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The National Conference of Climate Change-opening and issues focusing civil conference.

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The President and NGO groups who were in the world's 40th anniversary of Earth Day, (April 22 ,2010 ) approved to organize a National Conference on Climate Change, and designate this project to the Environmental Protection Agency to perform. By holding several working group meetings and expert consultations, the working group discussed the ways of how to combine the powers of government, business and non-governmental organizations to face the overwhelming challenges which were brought by the climate change, in order to help improve the national awareness of Climate Change and promote energy saving and carbon reduction, meanwhile, to create a plateform for cooperation and exchange between the public and private sectors. The National Conference on Climate Change is held in the form of “World Café” on May 19, 2012, including the open ceremony of the National Conference on Climate Change and the issues focusing conference. The conference was operated by three rounds of roundtable discussion and a final session of table leader meeting to assemble all the ideas generated in the discussion. A total of 580 people, including NGO representatives, government officials and industry, participated in this World Café. The participants were divided into 61 tables. Each roundtable contains two table leaders (one represents NGO and one government official), 4 to 6 members and a recorder. The discussion records were gathered and categorized in terms of the discussion issues gerenated in the three-round discussion, and the main points were instantly produced as the references for the follow-up national conference. Formerly, the conversations between government officials and NGOs were mostly top-down type of operation and the targets were always promoting policies. Using the concept of “World Café” as a conference form, especially when the issues are related to all the public, may be more effective on decision making and policy communication. It is to say that decision-making is not only by government, experts scholars, but also involved all stakeholders. The policy making can be more close to the public opinions since all parcipants are allowed to express their ideas and suggestions as many as possible and positive communications between different stakeholders are reached. Government officials could draw public opinions and awareness to allow the policies more matching with public expectations. From this encouraging experience of organizing this conference, we suggest that the World Café can be an operative form of policy communication and should be hosted regularly to show the democratic maturity of Taiwan.
Keyword
climste change;world café;public participation
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