Climate change adaptation project kicks off in Myanmar's dry zone

A press release from the UNDP: More than a quarter of a million people in Myanmar will benefit from a project that will equip farmers with timely resources, knowledge and tools and enable them to have good harvests despite changing weather patterns, says  the UN Development Programme’s  Nicholas Rosellini.

The USD$7.9 million, four-year project, “Addressing Climate Change Risk on Water Resources and Food Security in the Dry Zone of Myanmar,” was launched in Mandalay today by the Chief Minister of the Mandalay Region, H.E U Ye Myint and the Union Minister for Environmental Conservation and Forestry, H. E U Win Tun, the UNDP Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Nicholas Rosellini.

The project will be conducted in central, lowland Myanmar. Over the past 150 years, environmental degradation, compounded by global warming, has transformed this land into one of the most climate-sensitive and resource-depleted regions in Myanmar, now known as the Dry Zone. The Dry Zone is home to 34% of the country’s total population. Water scarcity, resulting from longer and more severe droughts is the biggest threat to livelihood here. A majority of the households spend most of their time and effort fetching water for drinking and other uses, depriving them of income generating opportunities.

Through the project, small scale water management infrastructure such as canals, community ponds, and water pumps and tube wells will be put in place to ensure a continuous supply of freshwater during the dry season in 280 villages. Five thousand hectares of watershed area will be rehabilitated to improve erosion control. The project also aims to provide timely and accurate climate risk information that would enable farmers to better plan crop planting during the dry season....

UNDP pledges to assist Malawi recover from floods disaster

Vatican Radio: ...Malawi is regularly hit by floods and droughts. This requires emergency responses of varying size each year. This year, according to the UN News Service, flooding has caused displacement of over 170,000 people, while an estimated 116,000 households have lost their crops and livestock. In Nsanje district alone, 79 people are confirmed dead with another 153 people still missing.

...A United Nations (UN) wide effort has been launched to support those in need and mitigate the potential risks of disease and food shortages. In addition to the important work provided by the World Food Program (WFP), World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in airlifting supplies and providing clean water and sanitation, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other agencies are poised to help in early recovery efforts.

 Ensuring livelihood, economic and social recovery – reestablishing schools such as Jimmy Mbamere’s – is crucial.

 The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is already planning early recovery and has put in place an adviser who will engage with the government and other UN agencies to ensure a comprehensive early recovery strategy.... 

Nigeria and UNDP launch national digital flood model

AllAfrica.com via Leadership (Abuja): The Federal Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, has launched a National Digital Flood Model for better forecasting and monitoring of flooding nationwide.

The Minister of Environment, Mrs Laurentia Mallam, said this at the public presentation and launch of the instrument in Abuja. Represented by Mrs Rabi Jimeta, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mallam said that it would ensure effective environmental governance and prompt response to impending flood disaster.

She said that the model permits interaction between predicted hydro-metrological data and earth surface conditions such as land use and soil type. However, she said that the major challenge to the use of the model was for it to be adopted in flood management service delivery in the country.

According to her, the forum was organised forum to discuss ways to create awareness among stakeholders on the adoption of the model in flood management. The minister said the launch and public presentation of the model was organised to facilitate interaction among stakeholders on the operations and success of the Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) and the National Digital Flood Model in the monitoring and management of flood in Nigeria....

Haiti witnesses declining cholera rates, significant gains in development

UN News Centre: Haiti, often cited as one of the least developed countries in the Western Hemisphere, has reached – or nearly reached – several of the Millennium Development Goals ahead of the 2015 deadline, according to a report launched by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) a month ago.

Among other achievements, the country has seen a steady boost in enrollment rates in primary education from 47 per cent in 1993 to nearly 90 per cent, achieving equal participation of boys and girls in education. Haiti has also halved the number of underweight children under the age of five some three years ahead of the 2015 deadline.

As Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wrapped up a visit to the Caribbean nation earlier this week, poverty reduction was a central theme in his discussions with UN officials and Haitian authorities. It is also a priority for the Government. Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe recently remarked, “Our initiatives will be increasingly strengthened and we invite civil society to join us in the fight against poverty and to improve Haitians’ living conditions.”

