DIMSUR - A RELEVANT ACTOR BUILDING RESILIENCE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
A Regional Workshop to showcase the successes of an ambitious project
August 26, 2024, 1:00 pm
DiMSUR, Comoros, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, AF
Bilene, 17 June 2024 – DiMSUR, in its regional role as an intergovernmental technical center, dedicated to the themes of disaster risk management, sustainability and urban resilience, held its Annual Workshop to report to its Member States and demonstrate the results obtained in the last four years of implementation of a bold project, carried out using funds from the Adaptation Fund. In the month of June of this year 2024, another goal was achieved in the tireless battle against climate events that have been plaguing the southeast of the African continent, in a recurring and worsening manner, over the last 24 years.
This project is being implemented in partnership with UN Habitat and Oxfam and its main objective, through direct actions with Governments and communities of four cities in southeast Africa, is to promote the narrative of generating urban resilience and improving the reaction to climate change in the region. This project is being developed through the implementation of bold subprojects, which were proposed for the cities of Chokwe (Mozambique), Morondava (Madagascar), Moroni (Union of Comoros) and Zomba (Malawi) and developed by specific teams from DiMSUR, UN Habitat and Oxfam, as well as national and local Governments.
The communities in the cities where the project is being carried out are the main beneficiaries and they form an active part of its development, from the planning process, where they identify existing problems and learn to prioritize them, to the implementation of the actions chosen to solving urban resilience problems. These activities are carried out in alignment and agreement with local Governments, who personally control the execution of all jointly programmed and prioritized assumptions.
The project has a range of activities considered very comprehensive, so much so that it was enough to become a pilot initiative to be replicated in the southeast African region, as the Governments of the region have been recognizing a great added value in the results obtained, ranging from the revitalization of mangroves, construction of bridges, level crossings, drainages, safe shelters and solid waste treatment plants, to empowering communities and creating legislation to improve administrative capacity and climate change management, by national, local Governments and their respective communities.
With delegations from Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique and the Union of the Comoros, representing DiMSUR Member States and the participation of several national and international guests, from Kenya, South Africa, Italy and a diversity of other nationalities, it was held, on Bilene beach (Gaza province – Mozambique), a Regional Workshop for more than 50 delegates, from the 10th to the 13th of June 2024. The highlight of the event was the demonstration of the results obtained by all beneficiary countries and being an event held in Mozambique, the city of Chokwe, had the opportunity to demonstrate “in loco”, its achievements foreseen in the project and the country’s capacity to implement activities supported by external funds, at local or subnational level.
In all beneficiary countries, the achievements are considered very promising and because they are relevant and encouraging, there are comments in the organizational corridors, by other cooperation partners, of the recognition that could allow the continuity of the work carried out so far, with access to other existing funds in various cooperation agencies. The project is expected to end in September 2024, with activities that may be carried out until April of the following year, for its full completion.
The participation of some of the most relevant regional actors in the areas of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, made the event a demonstration of good governance for similar initiatives, where communities, Governments and Academia have a preponderant role in structuring urban resilience strategies and reducing the climate change impacts in Africa.
At this event, according to an internal statutory definition, DiMSUR rotated its presidency, from Madagascar to Malawi, making evident the need for ownership of the center by the Member States, with actions that must be bolder and more participatory. This act sent a clear message about the affirmation of African sovereignty in the decisions and strategic positions that Governments and communities must follow to achieve their objectives in the 2030 agenda, where several countries have committed to contributing to the implementation of the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations.
DiMSUR and its implementing partners have made clear their ability to mediate technical and administrative relationships between national and local governments and their respective communities, with the sole objective of improving everyone’s capabilities, promoting their positioning for assertive search for solutions to anticipate and prepare for climate events, which have been intensifying in the region in recent years, not only in terms of the number of events occurring but also in terms of the severity of their impacts.
The message remains that African communities are willing to learn from actions that can improve their climate resilience, thus guaranteeing the creation of sustainability in the continent’s much-desired socioeconomic development.
The proliferation of diverse sustainability ideas and the debate on the role of DiMSUR Member States in the active domain of the center, increasing their capacity to control administrative and financial activities, allowed countries to believe in the possibility of governance that will allow them to develop actions to improve its internal capabilities for early warning and early action, waste management and treatment, environmental conservation and structuring of relevant legislation, with a view to improving the region’s urban resilience.
An immeasurable recognition was given to the cooperation and implementation partners, for their technical and financial contribution, which has helped to create structured trust, not only for those who follow all aspects of the project, but mainly for those who intend to join this great disaster risk reduction initiative, creating urban resilience and adapting to climate change, called DiMSUR.
Southern Africa deserves better.
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