Red Cross urges climate change preparedness
The disaster relief organization is calling on governments and international organizations at the Conference on Small Island Developing States to take concrete actions to reduce climate-change related disaster risks.
Over 3,000 delegates from developing island nations in the Pacific, the Caribbean, the African and Indian Oceans and the Mediterranean and South China Seas are meeting in Apia, Samoa this week for the third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Joining these delegates will be representatives from other world governments, the United Nations, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and development and civil society advocates to discuss the emerging challenges SIDS countries face and the opportunities that exist to tackle them.
The SIDS conference takes place every ten years, and this year the IFRC will be urging governments and the international community to take concrete steps in addressing disaster risk reduction and climate change within the global agenda on sustainable development.
“Every day, Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers are working with many communities who face growing risks from natural disasters and the impacts of climate change,” said Tadateru Konoe, President of the IFRC, in a press release. “More intense storms, shrinking water resources and threats to food security are very real threats. Collectively, we must be resourceful and forge partnerships that genuinely build community resilience and contribute to sustainable development.”
Konoe will lead a delegation that will include Secretary Generals and senior members of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies representing all SIDS regions in sharing their experiences and knowledge relating to the specific vulnerabilities facing communities in SIDS.
Red Cross representatives will also be fielding panelists and speakers at other key side events where a range of critical issues will be addressed. One such event, entitled “Local rules, global aid: legal preparedness for disasters,” supports a call to action for governments to strengthen their national policy, and legal frameworks for disaster response.
“Without adequate laws, disasters will continue to claim more lives,” said Konoe. “We also want to see a real commitment to integrate disaster risk reduction into national development plans and more investment being made in developing the capacity and resilience of local institutions so that they can bring lasting development benefits to local communities.”
Other side events include a discussion on the fifth assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on the implications of climate change for SIDS, and a focus on strategies to address climate change and population displacement. The Red Cross will also partner in an event organized by Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organisation, where a pilot study will be presented on how climate information is being made more accessible, relevant and user friendly for end-users such as fishers and farmers.