Highlight

UNEP and the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) of The Gambia are working to strengthen climate services and Early Warning Systems (ESW)

UPi provides technical assistance for the establishment of EWS Emergency Call Center.

The Challenge

The Gambia is a small West African country that continues to experience natural and man-made disasters for many years due to perennial hazards including flash floods, windstorms, fires, and drought among others.  In this regard, the Government established an appropriate institutional, legal and administrative framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) and ultimately building infrastructure and community resilience.

The Approach

UPi provides technical assistance that aims at the improvement of national capabilities to generate and use climate information in the planning for and management of climate-induced hazard risks, developing core skills and competencies, acquiring relevant technologies, improving early warning dissemination and advisory communications; and promoting the uptake of climate information at the local level.

The Results

• Establishment of an Emergency Call Center for responding to emergencies and disasters as well as strengthen the climate monitoring capabilities and early warning systems in The Gambia.
• Development of Information, Education, and Communication framework for EWS’s stakeholders, especially NDMA’s Emergency Call Center workforce.