East African states ask for donor help on climate change

"The impact of climate change in the region will be worse than in other areas owing to the region's vulnerability and lower adaptive capacity," said East African Community (EAC) ministers at a meeting held in Arusha this week.

The ministers appealed for commitment and ownership by the EAC heads of state of the process for combating climate change at all levels, especially in adaptation, risk management and vulnerability assessment.

They further called on the EA partner states to accelerate implementation of the African Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Hyogo Framework for Action that aims to address various aspects of climate change. These include risk monitoring, observation, early warning, preparedness, emergency response and post-disaster recovery.