<p>Generally, the trade supervisors are seen swapping stories about how they have done things differently in their previous projects that had resulted in saving man-hours and resources. Since most of them are doing repetitive tasks for years, they rely mainly on their judgments and intuition while making decisions and have developed a plethora of knowledge throughout their experience. They often find it difficult to articulate the knowledge they have acquired most of which is tacit. There is a need to identify this tacit dimension of knowledge to harness it effectively as tacit knowledge is one of the factors determining the competitiveness of a construction firm. The skills shortage in the industry is further aggravated by the growing workforce. Employee retirements and knowledge loss are compelling the specialty contracting firms to capture this tacit knowledge to prepare the future workforce. This study posits an instrument to gauge the reliance of the field supervisors on tacit knowledge and identifies barriers to knowledge sharing through case studies involving electrical contracting firms. The findings of this research clearly show that the experience level of an individual is related to the reliance on tacit knowledge. Most of the experienced field supervisors rely on the tacit dimension of knowledge to perform the major day-to-day routine tasks at the construction site. The education level of an individual seems to have no significant relation with the acquisition and usage of tacit knowledge. Findings also suggest that the viewpoint of the management and the field team are disparate regarding the barriers to knowledge sharing. Management feels that lack of formal processes prevents the trade professionals from sharing their knowledge among themselves whereas according to the field team lack of socialization is identified as the key barrier. Similarly, managers' resistance to change is identified by management as the key barrier that prevents supervisors or managers from sharing their knowledge with the subordinates whereas, for the field team it is the lack of encouragement from the management. Moreover, according to management, lack of formal processes is the key barrier at the organizational level but for the field team, it’s the silo mentality of the managers. The organizations must incorporate the feedback from the field team into the decision making related to knowledge management (KM). The developed framework will benefit the trade contractors to identify on what type of knowledge the field supervisors are relying to perform a particular task and eventually categorizing knowledge into explicit and tacit.</p>

Tidigare forskning har attribuerat fragmenteringen i byggbranschen till effektivitets- och produktivitetsproblem inom byggandet. Den vertikala fragmenteringen avser skedesuppdelningen av den totala byggprocessen; medan den horisontella fragmenteringen avser mångfalden och ansvarsuppdelningen av aktörer i respektive byggskede. BIM (Building Information Modeling) har utifrån olika integrationsaspekter lyfts fram som medel för att överbrygga fragmenteringsproblematiken. Det är i projekteringen, bland arkitekter och andra tekniska konsulter som BIM används som mest i Sverige. Men hur betraktar, förstår och uppfattar användarna i sina roller BIM som integrator av skeden (vertikalled) och aktörer (horisontalled) i en fragmenterad byggbransch? Målet med examensarbetet är att med utgångspunkt från vad litteratur om fragmentering, integration och BIM föreslagit, analysera hur BIM utifrån arkitekters upplevelser och föreställningar kan möta problem grundade i en fragmenterad byggbransch. Mot bakgrund av resultaten diskuteras även vilken betydelse som användningen av BIM som integrator skulle kunna ha, eller få, för arkitektens roll och dess möjliga förändring. Arbetet har en kvalitativ ansats. Inledningsvis genomfördes litteraturstudier med fokus på hur tidigare forskning adresserat byggbranschens fragmentering och BIM som möjlig integrator. Därefter genomfördes en intervjustudie med åtta svenska arkitekter med erfarenhet av att använda BIM i sitt arbete. Under intervjuerna fördes samtal kring hur och i vilken utsträckning som arkitekterna använde sig av BIM och hur de upplevde att BIM påverkat samarbetssituationer mellan dem och andra projektörer, byggentreprenörer och beställare, ur horisontella och vertikala perspektiv. Den så kallade BIM-trappan användes som diskussionshjälpmedel vid genomförandet för att fördjupa samtalen. Resultaten visar att de medverkande arkitekterna upplever att BIM-användningen leder till ökad kommunikation och förståelse, en gemensam orienteringspunkt, överblick, konflikthantering och kontakt med olika aktörer inom byggandet. I litteraturen samlades möjligheter (appliceringsområden) med BIM som integrator, vilka återfanns bland de samlade intervjusvaren. Genom litteraturstudierna identifierades nio fragmenteringsproblem och deras horisontella och vertikala uttrycksformer. Tolkningar av respondenternas beskrivna upplevelser visar att BIM användes och upplevdes bemöta problemet konflikter och klanderkultur i båda fragmenteringsleden: horisontellt genom att delande, utbytande och visuell presentation av information upplevs bidra till en attitydförändring gentemot arkitekter, och vertikalt genom att kollisionskontroll av byggnadskomponenter medfört givande diskussioner med alla projektinvolverade och minskade fel i produktionsskedet. För de övriga åtta problemen