November saw the first fruits of CDKN’s renewed partnership with AlertNet and the Inter Press Service, with CDKN sponsoring several articles by journalists in developing countries. The partnership aims to stimulate debate on climate and development issues in the media, and strengthen developing country voices.  The first few articles have focused on Africa, with Isaiah Esipisu reporting on communities that are developing their own solutions for mitigating the effects of climate change.  Look out for many more stories, which will be featured on our site as well as on the CDKN feeds on AlertNet and IPS.

Earlier this month the Climate Vulnerable Forum, a ministerial-level conference sponsored by CDKN, met in Bangladesh.  Attended by representatives of 24 countries particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, the conference produced a plan to help the group take a coherent stand at CoP-17in favour of increased support for climate change adaptation.  Regional and international media picked up the story, with features in Pakistan, The Netherlands and internationally.

On the other side of the globe, Anguilla News reported CDKN funding for amendments to national electricity laws, to allow for integration of renewable energy. CDKN recently put out a call for expressions of interest to provide this service, and the procurement process will continue over the next few weeks.

In London, the University of East Anglia’s upcoming event, ‘Carbon markets for the poor: A contradiction in terms?’ was trailed on EurekAlert and the Environmental Research Web.  CDKN Executive Chair Simon Maxwell moderated the discussion, which focused on the Clean Development Mechanism and asked ‘is it worth saving?’

Like many other climate-focused organisations, CDKN has been gearing up for the upcoming UNFCCC conference in Durban.  CDKN will be holding and participating in several side events – see our events calendar for more details – and hosting a live stream of updates from our staff at the conference. Watch this space for more information.

To read about CDKN around the web in October, click here.

Image: Trees cocooned in spiders webs after flooding in Sindh, Pakistan, courtesy of DFID.