Losses and damages to social cohesion in vulnerable settings: Exploring new data and possible next steps

Climate change is undermining livelihoods and economies in vulnerable areas of the Global South especially. Increasingly, it is also clear that climate impacts can undercut the social cohesion, or ‘togetherness’, that is central to many societies. Our recent findings document that losses and damages to social cohesion are in some areas considerable, with major effects for material as well as social well-being. Findings also reveal surprising social cohesion outcomes, which run counter to prevailing wisdom.

This webinar presents these and other results from the study ‘Displacement, climate change and social cohesion: Exploring loss and damage dynamics.’ The study provides groundbreaking new data on the linkages between climate change, forced mobility and social cohesion in highly vulnerable areas of northern Ghana and western Niger. Its findings offer a major contribution to research, policy and programming engaging with social cohesion and loss and damage – a field in which data has been limited.

The webinar will also include policy and programming reflections. This includes how the study findings relate to current policy developments, particularly within Loss and Damage, and possible steps forward to address losses to social cohesion in practice.

The webinar will bring together researchers and practitioners from the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) in Denmark; SD Dombo University of Integrated Business and Development Studies in Upper West Region, Ghana; Danish Red Cross staff in Denmark and in Niger; and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

You can find key findings and detailed analysis in our DIIS Report ‘Loss, Damage and Social Cohesion: Impacts and Next Steps for Policy and Programming’, which is available at https://www.diis.dk/en/research/loss-damage-and-social-cohesion. Our Policy Brief with the latest data from the study will be launched at the webinar.

Sign up to the event via this page to access the webinar: https://www.diis.dk/en/event/losses-and-damages-to-social-cohesion-in-vulnerable-settings-exploring-new-data-and-possible

Speakers
– Lily Salloum Lindegaard, Senior Researcher, Danish Institute for International Studies
– Francis Jarawura, Senior Lecturer, SD Dombo University of Integrated Business and Development Studies
– Laura Bonanomi, Resilience Programme Delegate, Danish Red Cross, Niger
– Mary Friel, Senior Climate Officer, Policy and Diplomacy, IFRC

Programme
14.30-14.40 Welcome and key findings
14.40-14.50 Social cohesion and loss and damage: Dynamics in Ghana
14.50-15.00 Social cohesion and loss and damage: Dynamics in Niger
15.00-15.10 Considerations from a Loss and Damage policy perspective
15.10-15.30 Q&A

Practical information
The webinar will be held in English online via Zoom. Participation is free of charge but registration is required. The webinar will take place at 14:30 CET, or 13:30 in Niger and 12:30 in Ghana.

The webinar will be recorded and available on the DIIS page afterwards as well as on YouTube, where it can be streamed with automated French subtitles.