förefaller BIM bemöta fragmenteringsproblematiken i horisontalled i större utsträckning än i vertikalled. Resultaten föreslår att en orsak kan vara att arkitekterna inte upplever några tydliga incitament till att använda BIM som integrator i vertikalled, då de inom ramen för sin yrkesroll inte har samma kunskapsutbyte med aktörer i produktionen som de har med aktörer i projekteringen. Ur ett arkitektperspektiv verkar BIM som integrator alltså stötta rollen inom ramen för de förväntningar som finns på rollen idag. Respondenterna tror att BIM kommer att vara en del i utvecklingen av rollen och att BIM-utvecklingen förmodligen kommer att öka i framtiden. Hur rollen kommer att fortsätta utvecklas eller stöttas av BIM i framtiden är dock inget som kan besvaras genom det här examensarbetet. Som förslag på vidare studier kan BIM-användningens betydelse för förändring av arkitektrollen ur ett rollteoretiskt perspektiv undersökas, samt hur andra aktörer i olika skeden av byggprocessen uppfattar BIM som integrator. Kanske kan BIM-användningen även förknippas med förändring av andra yrkesroller? Även en undersökning med arkitekter från länder med annan rollkontext än den svenska hade varit av intresse att undersöka. / Previous research has attributed fragmentation in the construction industry to efficiency and productivity problems in construction. The vertical fragmentation refers to the division of stages within the entire construction process, while the horizontal fragmentation refers to the diversity and division of responsibilities of actors in each construction phase. Based on various integration aspects, BIM (Building Information Modeling) has been presented as a means of bridging the fragmentation problem. It is in the design phase, among architects and other technical consultants, that BIM is used most in Sweden. But how do users in their roles view, understand and perceive BIM as an integrator of phases (vertically) and actors (horizontally) in a fragmented construction industry? The aim of the thesis is to, based on what literature on fragmentation, integration and BIM has presented, analyse how BIM can meet problems grounded in a fragmented construction industry according to architects’ experiences and ideas. In light of the results, the thesis discusses what significance the use of BIM as an integrator could have for the architect's role and its eventual change. The study has a qualitative approach. Initially, literature studies were conducted with a focus on how previous research has addressed the fragmentation of the construction industry and BIM as a possible integrator. Subsequently, an interview study was conducted with eight Swedish architects with experience of using BIM in their work. During the interviews, conversations were held about how and to what extent the architects used BIM, and how they felt that BIM affected collaborative situations between them and other designers, contractors, and clients, from a horizontal and vertical perspective. The so-called BIM-staircase was used as an aid for discussion, to deepen the conversations. The results show that the participating architects feel that the use of BIM leads to increased communication and understanding, a common orientation point, overview, conflict management and contact with various actors in the construction industry. Opportunities (application areas) with BIM as integrator were gathered from the literature, which were found among the collected interview results. The literature studies identified nine fragmentation problems and their horizontal and vertical forms of expression. Interpretations of the respondents' described experiences show that BIM was used and experienced to address the problem of conflict and blame culture in both fragmentation stages: horizontally, the participants experienced sharing, exchange and visual presentation of information which contributed to a change of attitude towards architects, and vertically they experienced that collision control of building components led to fruitful discussions with all project-involved with reduced errors in the production phase as consequence. For the other eight problems, BIM seems to address the fragmentation problems horizontally to a greater extent than vertically. The results suggest that one reason may be that the architects do not experience any clear incentives to use BIM as an integrator vertically, as within the framework of their professional role they do not have the same exchange of knowledge with actors in production as they have with actors in design. From an architect's perspective, BIM as an integrator thus seems to support the role within the framework of the expectations that exist for the role today. The respondents believe that BIM will be part of the development of the role and that BIM development will probably increase in the future. How the role will continue to be developed or supported by BIM in the future, however, is not something that can be answered through this thesis. As a proposal for further studies, the significance of BIM use for changing the architect's role from a role-theoretical perspective can be examined, as well as how other actors at different phases of the construction process perceive BIM as an integrator. Perhaps the use of BIM can also be associated with change in other professional roles? A study with architects from countries with different role contexts than the Swedish one would also be of interest to investigate.

