The European Business Council for Africa

In recent years, climate change has led to a decrease in the duration and frequency of the rainy season, causing severe changes in weather patterns (droughts, floods, etc.). These changes are having an increasingly destructive impact on the most vulnerable populations, sometimes leading to violent conflicts between communities whose livelihood depends on livestock and natural resources and their only short-term solution is to migrate in search of more fertile lands. 

The discussion will focus on the impacts of climate change on food security and livelihoods as well as the possible opportunities to overcome such challenges while building peace in Northern Kenya and other regions.

The audience will also have the opportunity to know how the EU is funding interventions for crisis response, conflict prevention, peace-building and crisis preparedness in different regions where the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace actions are implemented. 

This event is co-organised in collaboration with the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO) which is the independent civil society platform of European NGOs, networks of NGOs and think tanks that are committed to peacebuilding and the prevention of violent conflict. EPLO released a film examining the effects that prolonged drought from climate change is causing resource scarcity and violent conflicts among the tribes in the Marsabit region, Northern Kenya. The project IMARA is working in the region to increase the resilience of marginalised households to climate-change-related shocks through diversified livelihoods and improved natural resource management.

Link to watch the documentary Marsabit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51Fx1P61T7Q&feature=emb_title

Speakers

Stefano Signore , Head of the Sustainable Energy and Climate Change unit, Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development 
Marc Fiedrich , Head of the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace unit, Service for Foreign Policy Instruments 
Francesco Carboni, Programme Officer, Foreign Policy Instruments East and Southern Africa section, Delegation of the European Union to Kenya 
Sonya Reines-Djivanides, Executive Director, European Peacebuilding Liaison Office 
Vincent Omunyin, Technical Specialist on Peacebuilding and Governance, World Vision Kenya