In the mountainous areas of Gilgit-Baltistan prone to floods, avalanches and rock fall, the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat is training local communities – women and men alike – to step up as first responders capable of providing rescue, relief and protection during emergency situations.
The Aga Khan Development Network, the Government of Italy and the Mountain Partnership Secretariat co-organised a day-long event at Expo 2020 Dubai as an urgent call to action for sustainable and climate-resilient mountain development – highlighting best practices that include integrating disaster risk reduction measures into town planning and networking between and for mountain communities.
Islamabad, 3 September 2021: The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Office of Sustainability, National University of Sciences and Technology to develop sustainable habitat plans for disaster-prone valleys in northern Pakistan.
Dr Alex Awiti, Vice Provost at the Aga Khan University, writes that scientists are just starting to unpack the complex, interconnected web of climate, hydrological and social factors that contribute to climate change related catastrophe.
In Kyrgyzstan, staff, students and parents of the Aga Khan School, Osh, contributed to the “Green City” initiative by planting 100 oak trees in the Ak Tilek area, a newly developed part of the city with little existing greenery. These oak seedlings are amongst the tens of millions of trees planted by the Aga Khan Development Network in Asia and Africa.
The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, the Ministry of Climate Change, Pakistan, World Habitat Awards and the United Nations Habitat Programme, co-organised an international virtual seminar on Ecosystem Restoration for Quality of Life.
On 8 June 2021, the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, the Ministry of Climate Change in Pakistan, World Habitat Awards and the United Nations Habitat Programme co-organised an international seminar on Ecosystem Restoration for Quality of Life. The virtual seminar featured climate change experts from all corners of the globe and was part of a series of official events celebrating World Environment Day.
Dr Alex Awiti, Vice Provost at Aga Khan University, writes that everyone is part of, not apart from, nature.
In the late 2000s, the forest cover along the western edge of the Kenyan Great Rift Valley was dwindling, reducing its ability to mitigate floods, regulate river flow, recharge groundwater and purify water. Today, the forest is coming back, thanks to community initiatives led by civil society groups such as Transformers CBO, whose bootcamp training by Yetu – a partnership between the Aga Khan Foundation and USAID – enabled it to establish key partnerships and raise US$ 100,000 to meet its environmental conservation goals.
Communities living in the developing world are the most impacted by climate change yet the least able to afford its consequences. The Aga Khan Foundation hosted a virtual panel to discuss the role clean energy can play in bringing equity to these vulnerable communities.