The initiative, which will start in Africa’s Sahel region and be announced Monday at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, is aimed at the droughts, typhoons and wildfires that devastate vulnerable communities around the world.
The humanitarian concerns have national-security implications, according to USAID Administrator Raj Shah. In the Sahel, the constant struggle for survival can destabilize countries and enhance the appeal of extremist groups with a transnational reach, such as Boko Haram.
“The intersecting problems of extreme climate, extreme ideology, and extreme poverty in certain parts of the world are just going to further intensify the risk of humanitarian crisis, after humanitarian crisis, after humanitarian crisis,” Shah, who will announce the funding with Rockefeller Foundation President Judith Rodin, said in an interview. “This is a common challenge to our economic prosperity and national security and economic security.”
Shah called the $100 million fund an “initial investment in what we hope, over time, is a shift of billions of dollars from dealing with disasters after the fact, to building better communities up front to avoid disasters to begin with.”
Preparing for Climate Disasters to Get $100 Million Fund
No comments:
Post a Comment