Nisreen Elsaim, the Chair of UN Secretary General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change engages young climate activists Nada Abunoura and Mathani Mudather from Sudan at COP26.
ICPAC is a specialized institution of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). Since 1986 they have been in charge of providing climate services to East Africa. The purpose? Mitigate the effects of recurring droughts and natural disasters that affect our region and have traditionally led to widespread famine, ecological degradation, and economic hardship.
The member countries are Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania.
Earlier in October The IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) was officially opened by Kenyan President H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta in Ngong’. Near the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Wednesday. ICPAC is a designated regional climate center by the World Meteorological Organization to provide climate services and early warnings to 11 Eastern African countries.
“In times of climate extremes and increased intensity and frequency of hazards, it is key to provide quality climate services and early warnings. Climate doesn’t stop at borders and having strong intergovernmental institutions able to provide early warnings is key.” said ICPAC’s Director Guleid Artan.
“Rejection of the existence and impact of climate change will cost us not just our health, but our home as the human race. And I would like to emphasize that we do not have a spare planet in which we will seek refuge once we have succeeded in destroying this one.” said Workneh Gebeyehu, IGAD’s Executive Secretary.
As part of the center’s launch, a Disaster Operations Center was established, with a situation room that will monitor major hazards and provide regional early warnings for drought, floods, extreme rainfall, food insecurity, or pests like the desert locust.
In this video from the Glasgow climate meeting, Nisreen Elsaim meets two other young climate activists from Sudan.
