At the opening of the Paris Climate Change Conference, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the launch of an initiative to build the resilience of the world's most vulnerable populations against impacts of climate change and natural disasters.
Led by the Ban in collaboration with 13 UN entities, the initiative will enhance vulnerable populations' capacities to anticipate hazards, absorb shocks and reshape development to reduce risks.
30 November 2015: At the opening of the Paris Climate Change Conference, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the launch of an initiative to build the resilience of the world’s most vulnerable populations against impacts of climate change and natural disasters. Led by the Ban in collaboration with 13 UN entities, the initiative will enhance vulnerable populations’ capacities to anticipate hazards, absorb shocks and reshape development to reduce risks.
The ‘Climate Resilience Initiative — Anticipate, Absorb, Reshape’ aims to mobilize financing and knowledge, create new partnerships, coordinate activities, and develop new tools with a view to improving the resilience of an estimated 634 million people living in shallow coastal areas, areas prone to drought or flooding, and other vulnerable areas.
The initiative will build on the work of private sector organizations, governments, UN agencies and other stakeholders, including on: early warning systems for climate impacts on agricultural livelihoods, led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO); community-led initiatives for resilience and disaster preparedness led by the World Food Programme (WFP); projects to make available disaster-risk insurance, led by WFP and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP); UNEP’s work on ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA); and an initiative to build the resilience of cities, led by the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT).
The following UN entities are also participating in the initiative: UNFCCC, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), World Health Organization (WHO), and World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The private sector will contribute through activities such as the Global Adaptation and Resilience Investment Working Group, which aims to mobilize private sector investment in climate adaptation and resilience.
The announcement of the Climate Resilience Initiative was among dozens of announcements by governments, the private sector and others on the opening day of the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC, taking place in Paris, France, from 30 November-11 December 2015. [UN Press Release, Climate Resilience Initiative] [UN Press Release, COP 21 Opening] [FAO Press Release] [IISD RS Story on COP 21 Opening] [IISD RS Coverage of COP 21]