Climate and Disaster Risk Financing Short Course at Stellenbosch University

Between 24-27 April 2023, Stellenbosch University and The United Nations Development programme jointly hosted a short course training programme on climate and Disaster risk financing in Cape Town South Africa.

Climate and Disaster Risk Financing (CDRF) has become an increasingly important field and discipline that seeks to address fiscal impacts and economic losses caused by climate and disaster-based shocks and stresses and supports initiatives and innovations to increase their financial resilience against these threats. CDRF brings together scientific risk analytics, contingency planning and risk-based funding, focusing on the use of financial instruments and financial risk management tools to manage and transfer risk and fund a response against climate change induced impacts and other hazards causing disasters.

The Training consisted of three trainers from the PERIPERI U network and Stellenbosch University along with 37 participants hailing from across the African continent. Participants were made up of representatives of government departments, local city councils, insurance industry and private sector as well as some practitioners in disaster management, along with a few academics and scientists to create a diverse and vibrant group.

Participants attend daily classes in which they would be introduced to public financial management concepts and paradigms in relation to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Courses also included learning about various tools and methods that could be employed to acquire data and conduct in depth analyses. The short course also contained a ‘training of trainers’ component, expressing the importance of raising capacity in this sector as well as a few tips and tricks for the participants to take home with them, encouraging them to adapt this training and teach others about the concepts and methods taught to them.

The short course was not all just class and lectures, but included numerous group discussions and exercises, encouraging participants to share their experiences and deliberate on shared issues and opportunities for them to act.. Participants were divided into 5 groups, Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Buffalo Rhino, and given challenging scenarios to solve in group exercises, combining what they had learnt in class with their own knowledge and experiences to provide creative solutions and plans to address these challenges.

But the short course was not all just hard work, as participants were treated to some wonderful excursions, exploring the local Lourensford wine estate to learn a little about the local wine industry as well as try a few samples. As well as to have a tour around the Stellenbosch University campus and learning about the past, present and future endeavors of the university in South Africa and on the continent.

Overall the training was not just an excellent teaching and learning opportunity to introduce participants to CDRF and enhance their knowledge and skills, but it also provided a platform for professionals from across the continent to engage, collaborate and network together, hopefully establishing future opportunities for enhanced engagement and cooperation in Africa to create resilient communities and sustainable societies.

For more information about this short course, previous short courses as well as potential future trainings, please contact the PERIPERI U Secretariat Programme Officer Alberto Farncioli albertofrancioli@sun.ac.za