Khayelitsha township experiences one of the highest rates of violence against women in the Cape Town metro. In October 2012, the Heinrich Böll Foundation in partnership with Free Gender hosted a town hall meeting that sought to engage all relevant stakeholders in order to identify priority interventions for local government.

The central ambition of this paper is to offer a framework for the appropriate climate finance architecture, one that identifies the key elements for a national set of institutional arrangements, and that would in its design serve to foster improved access and efficient, cost-effective, transparent, accountable, and equitable utilisation of climate finance by countries in Africa.  

Climate change is increasingly recognized as a developmental challenge in Africa, however, development planning in many African countries is still done in silos, and without due consideration of climate change. Two case studies from Namibia and Tanzania provide an analysis of the institutional, financial and political barriers to the integration of climate change in development.

The articles in this issue of Perspectives seek to reflect on the extent to which African legislatures have taken steps that mark their shift from being the “weakest link” of government to stronger, independent institutions. In essence, we ask – do African Parliaments really occupy the privileged position accorded to them in representational democracies?

Climate finance has recently become a subject of profound interest to the global debates on climate change. This edition of Perspectives sheds light on the issues that affect Africa's access to climate finance.  

Should people expect their political leaders to tackle multiple crises in a comprehensive manner? And if so, what are the appropriate international fora to do so? Ask 

If the Cancun climate change conference (COP 16) was the place where the climate convention train got back on track, the Durban conference (COP 17) needs to be the place where key elements are delivered writes

With three out of four scheduled meetings of the Transitional Committee (TC) now completed, severe differences remain between the 25 developing countries and the 15 developed countries represented in the TC regarding the form and functions of the Fund.

This paper seeks to identify key components of smart renewable energy policy in developing countries and provides recommendations for maximizing the effectiveness of international support for the deployment of renewable energies.

The oil industry is investing heavily in dirtier and riskier forms of unconventional oil. This study describes the drivers behind this new trend and provides a global overview on such investments.

South Africa plays host to the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This dossier aims to provide analysis of the major issues at stake.