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In this issue:

UNFCCC in Durban

Regional Advocacy Training

Climate Vulnerability Assessments

EU Acquis Trainings

NewsletterDear reader,

In the second edition of our newsletter we have the

pleasure to inform you about latest developments in

the project SEE Forum on Climate Change Adaptation,

such as the regional advocacy training. We are further

happy to share with you the impressions of Ms Jelena

Dubak, Secretary General of Montenegro Red Cross,

who participated in the UN Climate Change Conference

in Durban and contributed to a global visibility of the

SEE Forum on Climate Change Adaptation. As usual, we

also present some regional news and event

announcements and hope you enjoy reading our

newsletter. For more detailed information on our

project, please visit www.seeclimateforum.org!

Secretary General of Montenegro Red

Cross participating in the UN Climate

Change Conference The UN Climate Change Conference in Durban took

place towards the end of 2011 with the main purpose to

advance the implementation of the UN Framework

Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol,

which expires in 2012.

By agreeing on a roadmap for drawing up a legal

framework for climate action by all countries by 2015,

the conference met a key condition for entering into a

second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.

However, the failure to reach a binding agreement to

further reduce greenhouse gas emissions represents our

“collective failure” and puts the world’s most vulnerable

people at even greater risk, stated Mr Bekele Geleta,

Secretary-General of the International Federation of

Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. In line with this,

the WWF summarizes that through this rather weak

agreement major decisions on the content of the Kyoto

Protocol were only postponed and made an unclear

commitment to a global agreement from 2020.

Ms Jelena Dubak, Secretary

General of the Montenegro Red

Cross participated in the Durban

Conference as part of the

International Federation of Red

Cross and Red Crescent Societies

(IFRC) delegation and was ready to

share her impressions upon return

to Podgorica.

Ms Dubak, could you tell us more about the purpose of

the IFRC`s participation in the UN Climate Change

Conference in Durban?

First of all, it is important to note that the IFRC has an

observer role in the negotiations without any rights of

decision-making. So the main idea was to take active

participation in the conference, in particular in the

relevant side-events, in order to present the position of

Red Cross/Red Crescent (RC) National Societies related

to climate change. In this context we tried to strengthen

the dialogue between RC/RC National Societies, but with

high-level governmental representatives.

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This was very useful in view of improving visibility of our

work and highlighting the importance of climate change

adaptation, so to say the necessity of taking appropriate

and timely action to prevent or minimize adverse effects

climate change has.

What are lessons learned for your organization, also

with regard to the SEE Forum on Climate Change

Adaptation?

Regarding the project “SEE Forum on Climate Change

Adaptation” we luckily had the chance to get acquainted

with stakeholders implementing similar activities, who

shared with us their valuable experience in establishing

networks and working in fora. Further we could

distribute our project folders among relevant

stakeholders from the European Union and call

attention to what is going on in the SEE region. Apart

from that, I had the chance to talk to governmental

representatives from neighbouring countries, who

pointed towards the increasing role Red Cross Societies

have in the development of national climate change

strategies, which, besides strengthened regional

cooperation, can be seen as a positive outcome of the

project already.

Finally, how you do you personally rate the outcomes

of the conference?

Well, I have to admit that at the beginning the overall

atmosphere was quite pessimistic, as participants did

not expect concrete results to be taken. Finally the

opposite came true, discussions were prolonged and

some kind of roadmap was agreed on. In my opinion this

was highly important in order to keep this atmosphere

of looking ahead and continuing with negotiations, in

particular for those countries which are already severely

exposed to climate change and where adverse effects

are already happening and affecting the most

vulnerable.

Thank you for the interview!

For further reports, comments and analysis on the

climate change negotiations check out the websites of

the UNFCCC, the European Commission, Red Cross/Red

Crescent Climate Centre and the WWF!

Regional Advocacy Strategies Training In the framework of the project a regional training on

advocacy strategies was organized in Belgrade on 3 and

4 November 2011. The training was attended by

network coordinators and communication experts from

Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia and the

sessions were prepared and conducted by Mr Markus

Stock of the Institute for Economic Promotion of the

Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.

Advocacy Strategies Training in Belgrade

Participants had the opportunity to learn more about

what key elements of effective lobbying and advocacy

are and how interests are represented in different

political systems, for example in Austria or in the EU.

Institutions and legislative processes in the EU were

presented and in this context participants discussed the

importance of and how to deal with media. Finally,

participants defined country specific interests and

prepared a lobbying strategy accordingly.

REGIONAL PROJECT

EVENT REVIEWS

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Climate Vulnerability Assessments Climate vulnerability assessments are cross-sectoral

documents that are currently being prepared in the four

project partner countries: Croatia, Macedonia,

Montenegro and Serbia. They will cover the areas

defined as priorities for the respective countries and will

identify vulnerable communities and groups through

different regions, define adaptive measures in order to

decrease the exposure of these communities and

groups to negative impacts of climate change. These

documents will identify recommendations for the

decision-makers on what steps to take in order to

improve adaptive capacities and minimize the impact of

climate change. The assessments will serve as a base of

action for the networks to raise awareness of the

general public and governmental officials on climate

change, fostering the adoption of the highest standards

in this relevant field.

