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News
57 Items
| Title | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
Durban decision imminent on Green Climate FundTen years after the first Funds were established to support adaptation activities in developing countries, the world, and Africa in particular, is waiting to see if a deal can be brokered this weekend at the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban which would amount to a quantum leap in the finance available to reduce disaster risk in countries bearing the brunt of climate change. |
9 Dec 2011 | News briefs |
No climate fund, No poverty reduction?The President of the African Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka, told a major forum at the COP17 talks in Durban yesterday that ”failing to fund climate change is failing to fund poverty reduction.” |
8 Dec 2011 | News briefs |
Mexico City brings some good news to COP17While good news remains in short supply from the main climate change talks here in Durban, there is a growing sense that local government is taking the lead on mitigation and adaptation without waiting for their central governments to direct their efforts. |
8 Dec 2011 | News briefs |
Turn the science into action on climate change says UNISDR ChiefUNISDR Chief, Margareta Wahlström, told an exclusive gathering of 35 eminent scientists and politicians from around the world at the COP 17 in Durban that "there is a huge need to translate the best science on climate change into practical action." |
7 Dec 2011 | News briefs |
Risk reduction must be priority in COP17 talks says IPUParliamentarians from around the world gathered in Durban, South Africa, yesterday to press for progress in the COP17 climate change negotiations and called on the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) "to prioritize disaster risk reduction and capacity building as cross-cutting issues and to give them the utmost attention." |
6 Dec 2011 | News briefs |
Adaptation Charter – good start to the weekThe Durban Climate Change Adaptation Charter for Local Government adopted yesterday was hailed by UNISDR Chief, Margareta Wahlstrom, as "the best possible start to a critical week in the life of this planet when we so urgently need real leadership on mitigation and adaptation." |
5 Dec 2011 | News briefs |
UNISDR welcomes local government focus on climate adaptationThe Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, today welcomed the Durban Climate Change Adaptation Charter for Local Government agreed yesterday by Mayors from around the world as "the best possible start to a critical week in the life of this planet when we so urgently need real leadership on mitigation and adaptation. |
5 Dec 2011 | Press release |
DRR and climate change adaptation key to reducing extreme weather eventsLinking disaster risk and climate change is key to reducing the impacts of extreme weather events that have increasingly been on the rise, according to a high level debate today at the Climate Change talks in COP-17 in Durban. The discussions were part of a UNISDR side-event showcasing experiences on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction (DRR). |
3 Dec 2011 | News briefs |
Invest today for a safer tomorrow says President ZumaSouth African President, Jacob Zuma, borrowed the UNISDR slogan "invest today for a safer tomorrow" when he spoke today at the opening of the Durban Local Government Convention which aims to develop an Adaptation Charter this weekend which will feed into the high-level segment of the UNFCCC-COP17 climate change negotiations. |
2 Dec 2011 | News briefs |
ICLEI takes the lead on climate changeLocal Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) is the driving force behind a major effort to have the voices of cities and local governments heard at the UNFCC-COP17 climate negotiations in Durban. |
2 Dec 2011 | News briefs |
IPCC puts risk reduction at centre of climate debateThe Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has put disaster risk reduction at the centre of the climate change debate with the weekend publication of its Summary for Policymakers of the Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (IPCC SREX). |
21 Nov 2011 | News briefs |
IPCC negotiates in climate challenged UgandaSporadic light rain fell this morning on the vastness of Uganda’s Lake Victoria as Alex Bakunda MP, chairman of the Ugandan Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, chatted with local fisherman, Babalanda Yusuf, about the difficulty of making a living from fishing in Africa’s largest body of fresh water. |
17 Nov 2011 | News briefs |
Southern Africa launches Disaster Risk Reduction PlatformWhen unexpectedly heavy floods displaced more than a million people in southern Africa in 2007, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) began to meet annually to prepare for future occurrences, culminating in the creation of the SADC Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction this month. |
31 Oct 2011 | News briefs |
Cape Town: What it takes to be a role model cityOn 12 October, following the launch of its Disaster Risk Management Centre (DRMC), Cape Town joined 14 other cities around the world who have been awarded ‘Role Model City’ status by UNISDR, the UN office for disaster risk reduction. |
19 Oct 2011 | News briefs |
Children's Charter for DRR: South Africa budgets for safe schoolsSouth Africa’s Western Cape Provincial Government announced this week that it was increasing the budget allocation for safe schools from Rand 19 million to Rand 21 million and is taking steps to incorporate disaster risk reduction into the school curriculum. |
14 Oct 2011 | News briefs |
West Africa Mayors look to Durban for climate change breakthroughIn a further sign that Africa is mobilizing for its voice to be heard at the COP17 negotiations in Durban, the Mayors of major cities and chairmen of local governments across West Africa met this week in Lagos, Nigeria, to endorse and sign the African Mayors Climate Change Declaration. |
23 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
African States seek a common position for DurbanLast Friday over 50 African Ministers of the Environment attending the Fourth Special Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) adopted a declaration endorsing an ‘African Common Position’ as the basis for negotiations by African States at the next round of UN Climate Change negotiations (COP17) to be held in Durban, South Africa starting 17 November. |
19 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
Climate Green Fund Dominates Bamako Discussions - The Road to DurbanThe Cancun-agreed Green Climate Fund which aims to provide US$100 billion per annum by 2020 to assist developing countries in financing adaptation, was a hot topic for discussion at today’s Fourth Special Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN). |
15 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
