The workshop underscored the importance of climate data to communicate solutions for climate-smart development, and the need to fully integrate CIS activities into development policies.
James Murombedzi, UNECA African Climate Policy Center, stressed that unless Africa develops a strong, scientific understanding of the sectoral impacts of climate change now and in the future, the continent’s sustainable development agenda will be at risk.
Prior to the workshop, UNECA, UNITAR and IDEP held an event to train legislators, decision-makers, the private sector, investors and climate practitioners to better understand the role of CIS in adaptation planning, sectoral development, managing disaster risks and planning for future risks.
27 October 2017: Africa’s growth and development depends, in part, on increased investments in climate information services (CIS) and their uptake and use in economic development programmes, according to participants attending a workshop that was held on 27 October 2017 to mark Climate Information Services Day.
CIS aim to bridge the gap between climate science, policy and practice for adaptation decision making and disaster resilience. Organized by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the workshop convened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, under the theme, ‘Enhancing Uptake and Use of CIS in Development Planning in Africa.’
Accurate and accessible climate information will help farmers increase their chances of boosting productivity and avoid post-harvest losses.
During the workshop, James Murombedzi, UNECA African Climate Policy Center (ACPC), underscored the importance of climate data to effectively communicate solutions for climate-smart development, and cited lack of sufficient incentives and limited capacity for CIS uptake and use in policy and legislative environments in Africa. UNECA’s Special Initiatives Division Director Fatima Denton said African countries should fully integrate CIS into their policies, plans, programmes and practice. The speakers also raised issues related to, inter alia, strengthening the ability of rural communities to reduce their vulnerability by properly using and applying climate services, and investing more in climate information generation and CIS to manage climate-induced impacts. [UNECA Press Release on Workshop with Murombedzi’s Presentation] [ECA Press Release with Denton’s Statement]
Prior to the workshop, UNECA, the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the African Institute of Economic Development and Planning (IDEP) held an event to train legislators, decision-makers, the private sector, investors and climate practitioners to better understand the role of CIS in adaptation planning, sectoral development, managing disaster risks and planning for future risks, especially in infrastructure development. During the event, Murombedzi stressed that unless Africa develops a strong, scientific understanding of the sectoral impacts of climate change now and in the future, the continent’s sustainable development agenda will be at risk. He underscored that accurate and accessible climate information will help farmers increase their chances of boosting productivity and avoiding post-harvest losses, and determine when to plant and harvest, dry their crops, and look for pests and disease outbreaks that destroy yields. [ECA Press Release on the Training Event]