The raison d'etre of this paper is to communicate some of the key issues discussed at the climate COP/MOP in Nairobi, which took place from 6-17 November 2006. The paper has been written as an aide memoire for scholars and policy makers, as an independent reference source of the 'African COP/MOP', in order to inform policy, as well as flagging some key issues of relevance for future research agendas. The paper does not attempt to provide a comprehensive account of all the issues discussed in Nairobi. Rather, the authors have focused on some of the more strategic discussion points, in particular those considered to have a particular bearing on a future climate regime in the post 2012 world. The significance of the Nairobi conference is mainly in terms of the focus on adaptation and its contribution to long-term global institutional co-operation to respond to the threat of climate change. Pressing issues for future international climate governance efforts include the need for better integration between climate change and sustainable development, the need for attention to equity and justice issues and how best to build trust among the various actors in the search for win-win scenarios.