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East Africa Environmental Risk & Opportunities Summit Presents Bold Climate & Health Initiatives

The Republic of Djibouti, May 8, 2015: The 2015 East Africa Environmental Risk & Opportunities (“ERO”) Summit, held May 2-4, brought together ministers, businessmen and development experts from 4 continents and more than 16 countries to discuss regional environmental threats, as well as specific opportunities to address climate change, waste transformation, marine ecosystems and environment-linked health challenges, all under the umbrella of ‘resilience and adaptation to environmental change.’

The event was hosted by the President of the Republic of Djibouti, H.E. Ismael Omar Guelleh, and organized by partners Perim Associates, LLC; Djibouti’s Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Nabil Mohamed; the Center for the Study and Research of Djibouti (CERD), the University of Djibouti and the Djibouti Chamber of Commerce. Participants and sponsors included the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Yale University, U.C.S.F. Global Health, the French development agency IRD, the Horn of Africa Regional Environmental Centre and Network (HoA-REC), the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), The Homan Group, The World Bank, G4S, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Coca Cola, Turkish Airlines, Coubeche Ets., EyePACS, Curtis-Mallet, Prevost & Mosle, Emiroil, Horizon Terminals, Dubai Ports World, the InvestIn Group, Enventix, Fox Rothschild LLP, JET Recycling, and many others.

Coinciding with a visit to Djibouti by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the first by a U.S. Secretary of State to the country, the event underscored the connection between the environment, economic development and regional security and stability. Secretary Kerry congratulated Djibouti on hosting the summit, and its nascent partnerships with U.S. universities, in remarks delivered May 6.

Among the initiatives tabled at the summit: a regional Climate & Environmental Observatory, under the auspices of the 8-nation Horn of Africa Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD); a Yale University-led East Africa & Arabia Climate Impact Assessment Task-force (EAACIAT), to include the first high-resolution climate impact model of the region, and a Djibouti-Ethiopia health corridor,

EROSummit 2015 Djibouti

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East Africa Environmental Risk & Opportunities Summit Presents Bold Climate & Health Initiatives

integrating a network of ‘hub-and-spoke’ emergency-care clinics with pandemic monitoring capacity - to help countries in the region respond and isolate infectious diseases like Ebola, whose spread is also linked to environmental change.

At a meeting with conference principals during the second day of the conference, H.E. President Guelleh cited a moral imperative for world leaders to act on climate change, and reiterated Djibouti’s support for the partnership initiated by the conference. Professor Mark Pagani, Director of the Yale University Climate & Energy Institute, responded to the President’s remarks that countries in the region, including Djibouti, must do much more to mitigate climate change, adding, “we are all late.”

The summit drew attention to Djibouti’s bid to use its developing logistics infrastructure, environmental research cadres and increasingly critical position at the crossroads between Asia, the Middle East, and Africa to become a demonstration hub for environmental technology, renewable energy, rural and acute health care, and clean-tech. Djibouti’s active engagement with Western universities like Yale, the University of California, and the University of Massachusetts, and specialized environmental, agriculture and waste-transformation companies, is a case in point.

H.E. Dr. Nabil Mohamed, Minister of Higher Education and Research, said: “The ERO Summit has succeeded in bringing attention to the need for science-based solutions to critical regional problems. We believe Djibouti can play an important regional catalyst role, as a clearinghouse not just for climate data, but a source of analysis and communication on the threat of environmental change.”

Dr. Jalludin Mohamed, Director of the Center for the Study and Research of Djibouti (CERD), said,: “CERD and Djibouti look forward to collaborating with this focused group of prestigious U.S. universities - and expanding existing collaboration with long-time African and international development and research partners to fortify the local and regional response to critical environmental challenges.”

Dr. Ethan Chorin, CEO of Perim Associates, LLC, said: “Djibouti is a natural demonstration hub for applied science, whether in environment, energy or health. The country has invested over the last decade in research capacity; it is well suited to solar, wind and geothermal energy, and the right size to allow for experimentation and quick implementation of ideas that might take years to implement elsewhere.”

Dr. Mark Pagani, Director of The Yale Climate and Energy Institute, said: “Climate change is here to stay. We congratulate Djibouti for its unequivocal stand on the issue -- a position that still eludes many Western countries.”

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East Africa Environmental Risk & Opportunities Summit Presents Bold Climate & Health Initiatives

Dr Andrea Tenner, UCSF Global Health and the Institute for Global Emergency Care (IGEC), said, “In accepting the challenge of planning rural, acute care delivery, Djibouti is taking a leading role in making healthcare more accessible to East Africans. This week’s summit made very clear the critical link between access to health and overall healthcare system resilience and stability.”

Dr. Matthew Huber, University of New Hampshire, said: “In terms of the ocean-atmosphere dynamics of the region, Djibouti is in a very exciting place. It is at the dividing line between two major climate regimes, where changes in either system can have major impacts on the region. That’s why the proposed Climate Task Force and model is so important.”

For more information on the ERO summit, initiatives and associated publications, follow the website at www.eastafricaecosummit.com, or contact info@perimassociates.com.