The experts in charge of preparing the assessments met

in Belgrade in December 2011 to consult on the crucial

issues, such as a joint glossary of terms or the structure

of the report. Following this, a regional partner meeting,

aimed at discussing the current drafts of the climate

vulnerability assessments will take place in Zagreb, mid

February 2012. This meeting is also scheduled in

preparation for the formation of the SEE Forum in May

2012.

EU Acquis Trainings Within the framework of the SEE Forum on Climate

Change Adaptation, national trainings on the EU Acquis

Communautaire were held in Croatia, Macedonia,

Montenegro and Serbia in late 2011. These trainings

were facilitated by Mr Klaus Radunsky from the Austrian

Federal Environment Agency. Besides project team and

network members, representatives of EU delegations

and national ministries took active participation.

Participants were informed about the legal framework

of climate change in the EU, best practices, and the

comparative analysis of National Communications on

Climate Change to the UNFCCC and EU corresponding

documents. On top of the presentation of the current

European documents, such as the Green and White

paper for climate change, Mr Radunsky shared positive

experiences and the present situation regarding climate

change scenarios and adaptation efforts in Austria.

Participants from Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and

Serbia analysed the present situation in their countries

regarding vulnerability and impact assessments and

proposed future work in these fields.

EU Acquis Training in Montenegro

In the framework of these national EU Acquis Trainings,

special sessions on EU funding were held back to back,

with the main purpose to provide a theoretical overview

of relevant EU institutions and governing bodies, as well

as EU funding instruments.

Macedonian network “Climate Reaction” is

marking the international mountain day On 11 December 2011 the Mountain Sport Federation

invited the Macedonian Red Cross to take part in the

marking of the International Mountain Day together

with other members of the Macedonian Climate

Reaction Network formed in the framework of the EU

project SEE Forum on Climate Change Adaptation.

CSO NETWORKS IN SEE

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The Macedonian Red Cross together with the Mountain

Rescue Team of City Red Cross Skopje had the

opportunity to promote the network among 500

hundred visitors and environment supporters in one of

the most popular outdoor destinations in Skopje called

Matka. During the promotion, t-shirts and educational

leaflets were distributed and discussions on

environmental issues took place.

“Climate Reaction” marking Mountain Day

The role of civil society networks in the EU

accession process

A two-day conference on CSO networks in Western

Balkan countries and Turkey was organized from 13 to

14 December 2011 in Sarajevo with the main purpose to

enhance their structured participation in the EU

accession process and their involvement in the

implementation of the Regional Cooperation Council

strategy. The conference brought together

representatives of regional civil society networks from

the Western Balkans, Turkey and EU, as well as officials

from governmental institutions responsible for

cooperation with the civil society sector.

Representatives from EU’s Directorate General for

Enlargement also participated in the event.

The gathering provided an opportunity to discuss the

new Report on regional CSO Networks in the IPA region

(Western Balkans and Turkey), giving an overview on

existing networks and their cooperation methods and

also showing the added value of regional networks in

building sustainable CSOs in the region. Moreover,

participants of the meeting were informed about the

IPA programming for the upcoming months and in this

context the development of regional networking was

highlighted. For further information, please visit the

TACSO website.

Prepare to Respond – Building

Humanitarian Capacity In 2012 Austrian

Red Cross and

RedR UK are

offering a unique

training

programme to

support aid

workers and

humanitarian organisations to develop their skills to

respond to disasters around the world. Courses will be

held in new EU member states, Croatia and Austria,

covering a range of humanitarian areas including

general humanitarian skills and water, sanitation and

hygiene. The trainings will cater for all knowledge levels,

appropriate for individuals beginning a career within the

sector, as well as for experienced relief workers looking

to develop specialist skills. Diverse agendas and

methodologies, skilled facilitators and international

participants will provide the ideal training environment.

All training resources, accommodation and meals are

covered. This has been made possible through the

support of the EC Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO). For

further information, visit the Austrian Red Cross!

NEWS

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SEE Exhibition and Congress on Energy

Efficiency and Renewable Energy 28 – 30 March 2012; Sofia, Bulgaria

The 8th annual congress of professionals involved in

energy efficiency and renewable energy will take place

in March 2012 in Bulgaria. The goal of the congress is to

foster the exchange of know-how and stimulate the

investments in South East European green energy

sector. Apart from sessions on technology, best

practices, finance, business strategies and policy, the

event will also feature exhibitions on energy efficiency,

renewable energy, waste management, recycling and

environment. The congress will be attended by

specialists and experts, governmental and local policy

makers, investors, representatives of financial

institutions and media. Read more on the official

website.

