Asia Community

Enhancing Urban Climate Action Ambition through Multilevel Governance
12 Nov 2024 | Baku, Azerbaijan

The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), in partnership with the Southern Denmark University, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies (Italy), the University of Sheffield (UK), and the Ministries of Environment of Sri Lanka and Estonia (Parties to COP), organized an official COP29 side event titled “Enhancing Urban Climate Action Ambition through Multilevel Governance” on 12 November 2024 from 18:30 to 20:00 hours. This event underscored the significance of multilateral governance in accelerating climate actions to mitigate disaster risks and boost urban resilience. Dr. Senaka Basnayake, Chief, Climate Resilience of ADPC emphasized the need for regional drought risk management strategies to support national initiatives. He highlighted the role of such strategies in helping urban authorities promote climate actions like water conservation, WASH improvements, green infrastructure expansion, and risk-informed urban planning. He also announced that ADPC, in partnership with UNCCD, will launch a regional drought risk management strategy for South Asia at the UNCCD COP16 in December in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Full news: https://www.adpc.net/igo/contents/Media/media-news.asp?pid=1981

Societal drought vulnerability and the Syrian climate-conflict nexus are better explained by agriculture than meteorology

This is an interesting research article exploring the relationship between drought and peace/violence based on evidence from Syria.
Full text: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-022-00405-w
Abstract: Droughts are often suspected to increase the risk of violent conflict through agricultural production shocks, and existing studies often explore these links through meteorological proxies. In Syria, an alleged agricultural collapse caused by drought is assumed to have contributed to increased migration and the conflict outbreak in 2011. Here we use satellite derived cropland and climate data to study land use dynamics in relation to drought and conflict in Syria. We show that claims of an agricultural collapse cannot be substantiated as croplands saw a fast recovery after the 2007–2009 drought. Our study highlights the importance of considering land-use dynamics for understanding linkages between meteorological droughts, agricultural impacts, migration and conflict. Furthermore, our results suggest that the influential drought-migration-conflict narrative for Syria needs to be reexamined, with implications for wider discussions of how climate change might alter conflict risk.

From 30 September 30 to 2 October 2024, decision-makers and experts will gather in Geneva to assess global progress on drought resilience. Our guide gives you an overview of key sessions, including:

• Proactive drought risk management and resilience strategies
• Governance challenges and solutions for better climate adaptation
• Nature-based solutions and the role of all sectors in drought resilience

The outcomes of the conference will be crucial in shaping future international negotiations and policies on drought resilience, including the UNCCD Conference of the Parties in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this December.

Learn more and stay tuned for insights and actionable steps from the conference: https://lnkd.in/eJyXg3F6

Southeast Asia Drought Watch (SEADW)

Droughts in Southeast Asia negatively impact ecosystem services, food and water security, and biodiversity. These impacts are exacerbated by climate change, further highlighting the need for improved governance and decision-making in virtually all sectors. Southeast Asia Drought Watch (SEADW) helps to improve the operational, technological, and institutional capabilities to prepare for and respond to droughts in the Southeast Asia region; to support local decision-makers in drought monitoring, analysis, and forecasting; and to provide policymakers and growers with current and forecast drought indices to facilitate decision-making within the current growing season.

https://servir.adpc.net/tools/southeast-asia-drought-watch-seadw

Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) participates at Drought Resilience +10 Conference | 30 September to 03 October 2024, Geneva, Switzerland

Building on the momentum of the first High-Level Meeting on National Drought Policies in 2013, the Drought Resilience +10 Conference focuses on intensifying and expanding drought response efforts globally. This event gathered nations, experts, and practitioners to assess progress in drought management, draw lessons learned, and outline a collective path toward a more drought-resilient world. The conference is organized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with various UN agencies, international and regional organizations, and key national bodies.

The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) hosted a side event, “Governance in Action: Strategies for Improved Drought Risk Management,” on 30 September 2024. This event was co-organized with the UNCCD, Global Water Partnership (GWP), University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Sri Lanka's Ministry of Environment, and Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia.

Moreover, ADPC participated in the panel discussion on Drought Risk Finance (Workstream 7) during the conference's Plenary Session on 01 October 2024.

AHD Pakistan won HIEX Innovation Exchange award and top position from Pakistan and 2nd position at the World Health Assembly -2024, selected to accelerate safe drinking water in rural poor communities
AHD Pakistan will present its innovation in COP-29 in November with Ministry of Environment Pakistan at Pakistan Pavilion on COP-29, now a chance for no of INGOs and Humanitarian organization to scale up the Nature Based Solution ta national and international level in rural poor communities of Pakistan, Asia and Africa and help to meet UN SDG # 06 to get done.