No / This chapter analyses the how, who, where and why of rapid rise in intra-regional investment by companies from ASEAN since 2009. The chapter analyses the push and pull factors of intra-regional investment in ASEAN, the resulting patterns of foreign direct investment (FDI) and the accompanying rise of strong regional players. The region’s FDI landscape is changing in terms of investment sources, players, FDI trends and dynamics of the region. This trend is strongly affected by stepped up efforts by ASEAN governments to encourage their national companies to invest in the region and the influence of the ASEAN Economic Community. Regional integration and emerging business opportunities are providing an impetus not seen before in driving intra-regional investment. As more ASEAN companies position and prepare for AEC 2015, this intra-regional investment wave is likely to gather force. The chapter lists the regional and global ‘footprint’ of the top 50 largest ASEAN companies by revenues. The thus identified companies include companies operating in oil and gas, mining, agri-business, telecommunications, food and beverages, manufacturing, banking, power generation, infrastructure, real estate and healthcare services.

O objetivo desta pesquisa é examinar e compreender as concepções de corpo na Assíria do fim do século VIII e do século VII AEC, a partir da análise de fontes palacianas imagéticas e textuais. As primeiras são compostas pelos relevos dos palácios dos reis Senaqueribe (704- 681) e Assurbanipal II (669-627) em Nínive (no atual nordeste do Iraque). As segundas são Inscrições Reais, Tratados e Juramentos, Cartas e textos literários, sendo que todos esses gêneros têm como eixo de produção os palácios assírios. Os relevos são placas de pedra com esculturas em baixo relevo, que foram utilizadas nas paredes dos palácios assírios a partir do final do segundo milênio AEC. Esse uso foi continuado por todo o período denominado Neoassírio ou Tardo Assírio (934-610 AEC), expondo imagens de pessoas, animais, plantas, paisagens e arquiteturas. A configuração desses elementos figurativos expressa cenas de narrativas espaciais por meio de imagens. A disposição orquestrada dos relevos nas paredes dos palácios evidencia potenciais modos de percepção das imagens pela movimentação nos ambientes palacianos. A recorrência da expressão do corpo nos relevos suscita uma perspectiva atenta à materialidade, à relação entre as imagens do corpo e aos modos de percepção e contato com esses objetos no período. A presença constante de expressões corporais em textos neoassírios também constitui um tratamento ao corpo através da linguagem. Considerando a complementaridade entre fontes imagéticas e escritas no período e o fato de as concepções de corpo poderem estar expressas em textos e imagens, qual é o lugar e o uso do corpo neste período? Como o corpo aparece nos relevos e textos palacianos? Quais aspectos materiais dos relevos constituem os indícios da concepção de corpo? Como as imagens do corpo e as expressões corporais escritas indicam suas concepções? / The aim of this research is to examine and comprehend the conceptions of the body in Assyria at the end of the 8th and 7th centuries BCE, from the analysis of palatial images and texts. The visual sources are composed by the reliefs of the kings of Sennacherib (704-681) and Assurbanipal II (669-627) in Nineveh (present-day northern of Iraq). The written sources are Royal Inscriptions, Treaties and Oaths, Letters and literary texts. All these texts had the Assyrian royal palaces as production axis. The reliefs are stone plaques with bas-relief sculptures, which were used on the walls of the Assyrian palaces from the end of the second millennium BCE. This use was continued throughout the period called Neo-Assyrian or Late Assyrian (934-610 BCE), exposing images of people, animals, plants, landscapes and architectures. The configuration of these figurative elements expresses scenes of spatial narratives through images. The orchestrated arrangement of the reliefs on the walls of the palaces shows potential ways of perception of the images by the movement in the palatial environments. The recurrence of the body expression in the reliefs evokes an attentive threefold perspective: on the materiality, the images of the body and the modes of perception and contact with these objects in that period. The constant presence of body expressions in Neo-Assyrian texts also constitutes a way to treat body through language. Considering the complementarity between visual and written sources in the Neo-Assyrian period and the fact that body conceptions can be expressed in texts and images, what is the status and use of the body in this period? How does the body appear in the reliefs and palatial texts? What are the material aspects of the reliefs? How do body images and written body expressions indicate their conceptions?