Since the quake, which killed at least 200,000 people, UNDP reports that 97 per cent of the debris has been removed from the streets; 11,000 displaced families have been relocated and 50 camps housing the displaced have been closed; and more than 4,000 metres of river bank protection structures have been constructed to guard against flooding.

Haitian and international efforts have succeeded in significantly reducing the toll from the cholera epidemic, reflected in a 74 per cent decrease in the number of new cases so far this year, while Haitian communities are rebuilding, recovering and becoming more resilient to future catastrophes four years after the devastating 2010 earthquake....

At the clinic in Haiti, shot by Alex Proimos, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons 2.0 license

Philippines is best example of need for climate change adaptation – UNDP

Amita Legaspi in GMA News: Through the devastation it experienced after super typhoon Yolanda [internationally known as Haiyan],  the Philippines can push the world to act on climate change. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) administrator Helen Clark said Thursday that the Philippines is the best example of what climate change can do to people and countries and how actions to prevent it should be made now.

She will be asking President Benigno Aquino III to make a pitch during a leader-level climate change summit in New York in September. The summit will be convened by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. "This is a very important platform for President Aquino and the Philippines because you bring such direct experience of what a wild climate does to people and lives," Clark said Thursday.

She cited the moving statements and gestures made by Philippine Climate Change Commission during a conference in Warsaw last year, just after Yolanda struck the central Philippines. "The voices from the Philippines bring it home that climate change is not some distant thing that might hit people some day. It is crazy climate that is hitting people now and we have to act," said Clark.

She said that the Philippines is no stranger to disasters "but this one (Yolanda) happened to be bigger than anything the world has ever seen."...

NASA image of Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Yolanda

Tanzania: UNDP lauds Kilimanjaro on conservation

AllAfrica.com via the Tanzania Daily News: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has lauded Kilimanjaro regional authority for its efforts in mitigating the effects of climate change and said what the leadership shown is unrivalled.

UNDP Technical Advisor for Land Degradation and Sustainable Land Management in Eastern and Southern Africa, Ms Nyawira Muthui, said that his organisation and Global Environment Facility (GEF) are excited by the response and cooperation they get.

"The political will you have shown in the implementation of Sustainable Land Management (SLM) projects is unprecedented. Thank you so much for such active participation. This now is our flagship project. We see dedicated and demonstrated political will from regional to district levels and this is so wonderful...."

A view of Mawenzi Cone at sunrise from Kilimanjaro crater rim at 5800m. Shot by Sbork, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Team up to reduce risk of disasters in Georgia

A press release from the UNDP: The Government of Georgia joins hands with the United Nations to enhance the national systems of Disaster Risk Reduction. A group of international and national experts completed a two-week assessment today and presented preliminary findings to the Government of Georgia at a specially convened workshop.

“Georgia is vulnerable to frequent natural disasters which pose significant threat to people as well as different sectors of economy. We recognise the need for sound advice to enhance the Disaster Risk Reduction system in Georgia, and define the roadmap to overcome capacity gaps,” said Khatuna Gogaladze, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Protection of Georgia.

The assessment group reviewed Georgia’s legislative and institutional systems, mechanism and tools for managing the risk of natural and man-made disasters,and identified the areas where the country needs further assistance.

This will be followed by extensive consultations with the Government and all relevant stakeholders and by the preparation of the National Plan of Action for Capacity Development in Disaster Risk Reduction by the end of 2014.

The assessment mission was organised by the United Nations Country Team in Georgia at the request of the Government of Georgia. The assessment group included 22 experts from the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) – the UN’s primary mechanism for coordination of humanitarian assistance; the UN’s inter-agency group – Capacity for Disaster Reduction Initiative (CADRI); the UN Country Team in Georgia andrepresentatives of the Government and non-governmental organizations...

The Caspian Sea and Georgia, viewed by NASA

Lao farmers need no ‘magic’ to adapt to climate change

Lorie Ann Cascaro in Minda News (Philippines):  ...Vientiane is one of the six major flood-affected provinces in Laos, including Savannakhet, Bolikhamxay, Khammouane, Attapeu and Champasak.

