County-level Climate Protection Platforms

By project LOCARBO

Published on 02 October 2018

Hungary

About this good practice

The Programme is governed by the Association of Climate Friendly Settlements (www.klimabarat.hu) and aims at both community building and awareness raising for the more active involvement of community to climate change related actions. MI6 (mi6.hu) runs three of these Platforms.
It provides a successful and operating example of broad engagement and coordination of stakeholders for the sake of promoting climate change. It is both a supplementary package of awareness raising and knowledge sharing services offered to public and an innovative cooperation model for engaging all types of local stakeholders related to climate protection and climate change mitigation.
The Programme requires that each county establishes a County-level Climate Protection Platform. Each Platform is required to carry out activities: at least two conferences, three workshops and four awareness raising actions or campaigns. These activities build links and trust among local players and provide a solid foundation for further actions, e.g. preparation of schemes or policy support, monitoring climate actions, etc.

Resources needed

The Programme started in 2016 in all Hungarian counties. Sustainable operation was foreseen as a result of government commitment. Already established and operating platforms and financing available for the first two years of operation, funding not foreseen after 2018.

Evidence of success

The Programme started in 2016 and after two years of operation, it continues. The Platforms have been well managed in the last two years (regular meetings, meaningful discussions, etc.). Some platforms opened toward other related actions, such as SECAPs and there are plats to embed a SECAP Platform by the Virtual Power Plant Programme using this initiative.

Potential for learning or transfer

The idea and also the operational experience is fully transferable and also scalable. Chosing the right scale of transfer is crucial as it may yield too narrow or too broad partnerships, unable to operate with both flexibility and local knowledge and will to act.