Effective measures tu build resilience in Africa to adapt to climate change
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Material Information

Title:
Effective measures tu build resilience in Africa to adapt to climate change
Series Title:
Briefing Notes
Creator:
United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)
Disaster Risk Reduction Program, Florida International University (DRR/FIU) ( summary contributor )
Place of Publication:
Geneva, Switzerland
Publisher:
United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)
Publication Date:
Copyright Date:
2011
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Risk management ( lcshac )
Climate change ( lcshac )
Natural hazards and disasters ( lcshac )
Genre:
non-fiction ( marcgt )
Spatial Coverage:
Africa

Notes

Summary:
This briefing note is a discussion of measures focused on building resilience in Africa to climate change. The note provides practical and objective guidance on policy issues related to disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA). As nations with high vulnerabilities to natural hazards, African countries have been experimenting with various approaches to offset the impact of natural hazards on their economies. These include contingency funds, emerging risk transfer schemes, as well as investments to address disaster risks in their national and local public planning and budgeting. Despite this fact, the importance of efforts to address the risk of future natural hazards remains insufficiently recognized in discussions on CCA. So, this note seeks to address this gap by building on the information provided by the Hyogo Framework Monitor, the Global Assessment Report, and country case studies. The continent’s heavy dependence on agriculture and corresponding high mortality-related vulnerability indicators for drought, are presented as clear evidence of the impact and interconnectedness between climate change and natural hazards. The note highlights recent activities throughout the continent, such as the Ministerial Conferences at regional level, that show that countries are committed to reducing disaster risk. According to the document, most countries across Africa reported allocating funds to disaster management institutions, with a smaller number investing in the planning and development sectors. The report continues with a discussion of practical actions that are demonstrating results throughout the continent, such as crop insurance for drought in Ethiopia, where farmers pay for insurance with labor, protection schemes for vulnerable households in Uganda that involve the provision of timely employment opportunities along with food/cash transfers, and ‘early warning early action’ measure for drought resilience. The final section displays how investment in DRR throughout Africa pays-off by presenting projects that have had high benefit to cost ratios. The report views the role of governments and donors as one of facilitating the integration of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation concerns into relevant public, private, and household decisions, based on the principles of cost-effectiveness and acceptable levels of risk to human life. It further emphasizes the importance of understanding what constitutes an effective development investment, particularly in relation to reducing risks to natural hazards. This is critical to decision-making regarding funding for climate change adaptation activities. ( English )
Subject:
Climate Change and Resilience ( English )
Citation/Reference:
(2011). Effective measures to build resilience in Africa to adapt to climate change. United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR).

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
Refer to main document/publisher for use rights.
Resource Identifier:
FI13022792

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Aggregations:
Disaster Risk Reduction