Professor Laban Ogallo, Director of IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), based in Nairobi, Kenya, shares his view on the importance of AMESD program from national and regional perspectives. ICPAC, which functions in the IGAD region, is one of the five AMESD Regional Implementation Centres (RICs) in Africa.

It is estimated that nearly 76% of the IGAD region is composed of arid and semi-arid lands which are characterized by high variability of rainfall and deteriorated by severe land degradation. What are the roles and challenges of ICPAC towards mitigating the major climatic/environmental challenges in the region?

ICPAC provides timely climate early warning information for the mitigation of adverse impacts of climate variability and climate change. It develops an improved, pro-active, timely and broad-based system of climatic and environmental information at both regional and national levels through its national partners. It also attempts to maintain quality-controlled databases and information systems which are required for risk and vulnerability assessment, mapping of hazards and climate change impacts. General support is also provided to the national and regional disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation strategies.

The Regional Implementation Centres (RICs) of the African Monitoring of Environment for Sustainable Development (AMESD) programme showcased their products and services in the African Pavilion at the Seventeenth Conference of Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Seventh Meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP7). The event took place in Durban, South Africa, from November 28 to 9 December 2011.

Launched on the 28th of November by the Presidents Jacob Zuma of South Africa, Idriss Déby of Chad, and Vice President Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos of Angola, the African Pavilion attracted more than 10,000 visitors.

The Pavilion, which was located within the UNFCCC precinct for COP17/CMP7, catered a 500 square meter replica of the equatorial forest. It hosted some 100 roundtables and high-level conferences covering all aspects of climate change in Africa that were attended by higher officials of the continent, and worldwide.

AMESD achievements were presented on 22nd of November 2011 to EU civil servants from various Directorates General (DGs) during the 2nd Monitoring of Environment and Security in Africa (MESA) Preparatory Workshop. The workshop was hosted by the Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), which took place in Brussels from 21 to 23 November 2011.

Representatives of the African Union Commission, Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) and five African Regional Economic Communities (RECs) performed the presentation focusing on currently available AMESD products and services and their positive impact on the regions and the continent as a whole. It showed how AMESD has improved access to Earth observation data, established operational information services, and strengthened political and policy frameworks.

The MESA workshop was attended by representatives of various African and European institutions, the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) Bureau, EU Delegation to the African Union (AU), and EUMETSAT.

The workshop took place a few days before the review of the MESA project by the EDF Committee, which is expected to take a final decision on the funding of the project soon.

The MESA project is a continuation of the Preparation for the Use of Meteosat Second Generation in Africa (PUMA) and AMESD activities. MESA is planned to be funded by the 10th EDF and will start in 2012, ensuring continuity of efforts at the end of AMESD.

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The 11th AMESD Thematic Experts Meeting (TEM 11) was held on 7 and 8 November 2011 at AMESD Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with the objective to discuss the status of the continental and regional programme implementation. The meeting also dwelt on handing over strategy to the program coordination and to the Regional Implementation Centres (RICs) for sustainability of actions after the end of AMESD Technical Assistance Service Contract in June 2012.

Participants of TEM 11

Attendants of the meeting included the AMESD TA Team Leader, Technical Experts of AMESD Technical Assistance, AMESD Regional Implementation Centres (RICs) and the Delegation of European Union to African Union.

The experts’ meeting was followed by the Complementary Pilot Service Review, 9 - 11 November 2011, of which the operational thematic informational services of the five AMESD RICs were reviewed. The Review is part of a process put in place by the AMESD Technical Assistance to ensure the quality of products and services in support to decision making.