The AEC industry has long been in need of effective modes of information exchange and knowledge sharing, but their practice in the industry is still far from satisfactory. In order to maintain their competence in a highly competitive environment and a globalized market, many organizations in the AEC industry have aimed at a move towards the development of learning organizations. Knowledge management has been seen as an effective way to have every member of an organization engaged in learning at all levels. At the very centre of knowledge management and learning is knowledge sharing through effective communication. Unfortunately, however, there is a big gap in the AEC industry between existing practice and the ideal in this area. In order to effectively coordinate information and knowledge flow in the AEC industry, this present research has developed a framework for an information system – a Construction Information and Knowledge Protocol/Portal (CIKP) which integrates within it a publish/subscribe system, Semantic Web technology, and Social Web concepts. Publish/subscribe is an appropriate many-to-many, people-to-people communication paradigm for handling a highly fragmented industry such as construction. In order to enrich the expressiveness of publications and subscriptions, Semantic Web technology has been incorporated into this system through the development of ontologies as a formal and interoperable form of knowledge representation. This research first involved the development of a domain-level ontology (AR-Onto) to encapsulate knowledge about actors, roles, and their attributes in the AEC industry. AR-Onto was then extended and tailored to create an application-level ontology (CIKP-Onto) which has been used to support the semantics in the CIKP framework. Social Web concepts have been introduced to enrich the description of publications and subscriptions. Our aim has been to break down linear communication through social involvement and encourage a culture of sharing, and in the end, the CIKP framework has been developed to specify desired services in communicating information and knowledge, applicable technical approaches, and more importantly, the functions required to satisfy the needs of a variety of service scenarios.

The AEC industry has long been in need of effective modes of information exchange and knowledge sharing, but their practice in the industry is still far from satisfactory. In order to maintain their competence in a highly competitive environment and a globalized market, many organizations in the AEC industry have aimed at a move towards the development of learning organizations. Knowledge management has been seen as an effective way to have every member of an organization engaged in learning at all levels. At the very centre of knowledge management and learning is knowledge sharing through effective communication. Unfortunately, however, there is a big gap in the AEC industry between existing practice and the ideal in this area. In order to effectively coordinate information and knowledge flow in the AEC industry, this present research has developed a framework for an information system – a Construction Information and Knowledge Protocol/Portal (CIKP) which integrates within it a publish/subscribe system, Semantic Web technology, and Social Web concepts. Publish/subscribe is an appropriate many-to-many, people-to-people communication paradigm for handling a highly fragmented industry such as construction. In order to enrich the expressiveness of publications and subscriptions, Semantic Web technology has been incorporated into this system through the development of ontologies as a formal and interoperable form of knowledge representation. This research first involved the development of a domain-level ontology (AR-Onto) to encapsulate knowledge about actors, roles, and their attributes in the AEC industry. AR-Onto was then extended and tailored to create an application-level ontology (CIKP-Onto) which has been used to support the semantics in the CIKP framework. Social Web concepts have been introduced to enrich the description of publications and subscriptions. Our aim has been to break down linear communication through social involvement and encourage a culture of sharing, and in the end, the CIKP framework has been developed to specify desired services in communicating information and knowledge, applicable technical approaches, and more importantly, the functions required to satisfy the needs of a variety of service scenarios.

