Climate diplomacy: scoping seminar in Addis Ababa

Africa is most affected by climate change as well as the induced security risks. Experts discussed during a scoping seminar on climate change, conflict and cooperation in Addis Ababa how conflict constellations could be transformed into opportunities for regional cooperation.

adelphi had organised and implemented the event in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, together with the African Climate Policy Centre and supported by the German Federal Foreign Office. More than 20 experts from various institutions such as the University for Peace, the Ethiopian Meteorological Agency, the EU Delegation to the African Union (AU), the Institute for Security Studies, the German Federal Foreign Office, and other EU foreign policy experts took part in the discussion.

The seminar highlighted the crucial role climate change plays for the development and livelihoods on the continent. It was agreed that efforts to place the issue on the agendas of intergovernmental organisations such as the African Union should be complemented by bottom-up education and awareness-raising measures in order to bridge the gap between the climate change impacts felt at the community level and responding policies addressing these challenges.

Download the policy brief here.