In collaboration with the Disaster Risk Management Division (DRMD), of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Seychelles, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) organised a technical workshop on “Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation and Planning” in Mahé, Seychelles from the 17th to 18th of September 2024, resulting in the development of a roadmap to enhance integrated disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) planning.
This initiative, supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, enhanced national capacities and equipped stakeholders with the necessary knowledge and tools to develop and implement disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation integrated coherent policies, to help support the protection of key productive sectors from climate-related impacts.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Rex Mpazanje, World Health Organization representative for Seychelles, emphasized that overcoming the challenges of DRR requires viewing resilience building as a shared responsibility. He highlighted the importance of creating climate-risk-informed and data-driven national plans. Mr. Robert Ernesta, Director-General of the DRMD, underscored the commitment of Seychelles to a holistic approach in addressing disaster and climate risks.
The workshop brought together government authorities involved in DRR and CCA, including representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Climate Change, the National Bureau of Statistics, the Ministry of Finance, National Planning and Trade, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Seychelles Meteorological Authority. This was important in order to contribute to breaking of national institutional siloes, foster cooperation, and ensure that capacities were built among all the relevant key stakeholders.
Discussions identified critical entry points for increased integration and coherence between DRR and CCA including through policies such as the National Adaptation Plan and National Development Strategy and through effective coordination mechanisms. The workshop revealed that while climate and disaster related data and statistics were available one of the key issues was a lack of data sharing, establishing a centralized database would significantly improve comprehensive risk management.
The workshop culminated in the development of a joint prioritized roadmap outlining guiding principles, defined roles and responsibilities, and actionable next steps to enhance integrated DRR and CCA planning in Seychelles. This roadmap, of which the DRMD is the custodian, will serve as a strategic framework for ongoing efforts in enhancing resilience against climate impacts and increase cooperation among national stakeholders. Priorities include a stock taking exercise including on current CCA and DRR related policies, in house capacities and data, the creation of a centralized database and reinvigorating existing coordination mechanisms.
Emphasizing the collective responsibility to ensure that these plans translate into tangible actions for resilience, Isabel Njihia from UNDRR remarked
“As decision-makers and practitioners, it is up to us to move the synergies forward, strengthening coherence at all levels.” – Isabel Njihia, Project Management Officer at UNDRR.
The successful collaboration of government entities and international partners during this workshop marks a significant initial step toward fostering a coherent and integrated approach to disaster risk management and climate change adaptation in the Seychelles.
Source link : https://www.undrr.org/news/seychelles-developing-roadmap-integrate-disaster-risk-reduction-and-climate-change-adaptation
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Publish date : 2024-09-27 07:00:00
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