O objetivo desta pesquisa é examinar e compreender as concepções de corpo na Assíria do fim do século VIII e do século VII AEC, a partir da análise de fontes palacianas imagéticas e textuais. As primeiras são compostas pelos relevos dos palácios dos reis Senaqueribe (704- 681) e Assurbanipal II (669-627) em Nínive (no atual nordeste do Iraque). As segundas são Inscrições Reais, Tratados e Juramentos, Cartas e textos literários, sendo que todos esses gêneros têm como eixo de produção os palácios assírios. Os relevos são placas de pedra com esculturas em baixo relevo, que foram utilizadas nas paredes dos palácios assírios a partir do final do segundo milênio AEC. Esse uso foi continuado por todo o período denominado Neoassírio ou Tardo Assírio (934-610 AEC), expondo imagens de pessoas, animais, plantas, paisagens e arquiteturas. A configuração desses elementos figurativos expressa cenas de narrativas espaciais por meio de imagens. A disposição orquestrada dos relevos nas paredes dos palácios evidencia potenciais modos de percepção das imagens pela movimentação nos ambientes palacianos. A recorrência da expressão do corpo nos relevos suscita uma perspectiva atenta à materialidade, à relação entre as imagens do corpo e aos modos de percepção e contato com esses objetos no período. A presença constante de expressões corporais em textos neoassírios também constitui um tratamento ao corpo através da linguagem. Considerando a complementaridade entre fontes imagéticas e escritas no período e o fato de as concepções de corpo poderem estar expressas em textos e imagens, qual é o lugar e o uso do corpo neste período? Como o corpo aparece nos relevos e textos palacianos? Quais aspectos materiais dos relevos constituem os indícios da concepção de corpo? Como as imagens do corpo e as expressões corporais escritas indicam suas concepções? / The aim of this research is to examine and comprehend the conceptions of the body in Assyria at the end of the 8th and 7th centuries BCE, from the analysis of palatial images and texts. The visual sources are composed by the reliefs of the kings of Sennacherib (704-681) and Assurbanipal II (669-627) in Nineveh (present-day northern of Iraq). The written sources are Royal Inscriptions, Treaties and Oaths, Letters and literary texts. All these texts had the Assyrian royal palaces as production axis. The reliefs are stone plaques with bas-relief sculptures, which were used on the walls of the Assyrian palaces from the end of the second millennium BCE. This use was continued throughout the period called Neo-Assyrian or Late Assyrian (934-610 BCE), exposing images of people, animals, plants, landscapes and architectures. The configuration of these figurative elements expresses scenes of spatial narratives through images. The orchestrated arrangement of the reliefs on the walls of the palaces shows potential ways of perception of the images by the movement in the palatial environments. The recurrence of the body expression in the reliefs evokes an attentive threefold perspective: on the materiality, the images of the body and the modes of perception and contact with these objects in that period. The constant presence of body expressions in Neo-Assyrian texts also constitutes a way to treat body through language. Considering the complementarity between visual and written sources in the Neo-Assyrian period and the fact that body conceptions can be expressed in texts and images, what is the status and use of the body in this period? How does the body appear in the reliefs and palatial texts? What are the material aspects of the reliefs? How do body images and written body expressions indicate their conceptions?

[EN] BIM is the process of creating and managing information of a construction product in a three dimensional computer model that incorporates data of all its life cycle. The Member States of the European Union have been recommended to use the BIM methodology in public funded projects since April 2016 by the Directive 2014/24/EU. Particularly, the Spanish Government has approved in 2015 the transposition of this Directive where a Commission has been created, under the auspice of the Ministerio de Fomento, for the implementation of BIM methodology in Spain from 2018. This fact implies a transformation for the building sector which has important implications for those people responsible for higher education in Engineering and Architecture: the BIM competences of the new graduates have to be ensured because of the requirements of the Directive for future professionals. Universities, then, must meet that requirement because the responsibility of the design of the degrees in our country relies on them. Moreover, they have to do it efficiently in a context of the global crisis whose effects are specially affecting the building sector. In addition, a hostile environment is around: today's valuation of this methodology is still poor, although it will be soon become compulsory by the legal requirements. After analyzing the state of the art in the building sector, in the profession of building engineer, in the legal framework related to it, in similar experiences that have occurred in other countries and taking into account the basis of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), a strategy for the integration of BIM in the curriculum of the Degree in Building Engineering is proposed. / [ES] BIM es el proceso de creación y gestión de la información de un producto de la construcción en un modelo informático tridimensional que incorpora datos relativos a todo su ciclo de vida. La Directiva2014/24/UE sobre Contratación Pública de la Unión Europea recomienda a los estados miembros el uso de la metodología BIM en los proyectos financiados con fondos públicos a partir de abril de 2016. El Gobierno Español por su parte ha aprobado en 2015 la trasposición de la Directiva y además ha constituido la Comisión para la implantación de la metodología BIM en España a partir de 2018 liderada por el Ministerio de Fomento. La transformación que esto supone para el sector de la construcción tiene importantes implicaciones para los responsables de la educación superior en Ingeniería y Arquitectura: deben garantizar la salida de egresados con las competencias BIM que, a causa de la Directiva, van a ser