On 14-16 November 2018, ECCAS and the World Bank organized the inaugural ECCAS Hydromet Forum in partnership with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the AfDB, UNDRR and other development partners. The event was organized as part of the implementation of the Africa Hydromet Program and of the ACP-EU Regional Economic Communities Program, which aims to enhance and improve the coordination, planning, policy and capacity for disaster risk reduction and resilience across Africa.
The event offered a platform for exchanging views on how hydromet services can contribute to climate resilient development and adaptation planning. There were 143 participants from the 11 ECCAS member states and international institutions. National focal points and experts on hydrology, meteorology, and DRR participated in the Forum, together with those from civil society, academia, and the media. Parliamentarians from the REPARC Network, the private sector, sub-regional institutions such as the Global Water Partnership Central Africa, the Congo River Basin Commission, and EU delegations, also participated.
The Forum demonstrated the benefits of hydromet service delivery across a range of sectors including agriculture, water, natural resource management, environment, transport, civil aviation, energy and DRM. It also underlined that hydromet services are essential for scaling up resilience to climate and disaster risks, so that lives and livelihoods can be protected and Central Africa’s hard-won gains and development aspirations for growth can be preserved and improved. Following extensive discussions at the Hydromet Forum, the representatives of ECCAS member states’ institutions, members of REPARC, and other stakeholders in building disaster and climate resilience present at the Forum, agreed on key steps to drive the hydromet agenda forward in Central Africa.
A story about the event is available here.
The Proceedings of the Forum are available in English and French.