26 August 2013: Ten students from the West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) project participated in a training on emergency preparedness and humanitarian coordination procedures, organized by the UN University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS). The training focused on the role of geo-information in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and management.

Students learned how to use, analyze and distribute geo-information, including space-based, global, regional and in-situ information systems and GPS mapping, for all phases of disaster management, from forecasting and monitoring environmental hazards and risks to preparing information for decision makers. Lectures also covered climate change adaptation. Students then used their skills to conduct an assessment exercise in a flood-prone urban area of Lomé, Togo.

The training took place in Lomé from 10-21 June 2013, with lecturers from UNU-EHS, the Togolese Red Cross, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs-Regional Office for West and Central Africa (UN OCHA ROWCA) and the University of Würzburg. WASCAL aims to enhance the resilience of human and environmental systems to climate change and climate variability by strengthening the capacity and research infrastructure in West Africa. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) funds WASCAL. [UNU Press Release] [WASCAL Website]