Environmental and humanitarian emergencies: building capacity and raising awareness for sustainable development
Environmental emergencies encompass man-made or technological disasters and secondary environmental hazards of natural disasters. The extent to which natural and human-induced disasters result in humanitarian emergencies depends mainly on how vulnerable and resilient communities are. Therefore, environmental emergencies need to be placed higher on the political agenda. This can be addressed through several scenarios, training and awareness-raising exercises as well as through institutionalizing technical assistance and capacity building, especially at local level. By utilizing this kind of mechanisms, civil society, emergency responders, environmental experts, political officials, and the general public can integrate efforts to strengthen the effectiveness of managing environmental emergencies.
It is in this context that this event is organized to (1) build regional and national capacity and raising awareness for sustainable development, (2) raise awareness on environmental emergencies of natural and man-made disasters,(3) contextualize international, national and local response, and (4) focus on preparedness as key to address vulnerabilities and enhance resilience vis-à-vis environmental emergencies.