Iraq’s Fareed Yasseen given 2021 ‘Ambassador of the Year’ award. December 2021

Congratulations Ambassador Yasseen.

BEMA International

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December 28, 2021   Iraq’s Fareed Yasseen given 2021 ‘Ambassador of the Year’ award   The National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC) recognized Iraq’s Fareed Yasseen as its 2021 “Ambassador of the Year” during a Dec. 14 awards ceremony and luncheon at Washington’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The event, which attracted 150 people, including 20 current and former ambassadors. “Look around you,” Yasseen told his audience. “You will find not only members of the business community, but also elected officials, current and former government officials, diplomats, academics, researchers, human rights activists, journalists, and friends, including a couple of my Baghdad College classmates. I don’t blush, and I am not easily humbled, but this turnout is truly humbling.” Yasseen noted that three of his colleagues have received NUSACC’s “Ambassador of the Year” award in past years: Algeria’s Madjid Bouguerra, Jordan’s Dina Kawar and Tunisia’s Faisal Gouia. “The United States and the Republic of Iraq have traveled a long road together over the years,” said David Hamod, NUSACC’s president & CEO, in praising Yasseen. “He has skillfully and strategically built partnerships between Iraq and America that will serve our respective countries for decades to come.” Read More »

CENSA’s newest board member, Mr. Kevin Ryan. Kevin is a U.S. Army Intelligence Officer. December 2021

 

CENSA Members, It is my great pleasure to introduce to you CENSA’s newest board member, Mr. Kevin Ryan. Kevin is a U.S. Army Intelligence Officer, who has held senior intelligence positions at the company, battalion, brigade, and division levels. Kevin has served in both conventional and special operations units -- deploying multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan. Most recently he served as a Defense Congressional Fellow in the US Senate, and as the Intelligence Portfolio manager for the Army's Office of the Chief Legislative Liaison. Kevin joins the board after being a CENSA member for the last three years, having led several CENSA working groups - including one that published a CENSA paper on improving artificial intelligence expertise in the national security workforce. Kevin will be assuming the responsibilities of Director of Finance for CENSA. Kevin replaces Board Member Christopher McGuire, who is taking a temporary leave of absence while serving in a new position in the U.S. government. We thank Chris for his contributions and leadership on the board for the last three years and wish him the best of luck in his new responsibilites.  Finally, I’d like to wish you a wonderful holiday season and happy new year - we look forward to seeing you all at a CENSA event (hopefully in person) in 2022. Respectfully, William J. Denn Chairman of the Board of Directors Council for Emerging National Security Affairs

First year of Making Cities Resilient 2030 draws to a close December 2021

     

Dear MCR2030 local government and municipality representatives,

As the first year of Making Cities Resilient 2030 draws to a close it is very encouraging to see such progress from cities and districts all over the world in understanding, communicating and managing their climate and disaster risk more effectively.

MCR2030 already has nearly 630 member local governments covering a population of almost 440 million. We also have seen a number of Resilience Hubs emerge. These are municipalities committed not only to protecting their own citizens and city’s infrastructure systems and assets but inspiring and supporting other local governments to move do the same.

Local governments are on the ‘frontline of opportunity’ in this era of the Climate Emergency. It is at the municipality level that the biggest dividend in avoided future disaster losses can be reaped.

The evidence is clear: those cities that invest to better understand, communicate, and manage their climate and disaster risk protect the lives and livelihoods of their citizens as well as their local infrastructure systems and assets.

With more than 90% of all disasters now related to climate change and extreme weather events, inaction will only escalate risk and losses. Climate change is generating more powerful storms, exacerbating coastal flooding, causing more deadly heatwaves, and prompting greater water shortages and more protracted drought. It is amplifying disaster losses, both in terms of human lives and livelihoods as well as the overall economy. And these losses are increasingly concentrated in urban areas.

Local leadership and capacity to better understand, communicate, and manage this increasing climate and disaster risk is a huge opportunity to invest in a resilient future; one where citizens continue to be safe and economically active; their homes remain dry; roads stay clear; bridges remain standing; power and water supplies keep working; and schools and hospitals stay open.

Local governments that do now in terms of climate and disaster resilience, the less they will suffer – and the less they will pay – in the future.

Reducing the impact of disasters: keeps people out of poverty; protects hard-earned local development gains; and enables municipalities to become more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

In 2022, MCR2030 is committed to supporting your municipality to continue its progress along the Resilience Roadmap with increased and easier access to support, tools and services to help your local government along that journey.

For latest news on the MCR2030 website, please visit here: https://mcr2030.undrr.org/mcr-latest-news

To access all the resources available on the MCR203 website, please visit here: https://mcr2030.undrr.org/

And for those active on LinkedIn please visit the MCR2030 page

Best wishes to all our member local governments and service providers for a resilient and safe 2022!

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)

Office for Northeast Asia & Global Education and Training Institute

4F, G-Tower, 175 Art Center Daero, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon 22004, Republic of Korea

www.undrr.org  |  www.preventionweb.net

Food Insecurity: Bananas. El Pulpo

 

Your Bananas were Bought with Blood

I will never be able to look at bananas the same way again. The history behind this fruit is filled with government coups, propaganda, and predatory corporations. This is the story of how US imperialism gave us crappy bananas - and why the ones in your kitchen might be doomed.

Monitoring and Evaluation of Adaptation Progress. Request for Proposals. Due January 19, 2022

 

Call for Proposals   Are you engaged in the monitoring and evaluation of climate change adaptation work? Share your expertise at the upcoming National Adaptation Forum virtual series.   The goal of this series is to advance the practice of monitoring and evaluating climate adaptation work. This series aims to highlight different approaches, examples, and frameworks from across the adaptation community, spanning natural, built, and social systems.   Proposal submissions are due by 11:59 pm PT on January 19, 2022. Please see the Call for Proposals on the Forum website for more details.   Contact info@NationalAdaptationForum.org with any questions.   View the Call for Proposals

5th National Adaptation Forum October 25-27, 2022

 

 

More information about the 5th National Adaptation Forum can be found at our website.   Interested in presenting? Proposal submissions will open in early January and close February 1, 2022. