Coordination Sessions

Status: Draft v0.1 (November 2025) COP30 Coordination: November 10-21, 2025

Overview

The Free Association Coalition is emerging through informal coordination sessions taking place across multiple venues during November 2025. These sessions are open to organizations interested in piloting Free Association as a coordination infrastructure.

Session Formats

All sessions are designed for:

• Exploration: Understanding the Free Association framework

• Experimentation: Testing recognition and allocation concepts

• Coordination: Identifying potential coalition participants

• Feedback: Refining the participation framework

Available Coordination Venues

Virtual Sessions

Dates: November 17-21, 2025 Platform: Google Meet Link: https://meet.google.com/smf-eopi-ipi

Best for:

• Remote participants globally

• Initial exploration of concepts

• Asynchronous engagement options

• Organizations unable to attend in-person

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New York, United Nations

Dates: November 17-21, 2025 Location: United Nations Headquarters, New York

Contact Point:

• Lubna Dajani Co-Chair USA Catalyst Nowi WhatsApp: [phone]

Best for:

• UN agencies and member states

• Diplomatic coordination

• International organizations

• Policy and governance focus

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COP30 Belem Blue Zone

Dates: November 10-21, 2025 Time: 10h-16h (daily) Location: Blue Zone (official UNFCCC venue), Belem, Brazil

Contact Point:

• Tom Guimberteau WhatsApp: [phone]

Best for:

• Climate finance organizations

• National climate delegations

• UNFCCC stakeholders

• Official side events and meetings

Focus Areas:

• Climate adaptation resource coordination

• National Determined Contributions (NDCs)

• Loss and damage mechanisms

• Climate finance transparency

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COP30 Belem Green & Free Zone

Dates: November 10-21, 2025 Time: 16h-24h (daily) Location: Green Zone and Free Zones (civil society spaces), Belem, Brazil

Contact Point:

• Jacob Lucas WhatsApp: [phone]

Best for:

• Civil society organizations

• Grassroots networks

• Community-based organizations

• Indigenous peoples' representatives

• Youth climate movements

Focus Areas:

• Community-level resource sharing

• Indigenous solidarity networks

• Direct action coordination

• Movement infrastructure

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Climate Finance Focus

Dates: November 2025 (flexible scheduling) Format: Targeted discussions with climate finance actors

Contact Point:

• Heidi Cuppari WhatsApp: [phone]

Best for:

• Climate finance institutions

• Development banks

• Impact investors

• Philanthropic organizations

• Grant-making bodies

Focus Areas:

• Allocation transparency

• Recipient recognition systems

• Impact measurement

• Capacity-need matching

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What to Expect

First-Time Participants

1. Introduction (30-45 min)

   • Overview of Free Association concepts

   • Recognition, derivation, allocation mechanics

   • Coalition participation framework

2. Exploration (45-60 min)

   • Interactive demonstration

   • Your organization's use case

   • Questions and discussion

3. Next Steps (15-30 min)

   • Coalition membership process

   • Technical implementation options

   • Follow-up coordination

Organizations Considering Membership

1. Deep Dive (60-90 min)

   • Technical specifications

   • Secretariat governance structure

   • Decision-making protocols

   • Record format and registry

2. Alignment Assessment (30-45 min)

   • Your organization's needs vs. coalition capabilities

   • Interoperability considerations

   • Resource requirements

3. Membership Process (30 min)

   • Contact registration

   • Public key setup

   • Initial recognition declarations

   • First assembly participation

Working Group Sessions

For organizations actively participating in framework development:

• Framework Refinement: Improving participation framework language

• Protocol Design: Developing decision-making protocols

• Technical Specifications: Record formats, derivation algorithms

• Pilot Design: Planning early implementation experiments

• Secretariat Formation: Coordinating founding member process

Preparation Materials

Before Attending

Recommended Reading:

• Participation Framework

• Decision-Making Protocols

• How Free Association Works

• Recognition Mathematics

Questions to Consider:

• Who does your organization recognize as contributing to your goals?

• What capacities does your organization have to share?

• What needs does your organization have that others might address?

• Who would you want to coordinate with in a coalition?

What to Bring

• Organizational Context: Your organization's mission, capacity, and coordination needs

• Technical Questions: Specific implementation or interoperability concerns

• Partnership Interests: Organizations you'd like to coordinate with

• Use Cases: Specific resource allocation scenarios you want to explore

Session Outputs

For All Participants

• Understanding of Free Association mechanics

• Assessment of fit for your organization

• Contact information for follow-up

• Access to documentation and resources

For Prospective Members

• Draft recognition declarations

• Capacity and need statements

• Contact registration information

• Timeline for membership process

For Working Group

• Framework amendment proposals

• Protocol design contributions

• Implementation feedback

• Pilot program designs

Post-Session Engagement

Mailing List

Subscribe to coalition updates: [email protected]

Documentation

All materials available at: docs.openassociation.org

Record Access

Secretariat activity record: record.openassociation.org

General Inquiries

For questions not covered by contact points: [email protected]

Accessibility

Language Support

Primary languages: English, Portuguese (COP30 venues), French (UN venue) Translation available upon request

Remote Participation

All in-person sessions offer:

• Virtual attendance option (when internet available)

• Recorded summaries (with participant consent)

• Asynchronous document collaboration

Accommodation

Contact venue coordinators in advance for:

• Accessibility needs

• Dietary requirements

• Security clearance (UN, Blue Zone)

Coalition Formation Timeline

The coordination sessions feed into the coalition founding process:

1. November 10-21: Informal coordination sessions (HAPPENING NOW)

2. Late November: Founding member identification

3. December: Contact registration and secretariat formation

4. January 2026: First secretariat assembly

5. Q1 2026: Pilot implementations begin

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to commit to membership to attend?

No. Sessions are open for exploration. Membership is a separate decision made after understanding the framework.

What if my organization can't attend any venue?

Virtual sessions and asynchronous documentation allow full participation remotely.

Can I attend multiple sessions?

Yes. Each venue has different focus areas and participant types. Attending multiple sessions provides broader perspective.

What's the cost to participate?

Coordination sessions are free. Coalition membership has no fees—participation is based on mutual recognition and resource sharing, not financial contributions.

Will there be follow-up sessions?

Yes. Post-COP30 coordination will continue through:

• Monthly virtual assemblies

• Regional coordination hubs

• Annual general assembly

• Working group sessions (as needed)

How do I prepare my organization for potential membership?

1. Read the participation framework

2. Identify 3-5 organizations you recognize as aligned with your goals

3. Draft initial capacity and need statements

4. Generate PGP key pair for secure communication

5. Designate organizational representative for secretariat

Contact Summary

Venue	Contact	WhatsApp	Best For
Virtual	General	[email protected]	Remote participants
UN New York	Lubna Dajani	[phone]	UN agencies, states
COP30 Blue Zone	Tom Guimberteau	[phone]	Climate officials
COP30 Green Zone	Jacob Lucas	[phone]	Civil society
Climate Finance	Heidi Cuppari	[phone]	Finance institutions

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Note: This document describes informal working group sessions for coalition formation. These are not official UNFCCC or UN events, but rather self-organized coordination opportunities taking place during these gatherings.