- Dochas

Dóchas Pre-COP Conference

Together for Global Climate Action

Rights, Resilience, Realisation

The Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM), Dublin, Ireland

Tuesday, 3 November 2026 9.00 -16.30

Participation in person

This event is recognised as an Associated Event of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026.

Agenda

09:00 – 09:30	Registration
09:30 – 09:40	Welcome & Introduction Jane Ann McKenna, CEO, Dóchas
09:40 – 09:50	Keynote Address
10:00 – 11:00	Session 1 Rights: Climate Justice and Human Rights Putting Climate Justice at the Centre: An exploration of how climate change impacts fundamental rights across communities facing poverty, displacement, and fragility. Panellists will consider how human rights principles and legal duties must underpin EU external policy, ensuring climate finance responds directly to the priorities of frontline communities. Karol Balfe, Chief Executive Officer, ActionAid Ireland Adrián Martínez Blanco, Founder and Director, La Ruta del Clima (Costa Rica)
11:00 – 11:30	Coffee Break
11:30 – 13:15	Session 2: Resilience: Climate Adaptation & Communities Preparedness *Frontline Perspectives: Programming Resilience in Practice* Case studies from frontline practitioners and civil society partners working with communities affected by climate change. Speakers will reflect on the role of climate finance as a catalytic force for strengthening community-led adaptation, inclusive climate programming, and responding to climate-related crises, including in fragile and highly vulnerable contexts. Concern Worldwide, Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance (ZCRA) programme Juliet Muema], Founder and Executive Director, Elevate Her, Kenya Eric Kooma, Agriculture Advisor, Self Help Africa, Zambia *Panel Discussion: From Climate Finance to Community Resilience* Drawing on the experiences shared in Part 1, this panel explores how climate finance moves on the ground and what enables or hinders its equitable delivery to frontline communities. Panellists will examine how finance can move communities from emergency response to long-term resilience, and how the EU and its partners can better support locally led adaptation. Dr Leonard Mizzi, Head of Unit, Sustainable Agri-Food systems and Fisheries, Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), European Commission Nimo Hassan MBE, Director, Somali NGO Consortium Nuala O’Brien, Director, Climate Unit, Development Cooperation and Africa Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ireland
13:15 – 14:00	Lunch
14:00 – 15:15	Session 3 Realisation: From Commitment to Delivery Translating Pledges into Concrete Action at COP31 This panel explores how to turn climate finance pledges into tangible action. Panellists will respond to the Dóchas policy paper and consider what is at stake for the EU at COP31 as well as examining the NCQG, Belém commitments, and the upcoming EU budget to ensure finance reaches frontline communities. Dr Sinéad Walsh, Principal Research Fellow, ODI Global Mariana Paoli, Global Advocacy Lead, Oxfam Kevin O’Donoghue, COP 31 Head of Delegation – Ireland H.E. Chantelle Taylor, Ambassador of Australia to Ireland
15:15 – 15:45	Fireside Chat: Looking Ahead to COP31 Darragh O’Brien TD, Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment
15:45-16:00	Closing Remarks
16:00-17:00	Networking reception

Speakers and Panellists

Session 1 Rights: Climate Justice and Human Rights Putting Climate Justice at the Centre

Karol Balfe, CEO, ActionAid Ireland

Adrián Martínez Blanco, Founder and Director, La Ruta del Clima (Costa Rica)

Session 2: Resilience: Climate Adaptation & Communities Preparedness

Frontline Perspectives: Programming Resilience in Practice

Concern Worldwide, Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance (ZCRA) Programme

Juliet Muema, Founder and Executive Director, Elevate Her, Kenya

Eric Kooma, Agriculture Advisor, Self Help Africa, Zambia

Panel Discussion: From Climate Finance to Community Resilience

Dr Leonard Mizzi, Head of Unit, Sustainable Agri-Food Systems and Fisheries, Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), European Commission

Nimo Hassan MBE, Director, Somali NGO Consortium

Nuala O’Brien, Director, Climate Unit, Development Cooperation and Africa Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ireland

Session 3 Realisation: From Commitment to Delivery Translating Pledges into Concrete Action at COP31

Dr Sinéad Walsh, Principal Research Fellow, ODI Global

Mariana Paoli, Global Advocacy Lead, Oxfam

Kevin O’Donoghue, COP 31 Head of Delegation – Ireland

H.E. Chantelle Taylor, Ambassador of Australia to Ireland

Conference Objectives

Bring international climate experts together with civil society and policymakers to ground discussion in current, evidence-based analysis.

Amplify the voices of frontline communities on the challenges they face and the support needed to build climate resilience.

Advance understanding of the EU's responsibilities and obligations to the Global South in the context of COP31 implementation.

Foster debate and knowledge sharing between civil society organisations, EU policymakers, climate-affected groups, and youth on shared climate priorities.

Build understanding of the EU's climate and development policy architecture ahead of COP31 negotiations

Deliver concrete, actionable, value and evidenced-based recommendations to the Irish Presidency on its role and responsibility as EU Presidency holder at COP31.

Context and Background

Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union at a pivotal moment for the Union’s external action commitments, with climate at the centre of that agenda.

This conference will be a moment for critical, timely discussion between experts, policymakers, and civil society on what is at stake at COP31 for climate finance and what will be needed to realise the global ambitions set since the Paris Agreement, towards engaging with and supporting the Irish EU Presidency ahead of COP31. Together, we will explore how the EU, and the humanitarian and development sector more broadly, can protect frontline communities, build long-term resilience, and turn climate finance promises into tangible action.

Key Themes

Climate Rights and Justice

We will explore:

The adverse impact of climate change on human rights
What measures have proven most effective in ensuing climate finance reaches communities most affected by climate change, whilst advancing a human rights based approach.

Climate Resilience & Adaptation

We will discuss:

Building Community Resilience to Climate Change through case studies.
Communities as catalysts of resilient action – blockers & enablers

Realisation - From Commitment to Delivery

We will examine:

What is at stake at COP31
The operationalisation of Belem commitments and how NCQG will be delivered
What potential lies in the next MFF for climate finance