Disaster

Addressing​ ​the​ ​Climate​ ​Change-Migration​ ​Nexus​ ​and​ ​its Implications​ ​for​ ​Peace​ ​and​ ​Security​ ​in​ ​Africa

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In observance of Africa Week 2017, the African Union Permanent Observer Mission introduced the issue of climate change and its implications on migration, peace, and stability in Africa, seemingly in an effort to garner international support/funding.

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Credit: OSAA /Africa Week 2017 (  )

The Moderator Mba stated that despite Africa’s minimal contribution to the issue of climate change, the continent remains extremely vulnerable to the environmental effects it causes. He claimed that these effects, such as desertification, flooding, and other natural disasters, threaten food stability and lead to forced migration, violent conflicts, and an increased presence of extremism in African nations. For this reason, he urged that climate change and Africa’s instability be seen as linked issues.

Many speakers cited the desertification and subsequent rise in migration and extremism in the Lake Chad region as an example of this climate change-migration nexus. Mr. Jason Lamin, a representative of the private sector, suggested that Africa’s weak infrastructure exacerbates the issue, and that investment in Africa would greatly improve the situation. Ms. Vera Songwe’s remarks echoed those of Mr. Lamin, claiming that while Africa has the resources to be a sound investment for the world, political advocacy must be done to secure these investments.

Others, such as Ms. Carla Mucavi, favored a home-grown solution, suggesting an inclusive rural transformation that would create jobs, strengthen food security, and reduce rural poverty. In light of the focus on migration, Mr. Ashraf El Nour noted that migration has been historically positive for Africa, but that the forced nature of the migration caused by climate change is what leads to regional conflicts. All speakers seemed to agree on the urgency of this issue, and the responsibility of organizations such as the UN to come up with a sustainable solution.

Meeting:​ ​​High-level​ ​event​ ​on​ ​—​ ​​“Addressing​ ​the​ ​Climate​ ​Change-Migration​ ​Nexus​ ​and​ ​its Implications​ ​for​ ​Peace​ ​and​ ​Security​ ​in​ ​Africa”

Date/Location:​ ​​Thursday,​ ​October​ ​19,​ ​2017;​ ​10:00-13:00;​ ​Economic​ ​and​ ​Social​ ​Council Chamber,​ ​United​ ​Nations​ ​Headquarters,​ ​New​ ​York,​ ​NY

Speakers:

  • H.E.​ ​Mr.​ ​Anatolio​ ​Ndong​ ​Mba,​ ​Moderator,​ ​Permanent​ ​Representative​ ​of​ ​Equatorial​ ​Guinea​ ​to the​ ​United​ ​States;
  • H.E.​ ​Ms.​ ​Liberata​ ​Mulamula,​ ​Visiting​ ​Scholar​ ​and​ ​Acting​ ​Director​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Institute​ ​for​ ​African Studies​ ​at​ ​the​ ​George​ ​Washington​ ​University
  • H.E.​ ​Prof.​ ​Victor​ ​Harison,​ ​Commissioner​ ​for​ ​Economic​ ​Affairs,​ ​African​ ​Union​ ​Commission H.E.​ ​Prof.​ ​Fatma​ ​Zohra​ ​Karadja,​ ​Member,​ ​African​ ​Peer​ ​Review​ ​Panel​ ​of​ ​Eminent​ ​Persons
  • Mr.​ ​Achim​ ​Steiner,​ ​Administrator,​ ​United​ ​Nations​ ​Development​ ​Programme
  • Mr.​ ​Ashraf​ ​El​ ​Nour,​ ​New​ ​York​ ​Liaison​ ​Office​ ​Director,​ ​Food​ ​and​ ​Agriculture​ ​Organization​ ​for Migration
  • Ms.​ ​Carla​ ​Mucavi,​ ​New​ ​York​ ​Liaison​ ​Office​ ​Director,​ ​Food​ ​and​ ​Agriculture​ ​Organization​ ​of​ ​the United​ ​Nations
  • Mr.​ ​Jason​ ​Lamin,​ ​Founder​ ​and​ ​Chief​ ​Executive​ ​Officer,​ ​Lenox​ ​Park​ ​Solutions
  • Mr.​ ​Jamil​ ​Ahmad,​ ​New​ ​York​ ​Liaison​ ​Office​ ​Deputy​ ​Director,​ ​United​ ​Nations​ ​Environment Programme
  • Ms.​ ​Vera​ ​Songwe,​ ​Executive​ ​Secretary,​ ​United​ ​Nations​ ​Economic​ ​Commission​ ​for​ ​Africa

Written​ ​By:​ ​​WIT​ ​Representative​ ​Andrea Estrella

Water on Fire: Sustaining and Sharing What’s Left

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The meeting convened with the chair, Ms. Uwizera, observing that ⅕ of the world lives in absolute water scarcity today.