African ministerial conference wrestles with key environmental issues ahead of RIO+20It is almost 20 years since the historic United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, alerted Governments and citizens to critical human development issues and made specific demands of countries. Among the issues fuelling the discourse then, was the global sounding off on the depletion of world’s irreplaceable environmental resources. |
14 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
African Heads of State call for reform of emergency response and 'long-term solutions' to Horn of Africa crisisAt a time when over one billion dollars has been mobilized to provide humanitarian aid to 13 million people in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa, leaders have issued a strong call to “reform the system of emergency humanitarian response in the region, aiming to enhance resilience and promote long-term solutions.” |
13 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
Uganda Environment Minister launches special session on DRR during 29th Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook ForumThe Minister of State for Environment, Hon. Flavia Munaaba, launched a special joint session on disaster risk reduction during the Twenty-Ninth Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum (GHACOF29). The aim of the special session is to move towards a “paradigm” shift when addressing climate change and risks for sustainable development in the Region. |
2 Sep 2011 | Press release |
Bridging the gap between climate scientists and disaster risk reduction experts, during Fifteenth Southern Africa Region Climate Outlook ForumThe Southern Africa Development Community Disaster Risk Reduction Unit, GFDRR and UNISDR are conducting a disaster risk reduction stakeholders training workshop from 27-28 August 2011. |
27 Aug 2011 | News briefs |
Gabon’s National Platform holds inaugural workshop, solutions for future disasters must go beyond humanitarian responseA three-day workshop took place in Libreville from 25-27 July to officially launch the activities of Gabon’s National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. There was a clear vision from the participants of the workshop that humanitarian response could not solve the problem of disasters. |
2 Aug 2011 | News briefs |
East African countries join 'Making cities resilient' campaign - AU calls for integration of disaster risk reduction into national planningThe rallying call of the UNISDR led ‘Making cities resilient campaign’ to city authorities to build resilient, sustainable urban communities to reduce disaster risks, has just added the East African cities of Bujumbura in Burundi, as well Arusha and Moshi in the Republic of Tanzania to its ever expanding list... |
14 Jul 2011 | Press release |
East Africa Region to Tackle Disaster Risk Reduction, Common Strategy, Solutions to Address Urban Sustainability SoughtThe Africa Union Commission will hold a regional workshop for the East Africa region to accelerate action in the implementation of the Africa Regional Strategy on disaster risk reduction and its Programme of Action to reduce the vulnerabilities of EAC Member States to natural hazards. |
12 Jul 2011 | Press release |
Africa urged to speak ‘as one’ to tackle disasters and climate change, as Assembly of the African Union comes to a close in MalaboAs the 17th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union wrapped up in Malabo, Guinea, talks of a common voice on sustainable development have continued to dominate agendas in Africa ahead of the United Nations climate talks to be held in Durban in December. The need to address the issue of disasters and climate change continues to at the fore of various platforms of implementing the extended Africa Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction. |
30 Jun 2011 | News briefs |
Four African cities commit to urban resilienceFour cities - Addis Ababa, Kampala, Narok and Yaoundé - joined the Making Cities Resilience campaign after their mayors took part in a debate on city resilience on Tuesday, 29 March, moderated by top Kenyan journalist Yvonne Okwara. Panellists pointed to poor planning, corruption, and “negative attitudes” as elements that could erode city resilience. |
4 Apr 2011 | News briefs |
African Working Group agrees to implement the Strategy for disaster risk reductionThe inaugural meeting of the reconstituted African Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction (AWGDRR) ended on Thursday, 31 March, with delegates agreeing to accelerate the implementation of the extended programme of action for the implementation of the Africa Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (2006-2015), in line with the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA).The meeting took place after the Executive Council of the African Union had endorsed the Report of the Second African Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in April 2010, where it also endorsed the extended programme of action. |
31 Mar 2011 | News briefs |
Inaugural meeting of high-level working group to discuss the way forward for reducing disaster risk in AfricaSeveral high-level African delegates will attend the inaugural meeting of the Reconstituted African Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction in Nairobi, Kenya from 29 - 31 March 2011. The meeting follows the endorsement of the Report of the Second African Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction by the Executive Council of the African Union. This inaugural meeting will agree on the Terms of Reference of the Group as well as the Africa position paper to be presented during the Third Session of the Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction in May 2011. |
24 Mar 2011 | News briefs |
Local governments in Africa meet to find ways to tackle climate adaptation and urban resilienceGoing on now in Africa, the Congress dubbed on Local Climate Solutions for Africa 2011 kicked off on Monday a gathering of high-level speakers to discuss urban sustainability. The congress is coordinated by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, the city of Cape Town, and UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) among other partners. The five day congress will focus, among other things, on local action for climate adaptation and resilience in the context of Africa’s cities. The Congress will serve as preparation for Africa’s local and sub-national authorities and their partners for participation in the South African-hosted climate change summit, 2012. |
2 Mar 2011 | News briefs |
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Report of the second ministerial conference on disaster risk reduction
This report includes the extended Programme of Action for the implementation of the Africa Regional Strategy for disaster ...
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