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The interactions between natural risks in the Arab region, climate change effects, water scarcity, and lack of food self-sufficiency represent a serious challenge to policies and plans in Arab countries and cities. Over the last three years, climate-related disasters have cast their shadow on around 50 million people in the Arab region.

In an interview with Sandra Schulz from German radio station Deutschland funk René Wildangel, head of the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s office in Ramallah, warns of an Israeli ground invasion in Gaza and a repetition of the "absolutely disastrous war" of 2008. Instead, an immediate cease fire and new policy options to include Gaza in regional negotiations are needed. 

It was the second visit of Hillary Clinton in Bosnia and Herzegovina without any positive outcome. Unfortunately, the situation will surely deteriorate further and chances for helping the country to become a really functioning and democratic state will grow smaller

The Czech Greens (Strana zelených, SZ) were successful in the October 2012 Senate elections, and are now once again represented in the Czech parliament following their electoral defeat in 2010. Eva van de Rakt, Office Director of the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Prague, spoke with Czech Green Party Chairman Ondřej Liška.

What were the expectations for COP 17 in Durban in 2011 and what does it mean for COP 18? The climate summit was hosted 2011 by South Africa which is located in a region that stands to be tremendously affected by climate change. This year participants of the summit in Doha must find a solution for financing adaptation as well as making the Green Climate Fund operational. 

In the middle of an economic crisis and with the need to fight poverty globally, it is pivotal for the participating states to take COP 18 in Doha to its limits. Despite low expectations of Qatar in hosting this climate summit and the inherited problems and challenges from previous summits, it is even more important to get participating states back into the game to agree on binding regulations to decrease CO2 emissions.

During the three years of Europe’s crisis many supposedly rock-solid certainties about the European Union have been shaken up. Today, even dedicated Europeans do have to admit that, in its present shape, the EU may be one of the casualties of the crisis. At our conference Europe’s Common Future such concerns about a possibly disastrous failure of the Eurozone were palpable. 

The NGO Monitor inquired again about our funding for "+972 - Advancement of Citizen Journalism", which helps managing and editing their site 972mag.com. The NGO monitor cites a number of contributions to the site as too critical of Israel and accuses the site of being part of the international campaign to demonize Israel. We neither share this general assessment nor do we agree with everything that is posted on 972mag.com.

Qatar, that faces many problems of climate change that many small island states do, has a golden opportunity to continue demonstrating leadership in the region beyond supporting the different revolutions. As the host of COP 18, Qatar should not only play the host but should also put climate change as the top political priority – now and in the future.

The “startup nation” Israel that exports solar technology abroad and is famous for the early implementation of solar water heaters is failing to implement renewable energy sources at home. Public awareness is low and the government lacks a coherent strategy even though impacts already affect the country: African climate refugees seeking water, food and shelter.