Ms. Bartoleme, filling in for Mr. Gass, noted that the expanding overall demand for water in the next decades will affect social and economic conditions in all countries, especially increasing the chance of conflict in water-scarce countries. The world needs a paradigm shift in how we manage water. We must move away from current crisis management methods to more preventive measures.

Mr. Garrote agreed that water crisis is a definite policy priority, among the top 3 risks for global impact for the past three years. Sustainable water use has economic, environmental, and social dimensions. Integrated water resources management requires focusing on our instruments, infrastructure, water sharing, financing, and governance. We need to proactively move from supply to demand management, and from crisis to risk management. We need to understand the social challenges needed to effectively combat drought. Also of utmost importance is investing in capacity building and sharing knowledge and information among all countries.

Ms. Mucavi said that the issue of water cuts across all of the Sustainable Development Goals. By 2025 ⅔ of the global population could be living in water stressed conditions.

Ms. Maestu stated that water equality among the world’s population is important when considering water scarcity.

Mr. Khairy noted that though Egypt possesses a water efficiency rate of 75%, one of the highest in the world, there is still a net deficit of 20 billion cubic meters of water per year, the majority of which goes to the agricultural sector.

Mr. Dolcemascolo had four priorities for action: understanding risk, strengthening governance for risk reduction, investing in resilience, and strengthening preparedness for effective response. Regional cooperation is paramount.

Meeting: Panel Discussion on “Challenges and initiatives for the implementation of the water-related sustainable development goals in water-scarce countries: learning from Mediterranean and Latin American countries”

Date/Location: 11/6/15, 10:00 – 13:00, Conference Room 2

Speakers: Ms. Chantal Uwizera (Rwanda), Rapporteur of the Second Committee; Representative filling in for Mr. Thomas Gass, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs; His Excellency Sherif Eissa, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Nile Basin Affairs, Egypt; Mr. Luis Garrote, Professor, Polytechnic University of Madrid; Ms. Carla Mucavi, Director, Food and Agricultural Organization Liaison Office with the United Nations, New York; Ms. Josefina Maestu, Director, United Nations Office to Support the International Decade for Action “Water for Life” 2005-2015; Mr. Wael Khairy, Deputy President of Nile Water Sector, Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Egypt; Mr. Ney Maranhão, Director, National Water Agency, Brazil; Mr. Dunixi Gabiña, Deputy Director, IAMZ-CIHEAM Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza; Mr. John Qu, Director, Global Environment and Natural Resources Institute, George Mason University; Mr. Melchiade Bukuru, Chief, Liaison Office of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, New York; Mr. Jamal Shah, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Specialist on Emergencies, United Nations Children’s Fund; Mr. Glenn Dolcemascolo, Climate Change Coordinator, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction

Written By: WIT Representative Alex Margolick

Photo Credit: JB in Pacifica

Prevention Is Better Than A Cure: Making Global Crises Less Risky

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Hands Holding a Small Globe --- Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis

The meeting opened by asking what lessons have been learned and what actions can be taken regarding successful crisis mitigation.

Ms. Kaffa-Jackou spoke about her country Niger, which is a landlocked and least-developed country where 75% of it is desert. This leaves a region that is subject to recurring droughts, growing terrorist activity, and epidemics. One successful program started in Niger is the 3N initiative which not only bolsters early warning mechanisms towards climate change and food insecurity, but also establishes dedicated productive agriculture among farmers to later distribute to other Nigerians in need. This involves also teaching farmers in most affected areas of desertification to improve the quality of soil and prevent disease. They have also started to use drip crops using irrigation systems.

Mr. Waglé focused on the systemic problems. For example, in Nepal, six months after the earthquake, not one dollar of contributed aid had been applied towards recovery. An effective risk management system at the national and global levels needs to be established, along with the balance between preparation and coping. The distinction between development aid and restoration aid should be more blurred, as many restoration projects will take years, and thus become part of the country’s development.

Mr. Anthony gave a presentation about CCRIF’s successful crisis mitigation model for the Caribbean, which has been copied in other areas of the world. It has provided parametric insurance for Caribbean governments which has been able to consistently make payment of financial liquidity within 14 days after a catastrophe. It would be terrific to have one ultra-viable organization that has been renamed to pool risk across the world.

The speakers from the LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDs expounded on the many dangers their countries are facing. Mr. Sareer said one “cannot think of disaster reduction separately from climate change.”

