5 November 2009
Kampala — THE Commonwealth has asked developing member states in Africa to invest in activities which reduce the impact of climate change.
Julius Kaberere, the adviser on technical cooperation and strategic response at the secretariat in the UK, said additional investments should be made and disaster-risk reduced to foster development.
He was speaking during a regional conference to strengthen the capacity of governments to respond to natural disasters in the communities.
Kaberere said poor countries with weak governance and low incomes with rapid economic growth were at risk of facing climate-related disasters.
The week-long conference attracted participants from Kenya, Uganda, Gambia, Tanzania, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Botswana, Bangladesh and Malawi.
The state minister for disaster preparedness, Musa Ecweru, said Uganda was doing its best to prepare for natural disasters.
However, Ecweru noted challenges like absence of early warning systems, high poverty levels, and inadequate capacity to forecast disasters and poor information management.
He said Uganda was at risk of floods because wetlands had been reclaimed for human settlement.
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