South Africa has done exceptionally well, as a fledgling democracy, to inculcate values of tolerance and coexistence, thereby earning herself the popular title of "rainbow nation". To reflect on developments since 1994, ACCORD's Knowledge Production Department hosted an Internal Staff Seminar on 4 April 2012 with an internationally recognised academic Professor John Daniel, former Professor of Political Science at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Angela Ndinga-Muvumba, Senior Research Fellow at ACCORD and Doctoral Candidate at the University of Uppsala's Department of Peace and Conflict Research (DPCR), took part in a conference on 'The African Union After Ten Years: Progress, Practice and Prospects for the Future', in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 20-21 February 2012. The conference was organised by the US State Department, in order to enhance U.S. engagement with the African Union through a deeper understanding of the African Union across the U.S. government. Ndinga-Muvumba's paper presentation was titled "South Africa and the African Union: The Dynamics of African Solidarity" and explored how South Africa's African agenda has evolved in its interaction with the AU.

Angela Ndinga-Muvumba, Senior Research Fellow at ACCORD and Doctoral Candidate at the University of Uppsala's Department of Peace and Conflict Research (DPCR), attended the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) 4th Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government (HoSG) and Special Session on Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in the Great Lakes Region, in Kampala, Uganda on 15-16 December 2011.

ACCORD Senior Researcher Salome Bronkhorst recently participated in a World Gold Council (WGC) Standards for Conflict-Free Gold roundtable, hosted by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) on 5 October 2011, as part of the Council's global consultation on a new framework of draft standards to track gold. The framework is intended to ensure that gold can be certified as conflict-free, and applies to mining in armed conflicts - especially gold emerging out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Senior ACCORD Researcher, Salome Bronkhorst, was invited by OneWorld and Adelphi, supported by the German Federal Foreign Office, to present at a regional dialogue in Pretoria which focused on the interrelationship between climate change, conflict and cooperation in Southern Africa. The dialogue, held on 23 September, brought together decision makers and experts from Southern Africa as well as from Europe to address key questions related to climate change and security. In particular, the dialogue focused on identifying potential pathways for regional cooperation and benefit sharing, related to climate change and security.

Angela Ndinga-Muvumba, Senior Research Fellow at ACCORD and Doctoral Candidate at the University of Uppsala's Department of Peace and Conflict Research (DPCR), took part in the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation's 50th Anniversary Roundtable Event in Uppsala on 2 March 2012, alongside a high-profile panel including Martti Ahtisaari, Lakhdar Brahimi, Francis Deng and Jan Eliasson. Ndinga-Muvumba's discussant remarks focused on African conflicts and peacekeeping and highlighted the issue of regional arrangements between the UN and the African Union (AU) under Chapter VIII of the UN Charter.

On 6 December, over 90 decision makers and experts at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) attended a Panel Discussion titled Climate Change Adaptation, Conflict and Cooperation: a diplomatic approach for Africa? in Durban, South Africa. The event was organised by ACCORD and OneWorld Sustainable Investments.

Senior Researcher Salome Bronkhorst was invited by the German Federal Foreign Office and Adelphi to attend an international conference titled Climate Diplomacy in Perspective – from Early Warning to Early Action on the security implication of climate change. The conference, which was held on 10 and 11 October in Berlin, Germany and followed on a discussion at the United Nations Security Council in July 2011 on the implications of climate change for security, included working group sessions on food security, water security and coastal stability.

In preparation for COP17, the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) in Durban held a two day expert seminar on 15 & 16 September, to identify issues and recommendations for ensuring that adaptation to climate change is conflict-sensitive. Policy makers, practitioners and scientists presented new research on the linkages between climate change and conflict in Africa, and analysed various tools, policies and approaches to ensure the prevention of conflicts arising from climate change but also from adaptation efforts. The outcomes of the seminar will be distributed in advance of COP17 and will be presented at a number of side events during COP17.

ACCORD's Knowledge Production Department recently hosted another internal staff seminar – this time with Dr William Tsuma and Dr Kwesi Sansculotte-Greenidge. In their presentation to staff from ACCORD's Interventions and Knowledge Production Department, Dr Tsuma and Dr Sansculotte-Greenidge addressed the issue of integrating conflict prevention in South Sudan's post-independence transition plan. This internal staff seminar was particularly relevant as post-conflict peacebuilding in South Sudan features high on the agenda of many international actors as well as conflict management organisations, such as ACCORD.