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Strengthening early warning systems and transboundary risk management in Africa

Natural disasters such as floods and droughts are widespread in the African continent, compounding existing vulnerabilities and humanitarian needs. Given the intrinsic cross-border nature of climate risks, there is the need to establish common mechanisms for multi-hazard early warning and early action. Under the coordination of UNDRR and thanks to funding from the Italian Development Cooperation, this programme aimed to strengthen regional and national capacities to collect and analyse data on disaster risks.

C4P_Strengthening early warning Africa

The project resulted in the establishment of several “Situation Rooms” where relevant data can be rapidly collected, processed and exchanged – including at the African Union Commission headquarters in Addis Abeba; the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) near Nairobi; the African Centre for Applications of Meteorology to Development (ACMAD) in Niamey. The selected institutions benefitted from the technical expertise of the Italian Civil Protection and the International Center for Environmental Monitoring Foundation, including – but not limited to – the use of open source data platforms. By contributing to the effective sharing of relevant data for disaster risk reduction, this initiative is a promising step towards strengthening climate-resilience and adaptation of African countries. The collaboration between the Italian Development Cooperation and UNDRR continues to date, focusing on training professionals and policy advisors on DRR data in order to develop joint policies for cross-border risk management.

 

Contact person and email:

dgcs.umanitario@esteri.it 

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Supported by Italy

Type: Practice, Process

Relevant action areas: 3. Climate security risk-informed resilience and adaptation, 5. Knowledge and experience sharing

Location of project: Africa (continent-wide)

Duration: 2020 - 2022

Partners: UNDRR (coordination role), AUC, IGAD, ACMAD, Italian Civil Protection, International Center for Environmental Monitoring (CIMA) Foundation

Key activities: common mechanisms for multi-hazard early warning and early action mechanisms, transboundary risk management, data sharing for disaster risk reduction