The Government of Ireland has implored East African States to prioritise people living on the front line of climate change during climate change adaptation efforts.
According to Irish Ambassador to Uganda Margaret Gaynor, communities, local governments and local institutions understand their risks and opportunities better than anyone else.
Speaking at the ongoing regional workshop on experience sharing with locally led adaptation in the three countries of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in Kampala, Margaret said that when they’re empowered with the resources and authority to act, adaptation becomes more effective.
“Communities facing coastal erosion and flooding have played a central role in informing local adaptation plans and shaping practical responses. Some of the most effective solutions have emerged not from national offices in the capital in Dublin but from local authorities, farmers, businesses and community groups. This experience has reinforced an important lesson that resilience is strongest when adaptation is locally owned,” Ms Gaynor said.
The Danish Ambassador to Uganda Signe Winding-Albjerg warned that the battle against climate adaptation, and climate resilience will be won or lost at the local level.
We know that climate adaptation, climate resilience is won or lost at the local level. If we don’t get the chance to really change lives at the local level, we don’t win this battle. And together in these partnerships we are assuring that climate change is not just a global promise but a real reality for those who lead the way of climate change frontiers at the local level,” Ms Albjerg said.
