Operating Principles

The Many Strong Voices consortium recognizes and responds to: 1) the urgent need for global action on cutting greenhouse gas emissions; and, 2) the urgent need for adaptation to climate change in coastal communities of the Arctic and SIDS.
The participants in Many Strong Voices use this consortium to build alliances and make progress on mitigation and adaptation both within and outside of formal processes, always striving to strengthen international, regional and national processes and organizations taking action on climate change.
The programme builds on good experience and does not duplicate work done through other programmes and projects.
This is a long-term programme, initially working under a five-year plan.
Many Strong Voices is community-driven but works across scales, taking into account the global nature of climate processes and the multiple scales of mitigation and adaptation responses.
Many Strong Voices engages in policy-relevant integrated research and pulls together the results of research and monitoring based on science and traditional knowledge in order to support decision-making. Mutual respect by scientists and holders of traditional knowledge, promotion of good dialogue, and the integrity of research, are paramount.
Adapting to climate change relies on maintaining healthy, functioning ecosystems and is in step with strengthening natural resource management.