The CVF Global Parliamentary Group – Charter

The CVF Global Parliamentary Group – Charter

I. Background
On 25 November 2020, the CVF organized a Global Parliamentarians Meeting, entitled “Parliamentarians of Climate Threatened Nations Championing Planetary Prosperity”, in collaboration with the Inter-Parliamentary Union and Global Center on Adaptation. It was an inaugural global meeting of the parliamentarians of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), the foremost international cooperation body for nations most threatened by the climate emergency with 48 member states from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific. The meeting explored practical steps that parliamentarians can engage in to combat climate change through more urgent and ambitious actions as well as international outreach.

In order to mobilize the most effective responses to the climate emergency, this inaugural CVF parliamentarians meeting proposed the creation of the CVF Parliamentary Group.

The proposed CVF Parliaments Group lends further impetus to climate action and establishes a dedicated work plan of legislative activities into the future that will help to drive Paris Agreement implementation, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) and Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction delivery, and planetary prosperity through Climate Prosperity Plans.

II. Purpose and Objectives of the Global Parliamentary Group
1.1 The formation of the Group of Parliamentarians of Vulnerable Countries, or the “Global Parliamentary Group” (GPG), comprising the member States of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), will complement and expand on over one decade of work led by the executive arm of the governments of the world’s most vulnerable countries to advance climate action globally through the CVF and the V20 Ministers of Finance Group. The GPG will also build on longstanding and extensive work that has already been undertaken to mandate and finance climate action to the local level by CVF Parliaments.

1.2 The GPG can lend further impetus to climate action and establish a dedicated work plan of legislative activities into the future that will help to drive the Paris Agreement implementation, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction delivery, and planetary prosperity.

1.3 Working as a platform to achieve these objectives, the GPG aims to:

(a) Enable parliamentarians from across the CVF member states to share valuable experiences and good practices on legislative measures in support of ambitious and urgent climate action to safeguard communities and progress towards the CVF’s goals;

(b) Work collectively to secure greater commitments to action and a shared dynamic of urgency and motivation to overcome barriers to climate action from political parties both within CVF member states and through international outreach to parliaments and parliamentarians worldwide;

(c) Accelerate efforts to ensure a supportive financing and regulatory environment to deliver the planetary “Climate Prosperity” agenda and plans of the CVF, and to policy de-risking for climate action through measures such as creating more efficient permit and approvals processes, updating codes, enabling financing agreements, and promoting expertise, skills and awareness.

III. Operating Principles
2.1 Building on its objectives, the GPG will operate in accordance with the following principles:

(a) Voluntary Participation – To operate on the basis of free and open participation for any member states of the CVF at all times;
(b) Cooperation – To cooperate with other actors and processes that are undertaking similar initiatives, such as the IPU and the UN;
(c) Learning in Action – To promote learning-by-doing through early and integrated efforts and dialogues;
(d) Coordination – To coordinate with other activities of the CVF and V20 to take advantage of synergies, amplify efforts, avoid duplication and ensure effective use of resources.

IV. Activity Areas
The CVF Global parliamentary Group could engage member parliamentarians in the following specific areas of collective activity in order to advance the aims and objectives of it, as follows:

1. Best practices: Support active collaboration of members of parliament from any CVF member state legislative chamber and parliament friendship groups. The Group, to be supported by the CVF secretariat and develop its own working methods, particularly functioning as an online community of parliamentarians, could seek to drive ambitious and effective climate action in-line with CVF goals and its cross-cutting “Climate Prosperity” agenda.

2. Knowledge Resources: Commission analysis and studies by the CVF secretariat and key knowledge partners to better understand the legislative landscape of the CVF members, the status of legislation relevant to the CVF agenda, and generates an inventory of good practices and legislation (laws and funding sources) that form a useful body of resources to support CVF parliamentarians to take action within member legislatures.

3. Legislative Agenda: Working through the CVF Parliaments Group and building on a knowledge resources and a unified political “Manifesto” of CVF parliamentarians, develop a shared legislative framework to guide key legislative measures to be taken by CVF parliaments in order to effectively pursue the CVF “Planetary Prosperity” agenda. Pilot special motions in parallel to developing a comprehensive agenda on critical issues, such as the “Midnight Survival Deadline for the Climate” initiative in 2020.

4. International Outreach: Engage in dialogue and collaborative actions with parliaments and parliamentarians from outside the member states of the CVF, in order to encourage ambitious climate responses and robust international partnership for action.

V. Participation and Modalities
3.1 The GPG comprises a dialogue, champions, and secretariat support services, in addition to “Observers” and “Experts”.

Dialogue
3.2 The GPG dialogue will consist of the following “Participants”:

(a) Parliamentarians from the CVF Member States serving in their own capacity;
(b) A Chair, which is the incumbent CVF Chair.

3.3 The GPG dialogue will have the following roles and responsibilities:

(a) Act as a regular forum dedicated to legislative discussion, exchange and collaborative
action on climate change;
(b) Recognize new Participants in the GPG as described in Section 3.2 above;
(c) Provide overall strategic guidance establishing priorities for the GPG;
(d) Review and approve GPG activities, including a Work Plan;
(e) Monitor any substantive activity of the GPG including Work Plan implementation;
(f) Form any number of specialized bodies on specific topics or items of interest/concern, including: high-level or technical task forces, sub-committees, panels of Experts, or otherwise;
(g) Commission research and technical guidance with respect to one or more specific topics or items of interest/concern;
(h) Invite to meet with, present or interact with GPG Participants at the dialogue on a specific or general topic, any Observer country, Expert, as well as high representatives of other relevant bodies/entities;
(i) Consider, and as necessary, approve resourcing arrangements for GPG activities;
(j) As necessary, confirm, provide guidance and delegate functions to the GPG Chair/champions;
(k) Exercise such other functions as the GPG dialogue may deem appropriate to fulfill the purposes of the GPG.

3.4 The GPG dialogue will meet annually, or at any other frequency as may be decided by its
Participants or as proposed by its Chair and/or the Group’s champions.

3.5 Decisions of the GPG dialogue will be adopted by GPG participants on a consensus basis.

3.6 Unless the GPG dialogue decides otherwise, a representative of the Chair of the CVF will double as Chair of the GPG and its meetings.

Champions

3.7 A group of parliamentary champions shall be composed from countries presiding over the CVF member States.

3.8 The champions’ primary role is to oversee and facilitate the implementation of the GPG Work Plan in addition to any other delegated tasks or functions accorded to them by the GPG dialogue. It also proposes the agenda for consideration by the GPG dialogue, drafts the Work Plan, and may secure and approve the allocation of any resources available for use in the context of the GPG and towards any GPG dialogue approved activity.

Secretarial support

3.9 The ad hoc secretariat of the CVF is designated, contingent on available resources, to also provide services and technical support for GPG meetings, activities and follow-up, as well as any other tasks and functions attributed to it by the GPG dialogue or champions.

VI. Amendment to the Charter
4.1 This charter may be subject to amendment by the GPG dialogue.

The CVF Global Parliamentary Group – Charter (October 2021)