive climate action: inclusivity of process, inclusivity of policy, and inclusivity of impacts. We must identify who should be integrated into the implementation process, ensure policies deliver positive impacts to intersectional communities, and verify that the impacts are accessible and equitable.

Zooming into Accra, 80% of the labor force in developing economies, including Ghana, is informal. This includes informal waste, transport, and trade sectors. Informal labor must be a key consideration in climate action and just transition debates. These workers provide key functions but have been excluded from urban planning and climate discourse. They are at risk of job losses, work in precarious employment with no social security, and face exploitation. Women, youth, and migrant workers often face higher levels of risk.

When we started the work in Accra, the focus was on strengthening informal sector collaboration to enhance ownership of climate action work. We undertook a needs assessment to understand the relationship between the city and informal workers. This created a space for social dialogue to understand challenges and barriers. We grouped recommendations into four areas: engagement and inclusion structures, policy to advance integration, operations and infrastructure for waste management, and capacity building.

Achieving community-based resilience is a continuous process. In Accra, we undertook actions around advocacy, capacity building, social dialogue, and promoting regional coalition building. We are also translating learnings from the waste sector to the transport sector to build a roadmap for inclusive urban mobility. Key considerations include the demand for zero waste to reduce emissions and create jobs, the need for a just ecological transition, and the enormous potential for skills in the informal sector. For example, in Accra, about 50% of waste management is provided by informal workers.

Inclusive engagement is key because people have political and public participation rights. It is an opportunity to close equity gaps, resolve vulnerabilities, and retain critical skills. To deliver this, we need political leadership, national enabling policies, interagency collaboration, civil society presence, and sufficient financial resources.

00:26:42 Monitoring and evaluation for climate justice

Josephine: Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) data is valuable for engaging stakeholders. Data serves as a communication tool, presenting tangible evidence of projects and outcomes. For instance, in Accra, we found that working with informal waste workers saves about 20% of municipal budgets, which is great evidence for building political support. M&E data also helps identify and manage risks, allows for adaptability during project evolution, and identifies inefficiencies for continuous learning.

The basic components of an M&E framework include a results framework (theory of change or logframe) to identify intended results and cause-and-effect relationships. We also need indicators as markers of progress, such as how many informal workers benefit from a project or the change in income. Monitoring involves the systematic collection of data, reporting allows for reflection, and evaluation helps analyze the work done against targets. This is a circular process where you consistently check your progress against the initial results framework.

00:31:36 Frameworks and indicators

Victoria: Thank you, Josephine. I will discuss frameworks for monitoring and evaluating climate justice initiatives. One example is the Tracking Adaptation and Measuring Development (TAMD) framework. This employs a dual-track methodology. Track 1 focuses on evaluating how well institutions manage climate risk. Track 2 focuses on assessing the success of specific adaptation interventions in diminishing climate vulnerability and ensuring development continuity. The strength of this framework lies in its holistic approach, recognizing the interconnected nature of managing climate risk and implementing adaptation measures.

When designing indicators for climate-related initiatives, considerations include:

Best practices for M&E in this context include grounding practices in the local context to avoid overly rigid frameworks, making a deliberate effort to capture global lessons from local projects, and clearly articulating SMART objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). Other considerations include baseline data collection, focused and participatory evaluation, feedback loops, and holistic impact assessment.

00:40:27 ICT4D - Information management systems

Victoria: Basic information systems supporting climate initiatives often rely on spreadsheets and word processing documents. While common, spreadsheets have vulnerabilities regarding data validation, integrity, security, and long-term storage. Organizations often continue using them due to limited capacity, deficiency in data management knowledge, lack of evidence regarding better options, short-term funding pressures, and financial considerations.

However, relational databases offer significant advantages. They ensure reliability and accuracy through robust data validation mechanisms and constraints. They maintain data integrity by preventing duplication and enforcing relationships between tables. They provide stability and allow for seamless tracking of progress over time and across different geographic levels. Standardization in relational databases facilitates collaboration, error reduction, and strategic decision-making.

00:47:00 Database template demonstration

Victoria: We have created a database template based on data from Oxfam Novib and C40 Cities. The project context involves a response to global climate justice needs across six countries, aiming to mobilize citizens, the private sector, and governments. Indicators include the number of informal stakeholders engaged, policy changes, and capacity-building training.

The database structure in ActivityInfo includes:

We also have analysis and reporting tools. For example, a "Community Engagement Progress to Target" report assesses quarterly progress. Because the targets are entered in the reference forms (the MEL plan), the system automatically calculates progress percentages based on the actual data entered. We also have regional subdivision dashboards to cluster information by country or region. This template is customizable and flexible to various use cases.

00:57:05 Q&A

Faith: Thank you. We have a few minutes for questions. Sarah asks: "To get the percentage of the target, comparing target with actuals, does the target need to be entered each time to the form?"

Victoria: No, Sarah, you do not have to enter the target each time. The target is already fed into the MEL plan in the reference forms. Once entered at the beginning, it reflects in the calculation automatically as you enter real-time information. That is the advantage of a relational database.

Faith: There is a question about conducting a tutorial. You can contact us via the website or email for support. We also have many webinars and recordings available. Regarding the question: "Is the database customizable to accommodate different new projects?"

Victoria: Yes, the database is customizable. You can replicate what you need across different projects. You can create reference forms that connect old and new projects. It is designed to be flexible.

Faith: A final question: "Is there a universal metric to create dashboards about climate justice?"

Victoria: Universality is influenced by the need for context. While there are best practices and global principles (like those from TAMD or C40), it is incumbent on you to ensure your dashboard reflects the specific context you are working in.

Josephine: I agree. Universal principles exist regarding climate justice, but at the program level, you must look at your local context and stakeholders to create a specific matrix that aligns with global standards but responds to your specific reality.

Faith: Thank you. We will share the recording and the database template via email and on our website. Thank you for joining us.