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AFRICOM and UN Host Coastal Resiliency Symposium (1) of (3)

Sandra E. Clark, deputy chief of mission, U.S. Embassy Dakar, provides opening remarks during the Coastal Resiliency Symposium. Photo courtesy of Lt. Col. Sueann Ramsey.

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AFRICOM and UN Host Coastal Resiliency Symposium (2) of (3)

A group exercise led by Swathi Veeravalli, U.S. Army Geospatial Center. Photo by Jeffrey Andrews.

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Group photo of Coastal Resiliency and Environmental Law Symposium, Dakar, Senegal. Photo by Lt. Col. Sueann O. Ramsey.

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DAKAR, Senegal -- More than 85 people attended the Coastal Resiliency Symposium, co-hosted by United States Africa Command Environmental Security Program and United Nations Environmental Program, at the Judiciary Event Center in Dakar, Senegal, Nov. 16-20.

The goals of the symposium were for participants to exchange information and expertise, conduct disaster risk management training, and promote the role of civil-military cooperation.  Additionally, a concurrent session facilitated by the UN aimed to improve the capacity of Senegal for the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental law.

"Overall, this was a very successful and mutually beneficial event," said U.S. Navy Cdr. Jeff Thomas, the AFRICOM Engineering Branch chief.

The Senegal Ministry of Environment requested that AFRICOM and the UN support a symposium focused on adaption to climate change.  The ministry estimates that the sea is eroding the West African country’s Atlantic coastline by at least one meter per year on average, but indications are that erosion is up to 10 times worse in vulnerable areas like the coastal town of Saint-Louis.

Participants included representatives from Senegal’s ministries of justice, environment, and defense. The AFRICOM Environmental Security Program, in concert with international partners and U.S. government agencies, participates in environmental engagements to promote a stable and secure African environment by working with partner African nations in support of U.S. foreign policy.

"The reason we conduct these workshops is to provide local institutions relevant climate change information that could inform development plans as well as national-level policies," said Jeff Andrews, the AFRICOM Environmental Security Program manager.

Events like the one in Senegal help AFRICOM’s environmental experts identify on-going initiatives and programs where the U.S. can work with partners to strengthen their abilities to respond to environmental issues. In addition to discussions, the symposium included presentations about civil-military operations, planning for multiple stressors, adaptive capacity of coastal cities, and remote sensing techniques.

The group also visited Saly, Senegal to witness the effects of erosion on the coastal resort community.  The visit served as a demonstration on the impacts coastal erosion can have on the economy and opened the door for discussions on legal approaches to solving to solving environmental issues.