Africa - finding its own voice?

Is Africa finding its own voice at the Climate Negotiations?

The newly appointed spokesperson for Africa, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi spoke at meeting convened by the UN Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa to promote the African negotiating position this past week.

It was the first time Africa has broken away from the Group of 77 (G77) that has composed a primary bloc in the Climate Change political arena. It is a move many in the Western world approve of. The G77 includes Saudi Arabia and other middle eastern countries with very different positions than Africa.

Prime Minister Zenawi used both economic (the benefits of a green economy and creating a 'robust' global environment for green technologies) as well as practical environmental concerns (not having the continent become uninhabitable), trying to create a picture of Africa as something other than a 'charity case'. He is trying to get beyond the position of 'give us more money' and into a more practical, how can we work together, position. He also is trying to take Africa out of a victim-like position.

It's an exciting new development, one that could shift the upcoming discussions at Copenhagen. And it's exciting to see Africa come to a unified voice - something that the continent has rarely done. Certainly any crisis offers the opportunity for re-definition, and this may be one such example.