Overview

Across the East Africa region, consecutive good seasons transformed food security conditions from the initial low point in 2011, which was a great relief coming out of a severe drought. However, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) continued working with other players including government and regional bodies such as the Inter-Governmental Climate Information, Prediction,

Development challenges are increasingly complex, Helen Clark says

Washington — Increasingly complex and interrelated challenges posed by conflict, violence, and disasters demand scaled-up collaboration among governments and development partners, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark said here Thursday.

As of the 31st of March 2013, the Global Environment Facility’s Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) has granted USD 18.6 million to be channeled by the African Development Bank (AfDB) to Sierra Leone, Uganda and Mauritania for project concepts to help climate-proof their water sectors. This work is regarded as a critical element of these countries’ moves toward climate-resilient poverty reduction and sustainable development.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The African Development Bank has allocated $140.5 million to resilience efforts.

• Peace agreements for DRC and Sudan/South Sudan have been signed amid continuing concerns.

• Refugees continue to flee DRC and Sudan. Some 12,000 Somalis left Kenya for Somalia despite challenging conditions.

• Food security has generally improved across the region, though 16 million people are still facing crisis and emergency conditions.

• Peace holds in Kenya voting despite some violence.

By Andy Channelle, IFRC

At the end of October 2012, Hurricane Sandy tore a path through the Caribbean before landing on the eastern seaboard of the United States. The storm caused hundreds of deaths and destroyed homes, farms and livelihoods in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and the Bahamas. Recovery is likely to cost billions of dollars.

Recalling:

1.The Declaration of the Initiative at a Joint Horn of Africa and East Africa Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Nairobi, Kenya on 9 th September 2011 and the Summit Directive for IGAD to convene a ministerial progress review after 6 months of the Declaration of the Initiative;

2.The endorsement of the IGAD Regional Platform for Drought Disaster Resilience and Sustainability (Hereafter referred to as the “Platform”) by the IGAD Summit of Heads of State and Government of 25 November 2011 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The third Interim Steering Committee Meeting of the IGAD Drought Resilience and Sustainability Initiative was convened at the AU Conference Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This one day technical meeting precedes a General Assembly meeting.

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