Zebilla (UE), Nov. 18, GNA - ActionAid Ghana (AAG), a Non-Governmental Organization on Tuesday formed Climate Change Working Groups in the Upper East Region, charged with the responsibility to facilitate the implementation of strategies to mitigate disaster in the Region. The Groups, formed in Zebilla were made up of stakeholders drawn from Bawku Municipal, Talensi-Nabdam, Bawku West and Garu-Tempane Districts. The members include District Chief Executives, Planning Officers, Municipal and District Officers from National Disaster Management Organizations (NADMO), the Media and NGOs.

The Climate Change Work Groups would be expected to provide the oversight responsibilities for the implementation of the strategies, review, and reflect on strategies to be carried, and provide technical support. Mr. Michael Lumor, Programme Manager of AAG, speaking on climate change and its implications, called for multi- sectoral approach and commitment to deal with the problem.

He noted that it was incumbent on all stakeholders to view the problems associated with climate change as a threatening issue.

Mr. Lumor urged the stakeholders to integrate disaster prevention and preparedness into their development agenda, and not to wait till they occur. He said there were common disasters in the region that occurred almost every year such as floods and draught, and urged stakeholders to be more attentive and use early warning systems to handle such situations. On AAG Disaster Risk Reduction Project in the Region, the Programme Manager said disaster and climate change programmes have been instituted since 2006 including holding multi-sectoral meeting with stakeholders in governance and other sectors, educated people about early warning signals, empowered communities to use Participatory Vulnerability Analysis to mobilize communities to analysis their vulnerabilities to disaster and to draw action plans to tackle them.

He said AAG has supported 15 schools within the project areas including Bawku West, Garu Temapane, Talensi-Naddam, to grow trees to protect the schools from windstorms, supported national and regional platforms on Disaster Risk Reduction, supported NADMO to run sensitization programmes in communities affected by the 2007 floods, and engaged with the Ghana Education Service to integrate Disaster Risk Reduction into the school curriculum among others.

Participants stressed the need for all stakeholders including the Government, politicians, traditional authorities, opinion leaders and communities to demonstrate commitment to issues on climate change.