The ADF VII is meant to raise awareness and mobilize effective commitment and actions on the part of all stakeholders and partners at all levels to effectively mainstream climate change concerns into development policies, strategies, programmes and practices in Africa. ADF VII is also intended to strengthen Africa’s participation in the international climate change negotiations with a view to ensuring that its concerns and priorities are adequately reflected in a post-2012 international climate change regime.

Specifically the Forum will:

• Demonstrate the compelling evidence of climate change and the need for adequate climate information and services to better inform policies and practices.
• Deliberate on the challenges that climate change poses to Africa’s development prospects, and the opportunities it presents.
• Promote sharing of experiences, good practice and lessons learned in mainstreaming climate change concerns into development policies and practices.
• Define priority actions and measures needed to adequately address the climate change challenge, including leveraging on the opportunities it presents.
• Give momentum to Africa’s Common Position on Climate Change in preparation for the international climate change negotiations in Cancun, Mexico.
• Strengthen/build new strategic alliances and partnerships to further Africa’s climate change agenda.

ADF VII Outcomes and Outputs:

• African stakeholders better informed on the threats/opportunities of climate change;
• Enhanced knowledge of African stakeholders in mainstreaming climate change concerns into development policies and practices;
• Strengthened capacity of African stakeholders to address climate change challenges and leverage opportunities presented;
• Effective participation of Africa in the Cancun climate change negotiations;
• Support for the implementation of Africa’s priority climate change initiatives and programmes mobilized/enhanced and
  Strategic alliances and partnerships on Africa’s climate change agenda strengthened/built.