“Climate change” is not a common term for most farmers in Laos. But, the Lao government recognizes the impacts of climate change by signing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1995 and the Kyoto Protocol in 2003. The government developed its National Adaptation Programme of Action to Climate Change (NAPA) with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

In the NAPA 2009, Deputy Prime Minister Chair of National Environment Committee Mr Asang Laoly says Laos has seen in recent years “more frequent and severe floods and droughts which are alternately occurring each year.” “Temperature is continuously increasing and the rainfall is erratic, resulting in a number of adverse impacts to the economic system, environment and the livelihoods of people of all ethnic groups.”

Over three decades, from 1966 to 2009, Laos has felt the impacts of climate change through the increase in temperature with an average of 0.1 degrees Celsius (C), between the northern and central part, and between the central and southern part. As observed in the rapid assessment, the average temperature in eight northern provinces increased from 23.0 to 23.2 C; 26.3 C to 26.6 C in five central provinces; and, 26.9 C to 27.3 C in four southern provinces.

Data from the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH) show that drought occurred in Laos from 1995 to 2005 “characterized by higher and irregular increases in temperature.” The country also experienced large floods, including flash floods in the northern and eastern regions as recorded in 1995, 1996, 2000, 2002 and 2005. More recently, experiences with typhoons have been made in the south of the country....

The Mekong River in Vientiane, Laos, shot by yeowatzup, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Tuvalu signs agreement for climate change project

Scoop (New Zealand): The Government of Tuvalu and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has today signed an agreement to continue to partner on climate change adaptation work in Tuvalu. This marks the commencement of the second climate change adaptation project in Tuvalu that responds to adaptation priorities outlined in the Tuvalu National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA).

To a low-lying nation of Tuvalu that comprises nine atoll islands with a limited economic base, climate change is a real, existential threat, and the climate change adaptation is among the highest national priority. The project received US$4.2m from the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) managed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The Government of Tuvalu will use the fund to address adaptation priorities in two sectors - coastal fisheries and disaster risk management.

Under a changing climate, coastal fisheries, which are an important source of food for Tuvaluans, are expected to undergo a significant productivity decline, bringing food security concerns to the fore. Extreme climate events, such as tropical cyclones, are expected to be more intense. The Government of Tuvalu, with support from UNDP and LDCF/GEF, will implement various measures to help people cope with such changes. They include strengthened community-based management of coastal fisheries, better monitoring of climate impact on such resources, enhancement of real time communications and early warning dissemination from the capital to all outer islands, and upgrading of evacuation facilities.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Tourism, Environment and Labour, Honourable Taukelina Finikaso said “Tuvalu will greatly benefit from this project in terms of its expected outcomes which will help adapting Tuvalu to the impacts of climate change.”...

The narrowest part of Funafuti, an island of Tuvalu, shot by lirneasia, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Japan and UNDP highlight need to build on adaptation achievements in Africa

UNDP News Centre: Efforts to protect development from the impacts of climate change must be supported in Africa. This was the rationale behind the creation of UNDP’s Africa Adaptation Programme (AAP), and it was a sentiment voiced by senior officials from Africa, Japan and the UN at a TICAD V side-event on the AAP’s achievements.

In their opening addresses at the event, Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaoré, Japan’s Parliamentary Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Masaji Matsuyama and UNDP Administrator Helen Clark said they would like to see progress made under the AAP expanded and built on.

The Tokyo International Conference on African Development is the world’s largest forum on African development issues. Under the "Japan-UNDP Joint Framework for Building Partnerships to Address Climate Change in Africa," which was established at TICAD IV in 2008, the Government of Japan provided $92.1 million to implement the AAP.

The side-event attracted a standing-room-only audience, with international viewers following the webcast and tweeting questions and comments. It received coverage in mainstream Japanese media, including a story on the nightly news of Japan’s national TV station NHK.

...In his opening address, President Compaoré called for adaptation-related achievements of the AAP to be built on. "African countries at this moment are confronting serious development challenges. And for each country, the measures that they take to address climate change risks will become increasingly important for their future. But we need to have the tools available and strategic plans in place to effectively adapt to climate change," said President Compaoré....