News

79 Items

Title	Date	Type
Uncertain rainy season for Horn of Africa The March to May rainfall season in the Greater Horn of Africa is likely to result in "near normal to below normal rainfall" over much of the region, according to a statement today from the 30th Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum (GHACOF30).	29 Feb 2012	News briefs
Writeshops successfully mentor young researchers Yuwan Malakar has good reason to be focused and driven these days. The 30-year old environmental management major from Nepal has just had his first paper on climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) published in one of the highly respected online journals of the Policy Studies Organization.	19 Apr 2012	News briefs
UNISDR champion applauds African Union for decision on disaster insurance UNISDR Parliamentary Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction, Abdou Sané, Member of Parliament from Senegal, recently welcomed the African Union's decision to establish an African Risk Capacity Secretariat - a specialized agency of the African Union which will help elaborate a legal agreement on a pooled risk insurance facility for droughts, floods, earthquakes and cyclones.	6 Aug 2012	News briefs
14th session of the Africa Ministerial Conference on Environment - Statement by Margareta Wahlström Disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation are central elements of sustainable development. They share common root causes and goals: reduction of the vulnerability and exposure of communities and nations. Recognizing and building linkages between them is effective and efficient development.	16 Sep 2012	Statements & speeches
Africa must prioritize risk reduction The top UN disaster risk reduction official on Friday urged African governments to acknowledge risk reduction as the first line of defense against the impacts of climate change.	17 Sep 2012	News briefs
2nd session of the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET) - Statement by Margareta Wahlström First of all let me convey my gratitude to the Government of Zimbabwe for hosting this conference and to the organisers for their work. This event is an important step towards linking climate services to the needs of end users, mainly development actors, disaster risk managers and communities, in order to anticipate disasters and future changing climate. Climate science shall provide evidence and help inform decision makers to adapt to the expected changes and reduce related risks.	15 Oct 2012	Statements & speeches
Forum on conflict and fragility opens in Liberia The global burden of disasters and armed violence which affect over 200 million people and result in over 500,000 deaths each year will be the focus of a forum on conflict and fragility which opens in Liberia tomorrow.	28 Nov 2012	Press release
UNISDR report finds African towns struggling with disaster management A new report published today by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNISDR, lays bare the huge challenges faced by medium-sized African towns struggling to cope with the rising tide of disaster events, rural-urban migration and ecosystem destruction without early warning systems or budgets to reduce risk.	5 Dec 2012	Press release
Africa to address Post-2015 disaster resilience agenda Governments from over 50 countries in Africa will meet in Arusha, Tanzania from 13-15 February for the Fourth Africa Regional Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction (ARP) to address the challenges of building a disaster resilient society.	24 Jan 2013	News briefs
East African backing for Hyogo Framework The East African Community (EAC) today announced that it is renewing its commitment to implement the global disaster risk reduction framework, the Hyogo Framework for Action, and that it had agreed last week on a new plan.	11 Feb 2013	News briefs
Reporting why disasters happen in Africa For the last three weeks, the Maputo-based weekly newspaper "Domingo" has featured the Mozambique floods on its front page. Domingo editor, Jorge Ernesto Rungo, was today able to give journalists from across Africa an insight into the challenges of covering one of the largest disasters to hit the country since the floods of 2000 when he spoke at the latest media training organized by UNISDR with the support of ECHO.	12 Feb 2013	News briefs
Africa seeks united position on disaster risk reduction Representatives of 40 African States are gathering today for the 4th Africa Regional Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction to discuss Africa's position on a new global framework for disaster risk reduction amidst continuing concern over the ravages of climate change, drought, floods, heat-waves, wildfires and other natural hazards.	13 Feb 2013	Press release
HFA: “We have early warning, now we need early action” It’s not instantly recognised, in Africa or anywhere else. But there was standing room only today for an intensive round-table discussion hosted by UNISDR, to tease out what this policy instrument has done for Africa over the last seven years and what direction should its successor take two years from now.	13 Feb 2013	News briefs
Climate change causes community conflict says Minister Speaking at the opening of the 4th Africa Regional Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction, the Tanzanian Minister for the Environment, Dr. Terezya Huvisa Luoga, expressed her fears that climate change could cause community conflict in her country.	13 Feb 2013	News briefs
UNISDR private sector initiative launched in Africa A private sector initiative for Africa was launched today by UNISDR Chief, Margareta Wahlström, at the 4th Africa Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.	14 Feb 2013	News briefs
Disaster databases essential to reducing risk in Africa Ethiopia is on course to build Africa's most comprehensive risk profile database by 2015 and today urged other countries on the continent to follow its example.	14 Feb 2013	News briefs
Disaster risk is transforming African cities Risks that have historically played out in rural areas like drought, floods and wildfires "are being transferred and transformed and expressed differently across Africa's fast growing cities and towns," said Dr. Ailsa Holloway in her keynote address to the 4th Africa Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction today.	15 Feb 2013	News briefs
Africa stakes out its position on HFA and the post-2015 development agenda The 4th Africa Regional Platform concluded today with a detailed set of commitments and recommendations on the complex challenges Africa faces due to surging economic growth, rapid urbanization, climate change and a wide range of natural hazards.	15 Feb 2013	Press release
Green growth vital for reducing disaster risk Africa's infrastructure is under pressure from increasing disasters but the infrastructure deficit is an opportunity for the continent to take a global lead on sustainable development and to leap-frog environmentally unfriendly technologies, said Mrs. Rhoda Peace, the Africa Union Commissioner for rural economy and agriculture, at a seminar marking the 11th African Day for the Environment hosted by the Tunisian government.	4 Mar 2013	News briefs

UNISDR Africa

United Nations Complex
Block N
Level 2
Gigiri
PO Box 47074-00100
00100
Nairobi, Kenya

Phone: +254 207626719
Fax: +254 207624726
isdr-africa@unep.org
www.unisdr.org/africa