International Scientific Conference on

Water, Climate and Environment 28 May – 2 June 2012; Ohrid, Macedonia

The 5th International Scientific Conference BALWOIS

2012 will be held with the purpose of providing a forum

for the exchange of information on the relationship

between climate change and human activities with a

specific focus on water related issues. Presentations of

scientific papers on development activities and research

are aimed at creating a platform for dealing with

challenges such as water scarcity, floods, droughts,

environmental degradation and regional risks. The

conference will be attended by scientists, engineers,

managers, legislators, NGO representatives and policy

makers involved in water, climate and environmental

matters. Read more or apply here.

Ice Cube in Belgrade National Geographic Serbia with partners launched an

interesting action in order to raise awareness about

global warming. A large ice cube, weighing more than 3

tones, was placed at a public square in Belgrade,

followed by a competition for proposals how long it

would take for the ice to melt. In temperatures varying

from 0 to 23°C with changing weather conditions, the

melting period lasted for two days, 19 hours, 48

minutes and 13 seconds. During that time various

workshops related to ecology, global warming and CO2

emissions were attended by primary school children.

The organizers hope that this initiative got the attention

of the general public and that people will take more

care of the planet in the future.

Migration and Global Environmental

Change Foresight Report The Migration and Global Environmental Change

Foresight Report is a study on the effect of flooding,

drought and rising sea levels on human migration

patterns over the next 50 years. It encourages

governments and aid agencies to help the poor move

away from vulnerable areas susceptible to flooding and

droughts, adding that a timely action would also

diminish the risk of conflicts and loss of lives. The report

was partly commissioned to examine assumptions that

the environmental degradation would create climate

refugees. Potential solutions offered by the report are in

managed migration and better planning of cities,

especially in the area of water management. Read more

here.

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Updated TACSO Regional Needs

Assessment Report and Individual Country

Reports The regional TACSO office has published an updated regional needs assessment report and individual country reports in November 2011. This is an update of two previous reports published in 2009 and it represents a synthesis of the eight individual country needs assessment reports. The report is aimed at providing a basis for creating TACSO’s support to both civil society and governmental authorities in the countries of Western Balkans and Turkey so as to enable them to better attend to and improve a number of institutional, policy and regional issues for a sustainable and effective development of civil society. Moreover, the report offers a comprehensive look into the strengths and weaknesses and most laudable achievements so far. Finally, recommendations for further improvements of the civil society environment capacities are suggested in the conclusions of the report. Read the individual country reports or the regional report on the TACSO website.

IPA Cross-Border Programme

Macedonia - Albania The European Commission has opened a call for

proposals for the Cross-border Programme between

Macedonia and Albania in order to tackle the socio-

economic situation of the border region, to set out a

common strategy for remedying problems identified

and to formulate joint priorities and measures for

development. The global objective of the programme is

to promote sustainable development in the cross-

border area. More specifically, it aims at establishing

joint actions and strategies to protect and valorise the

natural resources of the region and at developing long

term partnerships and networks across different

sectors, such as CSOs, professional organizations and

decentralized institutions. More on the grant can be

found on the Europe Aid website.

IPA Cross-Border Programme

Croatia - Montenegro The Cross-Border Programme Croatia–Montenegro is aimed at creating favourable environmental and socio-economic conditions by improving the cooperation in jointly selected sectors and good neighbourly relations in the eligible programme area. Specific objectives of the current call are (1) to establish cooperation between institutions in charge of environment protection, as well as natural and cultural heritage protection, (2) to create recognizable tourist products and re-establish social connections in cross-border area and (3) to increase and enhance cooperation between institutions, citizens and civic organizations in the areas such as tourism, education and culture, in order to boost community development and improve neighbourhood relations. The call is open until 3 March 2012 and further documents available on the Europe Aid website.

Civil Society Facility Partnership

Programmes In January 2012 the European Commission launched an

IPA multi-beneficiary call for proposals on Civil Society

Facility Partnership Programmes for CSOs supporting

regional thematic networks. The programme purpose is

to achieve a more dynamic civil society actively

participating in public debate on democracy, human

rights, social inclusion and the rule of law with capacity

to influence policy and decision making processes. The

call aims to achieve this by establishing partnerships

with regional networks of CSOs to pursue shared

objectives regarding good governance and the

fulfilment of the political criteria for EU accession. The

deadline for submission of full proposals is 13 April 2012

and further information is available on the Europe Aid

website.

FUNDING POSSIBILITIES

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PUBLICATIONS

Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and

Disasters to Advance Climate Change

Adaptation The Special Report for Managing Risks of Extreme

Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change

Adaptation (SREX) is a comprehensive assessment of the

role of climate change in altering characteristics of

extreme events and was approved by the

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in

November 2011. It integrates expertise in climate

science, disaster risk management and adaptation to

inform discussions on how to reduce and manage the

risks of extreme events and disasters in a changing

climate. A summary of this report, specially designed for

policy makers is available on the IPCC website.

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The next issue is coming up in March 2012!