Press advisory

Cape Town, South Africa. 20 April 2018 -- “SouthSouthNorth is excited about leading the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) into a new phase and building on the wealth of experience and learning CDKN has accumulated to date, working closely with its Southern partners, Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability – South Asia, as well as with the Overseas Development Institute”, said Dr Shehnaaz Moosa, the incoming CDKN Director, about the new Southern-led CDKN partnership.

“The CDKN team has recognised the importance of a Southern-led collaboration and leadership to take forward CDKN. As partners based in the global South, we are well placed to understand the context and strengths of developing countries, as they face both the opportunities and challenges of climate compatible development. We look forward to further showcasing Southern knowledge and practice in this new CDKN journey.”

The former CDKN CEO, Sam Bickersteth, explained why CDKN has made this shift: “Climate-vulnerable societies are at the leading edge of adapting to climate change and innovating new responses. They have much to learn from each other and, important ideas to share with countries in the global North. Based in the global South, the CDKN team will be positioned to engage with climate and development knowledge needs and support exchange among developing countries efficiently. For these reasons, CDKN has decided to relocate its head offices to South Africa.”

Currently, CDKN continues to deliver a range of research and technical assistance projects, support peer networking and knowledge exchange, and share the results and learning from our work. We also continue to scope new and exciting future opportunities with donors, with a growing focus on expanding our role as a knowledge broker, and facilitating learning exchange and collaboration. Our ongoing work includes:

• Serving as the Co-Secretariat of the Low Emissions Development Global Partnership (LEDS GP), leading on knowledge management
• Managing the Secretariat of the Africa LEDS Partnership
• Managing the Coordination, Capacity-Building and Knowledge Exchange Unit of the Future Climate for Africa (FCFA) programme
• Delivering the Climate Resilient Cities Initiative in Latin America
• Implementing the Mobilising Investment for NDC implementation project in Ethiopia, Kenya, Bangladesh and Peru.

For more information about these projects and other CDKN work, please explore our website - including this resources page and this projects page.
Image: solar power, courtesy Solar Electric Light Fund