B-EPICC Workshop “Strengthening Resilience against Climate Change” in Ethiopia, 10th-12th May 2023
On 10-12 May 2023, the B-EPICC Workshop “Strengthening Resilience against Climate Change” was held at the Hotel Golden Tulip in Addis Ababa. Ethiopia became a partner country to the B-EPICC project in 2022. This workshop was conceived as a showcase of the project’s work with partners in Ethiopia.
In the opening remarks, the German Ambassador to Ethiopia, Mr Stephan Auer, highlighted the importance of international collaboration to strengthen resilience against climate change. The project team, together with in-country partners, introduced its scientific capabilities and priorities in the areas of monsoon and El Niño forecasting, agriculture, hydrology and water resources, forests and biodiversity, as well as migration. Furthermore, capacity building and knowledge transfer activities of the project were presented, including partner exchange and visualization of climate impacts in the web portal ClimateImpactsOnline.
On Day 2, the programme focused on migration. Opening remarks were provided by Mr Florian Rehli, Regional Officer Refugees and Migration, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany. Throughout the day, special attention was paid to the planned IOM-PIK Risk Assessment Report on the nexus between climate change, migration and conflict in Ethiopia. Dr Diogo Serraglio from PIK, provided insights into the development of the report and its topics were discussed in smaller groups which included participants from the International Organization for Migration Ethiopia and Ethiopian Forestry Development, amongst others. Special thanks go to all below listed speakers for their insightful insights on the climate-migration nexus in Ethiopia.
Day 3 of the workshop focused on agriculture. Mr Axel Wildner, Counsellor for Food and Agriculture of the German Embassy, shared his thoughts on the global context of food production and security. The given presentations by both PIK experts and experts from our partners were discussed lively from different perspectives.
This day was rounded off with a visit to the Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Center (DZARC) in Bishoftu, where Director Dr Dagne Mojo and his team warmly welcomed the participants. The group had the chance to visit the National Tef Research Program and learned about livestock research in the Center’s cowsheds. The day provided valuable insights into local research capabilities in agricultural research.
All in all, the goal of arriving at, and advancing, a joint research and collaboration agenda to support the aims of the project and its collaborators in the coming months was achieved. We would like to warmly thank all participants for generously exchanging knowledge, discussing and collaborating!
Below you can find a PDF versions of the presentations held during the workshop.
| Day of Workshop | Speaker & Topic |
|---|---|
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Day 1: Project Day |
Dr Josef Ludescher (PIK): Professor Elena Surovyatkina (PIK):
Mr Carlos Fernandez Palomino (PIK):
Ms Sarah Bereswill (PIK):
Dr Stephanie Gleixner (PIK):
Ms Mechthild Becker (PIK):
Dr Alec Thornton (PIK):
Mr Hailu Belay (Ethiopian Forestry Development, Jimma Center (EFD-JC
|
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Day 2: Migration Day |
Mr Melkamu Terefe (Researcher, Ethiopian Forestry Development, Jimma Center (EFD-JC)): Dr Diogo Serraglio (PIK):
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Day 3: Agriculture Day |
Dr Stephanie Gleixner (PIK): Mr Tamirat Bekele (The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI/AICCRA)) and Addis Ababa University):
Mr Endalew Assefa Abera (Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Institute (EIAR), Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Center (DZARC)):
Mr Abebe Tadeg (IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Centre (ICPAC)):
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Workshop participants, Addis Abeba, 10th May 2023
