Microsoft Word - summary public seminar-Mandy.doc

This report summarizes a public seminar held on November 20, 2009, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, jointly organized by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and the Ethiopian International Institute for Peace and Development (EIIPD). The seminar, titled "Copenhagen Talks on Climate Change and Africa's Response," focused on strengthening a common African position regarding mitigation, adaptation, and compensation ahead of the Copenhagen climate negotiations.

• Africa is identified as the most vulnerable continent to climate change impacts, specifically citing extreme poverty, rampant diseases, drought, and low agricultural productivity. There is a stated risk that the resulting scarcity of natural resources will lead to intra- and inter-state conflict and tension.
• The European Union (EU) has committed to a 30% reduction in emissions by 2020 compared to 1990 levels and has pledged 100 billion Euros by 2020 for mitigation and adaptation programs in developing countries.
• The EU and the African Union (AU) share a common goal of limiting the global temperature increase to no more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
• African representatives argue that developed nations owe a debt to Africa due to pollution since the industrialization era and should therefore provide compensation through financial support, clean development, and technological transfer without restrictive copyrights.
• The African common position for the Copenhagen talks was developed through a process starting in 2006, including the Algiers Platform (November 2008) and the Nairobi Declaration (May 2009).
• The AU established a committee of ten countries to represent Africa with one voice in climate negotiations, headed by Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia. Member countries include Algeria, Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda, Libya (as AU chairperson), and South Africa (as Chair of AMSON).
• Climate change is described as a security threat in Africa, specifically through desertification. This process forces pastoral communities to migrate, leading to conflicts with agrarian settled communities. Additionally, over 85% of people in Sub-Saharan Africa rely on biomass (wood, dung, and waste) for energy, which further contributes to desertification.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Microsoft Word - summary public seminar-Mandy.doc. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/20NOV09SUMMARY.PDF

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Microsoft Word - summary public seminar-Mandy.doc. n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/20NOV09SUMMARY.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Microsoft Word - summary public seminar-Mandy.doc |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/20NOV09SUMMARY.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndmicrosoft, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Microsoft Word - summary public seminar-Mandy.doc}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/20NOV09SUMMARY.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }