The COP17 negotiations in Durban, South Africa, have been described as the most colourful UN event yet after giant puppets and musicians welcomed delegates to the International Conference Centre in the port city.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) wants to put water as a standalone agenda item on the COP17 agenda.

Hans-Holger Rogner of the IAEA

More than 190 countries have sent delegates to Durban, South Africa, to take part in COP 17 and thrash out a new deal on energy and climate change. One of the options to reduce carbon emissions, however unpopular, is nuclear power. Tinus de Jager asked Hans-Holger Rogner, of International Atomic Energy Agency, about the current negative global attitude towards atomic energy.

Click on the link below to look at a sound-slide on the Pan African Parliament and climate change:

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En São Gonçalo, una de las ciudades de Brasil con mayor índice de pobreza, un grupo de mujeres logró sobreponerse a las inundaciones que en 2010 les arrebataron lo que tenían. Asociadas en Las Mujeres de Salgueiro, ellas saben bien lo que es enfrentarse a las injusticias climáticas y también lo que es levantarse, mediante pequeños emprendimientos.

Las mujeres son las mayores víctimas de los efectos del calentamiento global, pero al mismo tiempo las que primero reaccionan y levantan las banderas de la lucha en la mitigación y la adaptación al cambio climático, dijo a IPS Janete Guilherme, coordinadora de la asociación comunitaria. “Los hombres vienen detrás”, aseguró.

Women coffee growers speak to Martha Nyambura about the impact of climate change on their production.

Days before the start of COP17 in Durban, the UNFCCC has formally recognised the Women and Gender Constituency, giving them full constituency status when the talks start in Durban at the end of November. Tinus de Jager reports that there will be a strong push for a gender-specific focus at the climate-change talks in South Africa

Stakeholders in agriculture from Western and Central Africa are meeting in Gabon for the 6th International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) regional forum. As Zukiswa Zimela reports, they are talking about the challenges facing smallholder farmers.