requeridas a los futuros profesionales del sector. Las universidades, en las que recae la responsabilidad del diseño de los títulos en nuestro país, deben responder a ese requerimiento. Y lo deben hacer de forma eficiente en este contexto de crisis generalizada y cuyos efectos están sufriendo especialmente. Además, lo deben hacer en un entorno un tanto hostil: a día de hoy la apreciación por esta metodología es todavía baja a pesar de que en breve se va a imponer por ley. Tras el análisis del estado de la cuestión en cuanto al sector de la construcción, de la profesión de arquitecto técnico, del marco normativo que le afecta, de las experiencias similares que se han dado en otros países, y teniendo en cuenta los fundamentos del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior (EEES), se propone una estrategia para la integración de BIM en el Plan de Estudios del Grado en Ingeniería de Edificación. / [CAT] BIM és el procés de creació i gestió de la informació d'un producte de la construcció en un model informàtic tridimensional que incorpora dades relatives a tot el seu cicle de vida. La Directiva2014/24/UE sobre Contractació Pública de la Unió Europea recomana als estats membres l'ús de la metodologia BIM en els projectes finançats amb fons públics a partir d'abril de 2016. El Govern Español per la seua banda ha aprovat en 2015 la transposició de la Directiva i a més ha constituït la Comissió per a la implantació de la metodologia BIM a Espanya a partir de 2018 liderada pel Ministeri de Foment. La transformació que açò suposa per al sector de la construcció té importants implicacions per als responsables de l'educació superior en Enginyeria i Arquitectura: han de garantir l'eixida d'egressats amb les competències BIM que, a causa de la Directiva, van a ser requerides als futurs professionals del sector. Les universitats, en les quals recau la responsabilitat del disseny dels títols en el nostre país, han de respondre a aquell requeriment. I ho han de fer de forma eficient en aquest context de crisi generalitzada, els efectes de la qual estan patint especialment. A més, ho han de fer en un entorn una miqueta hostil: a dia de hui l'apreciació per aquesta metodologia és encara baixa a pesar que en breu es va a imposar per llei. Després de l'anàlisi de l'estat de la qüestió en quant al sector de la construcció, de la professió d'arquitecte tècnic, del marc normatiu que li afecta, de les experiències similars que s'han donat en altres països, i tenint en compte els fonaments de l'Espai Europeu d'Educació Superior (EEES), es proposa una estratègia per a la integració de BIM en el Pla d'Estudis del Grau en Enginyeria d'Edificació. / Oliver Faubel, I. (2016). Integración de la metodología BIM en la programación curricular de los estudios de Grado en Arquitectura Técnica/Ingeniería de Edificación. Diseño de una propuesta [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/61294 / TESIS

There is enough evidence on how climate change consequences will adversely affect Africa despite the fact that it is the continent that has least contributed to the problem. The international climate change regime recognises Africa's vulnerability to climate change and provides for special treatment under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (the UNFCCC). Thus, the international climate change regime presents an opportunity for African countries to adapt and mitigate the consequences of climate change through the UNFCCC mechanism. However, the international climate change legal regime has not been able to adequately assist African countries to address the consequences of climate change under the vulnerability principle. Although the current international climate change regime requires developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Africa needs to take steps itself to address the problem, because it is most vulnerable to the consequences of climate change. The African Union (AU) could play a great role in ensuring that the international climate change regime addresses the consequences of climate change in the region. This could be done through fostering strong African common positions during international climate change negotiations. A strong common position could strengthen African bargaining power and might result in more funding, capacity building and technology development and transfer for adaptation and mitigation programmes under the UNFCCC-Kyoto Conference of Parties. However, reaching a strong common position requires the cooperation of the AU member states. In this context, African regional integration is an opportunity for the AU to foster such cooperation among member states. The Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community (the Abuja Treaty), the Constitutive Act of the AU and the Protocol on the Relations between the AU and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) prioritise regional economic integration and call for states' cooperation, but the call has not yet been heeded. To realise deep and viable African integration, there must be a well-structured institutional and legal framework that defines the relationship between the AU, the AEC and the RECs. African regional integration is also seen as an avenue whereby the AU can create its own regional climate-change regime. In this regard, the AU's and RECs' normative framework on climate change is examined in order to assess whether it adequately integrates climate change issues. This study finds that although Africa is most vulnerable to the consequences of climate change, the AU's and RECs' normative framework on climate change is weak and inadequate to address the problem. The Framework should integrate climate change issues in order to achieve sustainable development. The AU should also ensure that member states ratify the relevant treaties and protocols (the Maputo Nature Convention and the Protocol establishing the African Court of Justice and Human Rights) that have not yet been ratified in order that they may become operational. The Maputo Nature Convention puts sustainable development in the forefront of attention as a reaction to the potentially conflicting environmental and developmental challenges facing the continent (such as climate change), but it is not yet in force. This work finds that human