ROTTERDAM, Netherlands,
May 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today,
54 leaders from the African Adaptation Initiative championed by
President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon, endorsed the policy recommendations
outlined in the brief "Integrated Responses to Building Climate
and Pandemic Resilience in Africa". The policy brief was prepared by
the Global Center on Adaptation and African Adaptation Initiative
and outlines a plan of action for African countries to ensure
stimulus spending is used to build back better from the COVID-19
crisis.
The policy brief recommends adaptation actions for three key
systems affected by both the pandemic and climate change in
Africa: systems that produce our
food; protect and manage our water and plan and build our
infrastructure. Specifically, the recommendations include
adaptation actions to secure the food supply for vulnerable
populations and strengthen the agricultural value chain; increase
access to water and sanitation in parallel with efforts to improve
water governance; and investment in resilient infrastructure to
create jobs. These recommendations result in a triple dividend
for African countries: reduced pandemic risk, increased climate
resilience and strengthened economic recovery.
Commenting on the brief's release, Ali Bongo Ondimba, President
of Gabon and African Union
Champion of the African Adaptation Initiative said:
"The real impact of the coronavirus crisis on climate will
ultimately depend on the choices we make in how we recover. Meeting
the Paris Agreement's goals for mitigation and adaptation must be
central to this effort to ensure we reduce the likelihood of future
pandemics."
Ban Ki-moon, 8th
United Nations Secretary General and Co-Chair of the Global Center
on Adaptation said:
"If the virus is a shared global challenge, so too should be
the need to build resilience against future shocks. Emerging and
developing countries are the least prepared for the arrival of
COVID-19, just as they are most vulnerable to the effects of
climate change."
Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation
said:
"Previous epidemic outbreaks have provided us with vital
lessons, local knowledge and expertise that is also relevant in
helping us to find innovative ways to address our climate
crisis."
Other global leaders also endorsed the policy brief
recommendations:
Kristalina Georgieva, Managing
Director of the International Monetary Fund said:
"The world is about to deploy enormous, gigantic fiscal
stimulus and we can do it in a way that we tackle both crises at
the same time. If our world is to come out of this crisis more
resilient, we must do everything in our power to make it a green
recovery."
Feike Sijbesma, Honorary Chairman of Royal DSM and Co-Chair of
the Global Center on Adaptation said:
"The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the critical role of
initiatives like Africa Improved Foods to ensure we can guarantee
Africa's food security while
adapting to the impacts of climate change."
Peter Eriksson, Minister of
International Development for Sweden said:
"For Africa, the COVID-19
pandemic has collided with our climate emergency. We must ensure we
integrate solutions to both crises into a coherent response in
support of African countries. This can be achieved through
intensifying climate adaptation efforts through the Global Center
on Adaptation. The GCA is a key solutions broker and center of
excellence with a holistic approach, that aims to accelerate
adaptation solutions for a climate resilient future in Africa.".
Dag-Inge Ulstein, Minister of
International Development for Norway said:
"The COVID-19 crisis is creating an even greater need for
international cooperation. Using the stimulus spending to
assist poorer countries in addressing the impacts of our climate
crisis is not only the smart thing to do, it's the right thing to
do as we continue to work in close collaboration with the Global
Center on Adaptation in building climate and pandemic resilience in
Africa."
Akinwui Adesina, President of the African Development Bank
said:
"The combination of COVID-19 pandemic and the massive
invasion of desert locusts in parts of Africa present a twin challenge for health and
food security for millions of people, and exacerbates Africa's vulnerabilities and development
challenges. It is time to devote more resources to Africa to expand its fiscal space to secure
lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and for safeguarding the
environment, on which all lives today and the future depend, by
enhancing climate adaptation."
About the Global Center on Adaptation
Please visit www.gca.org/about
About the African Adaptation Initiative
Please visit https://africaadaptationinitiative.org/#about2
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