First Annual Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa
The Climate for Development in Africa (ClimDev Africa) Programme calls for the organization of an annual conference which serves as an annual stakeholder forum on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA). The ClimDev Africa Programme is a joint initiative of the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The Climate for Development in Africa (ClimDev Africa) Programme calls for the organization of an annual conference which serves as an annual stakeholder forum on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA). The ClimDev Africa Programme is a joint initiative of the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).
The programme has been mandated at regional meetings of African Heads of State and Government, as well as by Africa’s Ministers of Finance, Economic Development and Planning, and Ministers of Environment, and responds to the urgent challenge that climate change poses to the advancement of Africa’s development objectives. More concretely, it seeks to address the need for greatly improved climate data and information for Africa, and to also strengthen the use of such information for decision making by supporting analytical capacity, knowledge generation and sharing activities.
As the Secretariat of ClimDev Africa Programme, the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) will host the inaugural CCDA conference between 17th and 19th October 2011 at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
General objective of the conference
The overall objective of the conference is to establish a forum for dialogue, enhance awareness raising, mobilize effective commitment and actions through bringing together policy makers, academicians and practicing stakeholder with the aim of effectively mainstreaming climate change concerns into development policies, strategies, programmes and practices in Africa. CCDA also aims to strengthen Africa’s position and participation in international climate change negotiations with a view to ensuring adequate reflection of the continent’s concerns and priorities in a post-2012 international climate change regime.
Conference Theme
The theme for the conference is Development First: Addressing Climate Change in Africa to reflect the need for integrating development and climate policies, and emphasize the importance of an African ownership of its policy formulation and decision making process.
The CCDA Conference will bring together three groups of participants for a productive dialogue, to share lessons, identify current gaps and future needs, and discuss a range of potential solutions that make meaningful impacts. These will include:
- High-level decision makers from African member states and the RECs, and representatives from regional and sub-regional climate and multi-disciplinary centres, multilateral organizations, and bilateral organizations;
- An international field of researchers, scientists, and science and technology specialists from institutions currently engaged in advancing knowledge in climate change with a particular focus on Africa, and
- Representatives from the practitioner community, including private sector, community based and civil society organizations, including NGOs, media and independent writers on climate change and development issues.
Sub-themes of the Conference
The four sub-themes of the conference are as follows:
- Climate-Science, Data, Information and Service Delivery;
- Climate Resilience Development and Adaptation;
- Low Carbon Development in Africa;
- Economics and Finance.
The Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) will be represented at the event.
