OSISA Brown Bag - Climate Justice
The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) is a nonprofit foundation which collaborates with other organisations on issues surrounding the rule of law, democracy building, human rights, economic development, education, media, access to technology and information.
The social and economic impacts of climate change are unavoidable with Africa being the hardest hit due to its low institutional, human, technological and financial capacity to adapt to these impacts. Key economic and social sectors such as agricultural production, wildlife and tourism, water, health and efforts towards poverty reduction will be negatively impacted. Even though there is a general consensus on the impacts of climate change, developed and developing countries are divided on the most appropriate climate change responses, with the North prioritising mitigation, while the South largely emphasises adaptation. The position of the South is largely driven by issues of climate justice, equity and the right to development, and these have become the key drivers of climate change negotiations, up to the last COP16 in Cacun.
In the run up to COP17 taking place from 28 November to 9 December 2011 in Durban, it is largely predicted that the Kyoto protocol will not survive. Instead, it will be replaced by voluntary mechanisms for curbing carbon emissions. Cancun ‘prepared the ground for the great escape of developed countries and introduced new disciplines for developing countries’ in a way that will undermine Africa and the rest of developing countries’ right to development, as developing countries are now obliged to put forward their plans and targets for climate mitigation. Unless strategies are developed to strengthen developing countries’ negotiating approaches for COP17, it is very likely that climate change adaptation as a priority for Africa will slip further down on the agenda and a weak agreement on the Kyoto will emerge.
It is against this background that OSISA, CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), are hosting a 'Brown Bag on Climate Justice’ on 21 October 2011 in Parktown, Johannesburg.
Speaker: Ms Bernarditas Muller, UNFCCC COP 17 Chief Negotiator for G77.
During the brown bag session, civil society will engage Mrs Muller on the status of COP discussions and the possibility of achieving a fair, ambitious and binding treaty to save the planet and secure Africa’s right to development.
Ms Muller will be joined by Melita Steele (Greenpeace South Africa), Makoma Lekalakala (Earthlife Africa Johannesburg) and Michelle Pressend (FOCCISA) for a robust discussion on the status of discussion and the possibility of achieving a fair, ambitious and binding treaty to save the planet. The panel will be facilitated by Ingrid Srinath, Secretary General of CIVICUS.
Time: 14h00 - 16h00 (lunch will be served between 13h00 - 14h00).
RSVP: Megan MacGarry, Convening Officer, CIVICUS, Tel: 011 833 5959, E-mail: megan [dot] macgarry [at] civicus [dot] org or Moratuoa Thoke, Economic Justice Programme Assistant, OSISA, Tel: Tel: 011 587 5000, E-mail: moratuoat [at] osisa [dot] org before 19 October 2011.
For more about the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, refer to www.osisa.org.