rights law can strengthen the AU's role in addressing climate change through its normative framework. The human rights approach to climate change under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (the Banjul Charter) is a viable avenue because human rights law forms the basis for states' responsibility based on human rights obligations and principles. The extraterritorial application of the Banjul Charter presents an avenue for AU institutions such as the Human Rights Commission and the African Human Rights Court to curb the effects of climate change through a human rights lens. The future of the AU is presented within the context of a set of recommendations that identify strong African regional integration as an avenue through which the AU can foster the cooperation of member states to address the consequences of climate change in the AU's and RECs' normative frameworks. General recommendations are made on the need for the international climate change regime to pay more attention to issues of funding, capacity building and technology development and transfer on the basis of the vulnerability principle and in relation to the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. Also, the AU needs to strengthen its legal and institutional structures to ensure deep African integration that is capable of addressing common challenges such as the consequences of climate change. / PhD (Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

There is enough evidence on how climate change consequences will adversely affect Africa despite the fact that it is the continent that has least contributed to the problem. The international climate change regime recognises Africa's vulnerability to climate change and provides for special treatment under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (the UNFCCC). Thus, the international climate change regime presents an opportunity for African countries to adapt and mitigate the consequences of climate change through the UNFCCC mechanism. However, the international climate change legal regime has not been able to adequately assist African countries to address the consequences of climate change under the vulnerability principle. Although the current international climate change regime requires developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, Africa needs to take steps itself to address the problem, because it is most vulnerable to the consequences of climate change. The African Union (AU) could play a great role in ensuring that the international climate change regime addresses the consequences of climate change in the region. This could be done through fostering strong African common positions during international climate change negotiations. A strong common position could strengthen African bargaining power and might result in more funding, capacity building and technology development and transfer for adaptation and mitigation programmes under the UNFCCC-Kyoto Conference of Parties. However, reaching a strong common position requires the cooperation of the AU member states. In this context, African regional integration is an opportunity for the AU to foster such cooperation among member states. The Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community (the Abuja Treaty), the Constitutive Act of the AU and the Protocol on the Relations between the AU and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) prioritise regional economic integration and call for states' cooperation, but the call has not yet been heeded. To realise deep and viable African integration, there must be a well-structured institutional and legal framework that defines the relationship between the AU, the AEC and the RECs. African regional integration is also seen as an avenue whereby the AU can create its own regional climate-change regime. In this regard, the AU's and RECs' normative framework on climate change is examined in order to assess whether it adequately integrates climate change issues. This study finds that although Africa is most vulnerable to the consequences of climate change, the AU's and RECs' normative framework on climate change is weak and inadequate to address the problem. The Framework should integrate climate change issues in order to achieve sustainable development. The AU should also ensure that member states ratify the relevant treaties and protocols (the Maputo Nature Convention and the Protocol establishing the African Court of Justice and Human Rights) that have not yet been ratified in order that they may become operational. The Maputo Nature Convention puts sustainable development in the forefront of attention as a reaction to the potentially conflicting environmental and developmental challenges facing the continent (such as climate change), but it is not yet in force. This work finds that human rights law can strengthen the AU's role in addressing climate change through its normative framework. The human rights approach to climate change under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (the Banjul Charter) is a viable avenue because human rights law forms the basis for states' responsibility based on human rights obligations and principles. The extraterritorial application of the Banjul Charter presents an avenue for AU institutions such as the Human Rights Commission and the African Human Rights Court to curb the effects of climate change through a human rights lens. The future of the AU is presented within the context of a set of recommendations that identify strong African regional integration as an avenue through which the AU can foster the cooperation of member states to address the consequences of climate change in the AU's and RECs' normative frameworks. General recommendations are made on the need for the international climate change regime to pay more attention to issues of funding, capacity building and technology development and transfer on the basis of the vulnerability principle and in relation to the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. Also, the AU needs to strengthen its legal and institutional structures to ensure deep African integration that is capable of addressing common challenges such as the consequences of climate change. / PhD (Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014