Meeting: Panel discussion on “A crisis mitigation and resilience building mechanism for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States”

Date/Location: Friday, October 29, 2015; 10:00-13:00, Conference Room 2

Speakers: Chaired by Ms. Chantal Uwizera (Rwanda), Rapporteur of the Second Committee Moderator; Mr. Gyan Chandra Acharya, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States; Her Excellency Rakiatou Christelle Kaffa-Jackou, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, African Integration and Nigerian Abroad, Republic of Niger; Mr. Swarnim Waglé, former Member of the National Planning Commission, Nepal; Mr. Isaac Anthony, Chief Executive Officer, Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF); His Excellency Abulkalam Abdul Momen (Bangladesh), Chair of the Group of Least Developed Countries; Her Excellency Mwaba Patricia Kasese-Bota (Zambia), Chair of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries; His Excellency Ahmed Sareer (Maldives), Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States

Written by: WIT Representative Alex Margolick

Photo Credit: http://laurazera.com/speaking/

Official Launch of the 2015 Global Assessment Report (GAR) on Disaster Risk Reduction

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savethedateMr. Meza-Cuadra opened the meeting by saying that sustainable development will not be sustainable without risk reduction. The Secretary-General proclaimed that sustainability starts on March 14th in Sendai, Japan, during the 3rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. The increased number of natural disasters has cost the world roughly $3 billion each year. The poorest countries are hit hardest when disasters strike, and 90% of fatalities come from low- and middle-income countries. Mr. Maskrey described how the world is reaching a breaking point as 1.5 planets are needed to sustain the current consumptions of water resources and carbon output. Mr. Sareer spoke about how Maldives was ready to transition into a middle-income country; however, it took 10 years to rebuild what the 2004 tsunami destroyed. Food security, water sources, ecosystems, and economies are all at stake with climate change.

Mr. Nkwain mainly spoke about the vulnerability of developing countries. He also mentioned that the information that we have about risk prevention needs to be effectively utilized for it to be useful. Mr. Binger spoke about the Caribbean countries and stated that SIDS have very limited areas of development due to restrictions on land. Developmental assistance needs to focus more on SIDS, as they are the most vulnerable due to their small area and isolated nature. The final speaker was Mr. Mayer, whose main point centered around the need for the world to move towards a culture of disaster prevention. Disaster warning systems need to be relied upon more in order to prevent casualties and infrastructure damage. He finished the speech by stating that it is up to everyone in the room to help implement disaster risk reduction in the future.

Meeting: Official launch of the 2015 Global Assessment Report (GAR) on Disaster Risk Reduction (by the Secretary-General of the United Nations) (organized by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR))
Date & Location: Wednesday, 4 Februrary 2015, Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium, United Nations Headquarters, New York
Speakers: Gustavo Meza-Cuadra, Permanent Representative of Peru to the UN; Ban Ki-Moon, United Nations Secretary-General; Andrew Maskrey, Coordinator of the United Nations Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk. Reduction (GAR); Ahmed Sareer, Permanent Representative of Maldives to the UN; Margaret Wahlstrom, Special Representative of the Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction; Stan Nkwain, United Nations Development Programme; Albert Binger,  Energy Science Advisor at Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre; Thomas Mayr-Harting, EU Head of Delegation to the United Nations
Written by WIT Representatives: Paige Stokols and Brian Lee
Edited by WIT Representative: Philip Bracey

Environment and Humanitarian Action: Increasing Effectiveness, Sustainability, and Accountability

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Today an event was held which highlighted how environmental sustainability is an integral part in humanitarian aid effectiveness. The panelists in this meeting discussed the findings from a report entitled “Environment and Humanitarian Action: Increasing Effectiveness, Sustainability, and Accountability.”

The first speaker, Ms. Gebremedhin, the Director of Humanitarian Assistance and Foreign Affairs of Finland, began by addressing various environmental issues that need to be taken into account during humanitarian action, in order for it to reach its full potential. For example, management of solid wastes and hazardous materials and safeguarding natural resources are essential, and the reduction of deforestation, desertification, and pollution is necessary for sustained livelihoods in the aftermath of a disaster. Furthermore, efficient leadership and accountability are needed in humanitarian situations, and addressing environmental concerns is a shared responsibility between donors and humanitarian organisations.

Following, Mr. Khalikov, Director of OCHA Geneva, stated the effectiveness of humanitarian aid is dependent on environmental conditions. He cited floods and draughts as main environmental threats that can complicate an already existing humanitarian crisis, like a famine or armed conflict.

