African
Union
Capacity building
Process through which individuals, groups, organizations, institutions and countries develop
their aptitudes, individually and collectively, with a view to performing functions, resolving
problems and achieving objectives.
Principles 9, 10 and 11 of the Rio de Janeiro Declaration (1992) stipulate that capacity
building is part of sustainable development strategies. It involves strengthening the human
resources (training, information, education, exchange of scientific and technical knowledge,
cooperation), enhancing the efficiency of technological resources, technology transfer)
optimizing management systems (legislative, environmental standards, institutions),
enhancing the eco-efficiency of economic instruments (equitable trade, internalization of
costs of environmental protection).
Capital formation
Creation of new capital or the expansion of existing capital, during a fiscal period, normally
financed by savings. This includes transfer of savings from individuals or households to the
business sector; directly through investments or indirectly through bank deposits; transfer of
savings from households and government to the business sector, resulting in increased
output and economic expansion.
Children
Any person below the age of 18 years.
Civil Society
All organizations, networks, and associations between the level of the family and the level
of the state, excluding enterprises that exist to pursue private profit, per Zadek (2004) in the
Secretary-General‟s Panel of Eminent Persons on UN-Civil Society Relationships. CSOs
include but are not limited to the following: Social groups such as those representing
women, children, the youth, the elderly and people with disability and special needs;
Professional groups such as associations of artists, engineers, health practitioners, social
workers, media, teachers, sport associations, legal professionals, social scientists, academia,
business organizations, national chambers of commerce, workers, employers, industry and
agriculture as well as other private sector interest groups; Non-governmental organizations
(NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs) and voluntary organizations, and; Cultural
organizations.
Climate change
By climate change we mean changes in the climate attributable directly or indirectly to a
human activity resulting in a change in the composition of the global atmosphere and which
adds to the natural variation of the climate observed during comparable periods.
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