Ms. Anita van Breda from WWF USA spoke about combining climate change adaptation strategies with disaster risk reduction. She highlighted the Green Recovery Program – a partnership between WWF and the American Red Cross –, which works to sustain livelihoods, provide adequate water, sanitation, and shelter, and deals with disaster management. Her three key recommendations to take the environment into consideration when taking humanitarian action included: updating academic training and professional development, learning to manage change and developing new ways of learning, and ensuring that staff and volunteers have the necessary discipline, skills, and aptitude.

Concluding the meeting Ms. Costa, the Executive Director of the Women’s Refugee Commission spoke about the threat faced by women and girls when they have to leave their refugee camps to collect firewood for cooking and heating. Many have to travel 5 or 6 hours a day to collect enough wood to cook just one meal, and on the journey are raped, beaten, or killed. Ms. Costa emphasised the importance of shifting communities away from dependence on wood fuel and towards more environmentally friendly and sustainable options in order to decrease the threat of this gender based violence and to reduce deforestation and resource overconsumption.

Meeting Title: Environment and Humanitarian Action: Increasing Effectiveness, Sustainability, and Accountability
Speakers: Ms. Anna Gebremedhin, Director of Humanitarian Assistance and Foreign Affairs of Finland; Mr. Rashid Khalikov, Director of the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Geneva; MS. Anita van Breda, Director of Humanitarian Partnerships, WWF USA; Ms. Sarah Costa, Executive Director of Women’s Refugee Commission
Location: Conference Room 5 NLB, United Nations HQ, New York
Date: 23 June 2014
Written by WIT Representative: Marli Kasdan
Edited by WIT Representative: Sophia Griffiths-Mark 

Sustainable Development and Community Resilience

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United Nations, New York Headquarters, 9 January 2014

Mr. Marcus Oxley opened the discussion on sustainable community resilience by asking member states and the United Nations body to help strengthen community resilience against the negative impacts of soil erosion and land degradation. He further explained the results of shock and stress on the earth having a negative impact on climate change. Mismanaged urbanization and resource management have left the poorest and most vulnerable people in a devastating position. Ms. Margaret Barahaihi opened her statements by advocating for small-scale disaster management. She elucidates that vulnerable people, who have no access to basic needs, tend to suffer more during small scale disasters. She suggested long term programs and flexibility, while still taking into account the environmental uncertainty. She also suggested that women and children be at the center of decision-making. Dr. Barahaihi closed her statements by saying, “Central government involvement is critical to improvement.”

Ms. Diah Saminarsh was keen to align her statements with Ms. Barahaihi on the issues of small-scale disasters in poor countries. She suggested that poverty and inequality push people to take shelter in places that are risky, for example: hillsides, marginal lands, and floodplains. She explained that even though developed countries have more to lose financially during natural disasters, the disasters take a deeper toll in developing countries. For example, the 2011 earthquake in Japan was the most expensive natural disaster in history. It cost Japan $200 billion dollars which equals to 3% of Japan’s GDP; while the earthquake in Haiti has been estimated to cost around $15 billion dollars, which is equivalent to 160% of Haiti’s GDP. Ms. Saminarsh gave some final seeds of resilience including social cohesion, integration of local wisdom, and critical awareness.

haiti_time_z_01Ms. Hiller from Oxfarm opened with a compelling argument by saying that disasters derail development. She used UN research statistics to prove her point, saying that over the past 20 years, disasters from natural hazards have affected 4.4 billion people, claimed 1.3 million lives, and caused $2 trillion USD in economic losses. She complains that governments have failed to adequately prioritize and invest in good risk management of disasters. Unsuitable development such as unplanned urbanization is a key driver of an increasing disaster risk. Her proposed solution was to invest in disaster risk reductions, build the peoples resilience, while also reducing the impact of disasters on the lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable. She proposed integrating the principles of community resilience into the post 2015 development framework. These principles include: participation, inclusion, learning, self-organization, accountability, responsiveness, collaboration, partnerships, and living within social and environmental boundaries.

Meeting Title: Risk-proofing the SDG’s: why development will not be sustainable without building community resilience

Key Speakers: Chair, Marcus Oxley, Director, Global Network for Disaster Reduction; Margaret Barahaihi, Africa Climate Change Resilience Alliance Coordinator, Uganda; Diah Saminarsh, Assistant President’s Special Envoy on MDGs, Office of President’s Special Envoy on MDG’s, Indonesia; Hepi Rahmawati, Program Manager, YAKKUM Emergency Unit Indonesia; Debbie Hillier, Humanitarian Policy Adviser, Oxfam, Representative of Act Alliance.

Written by WIT Representative: Modou Cham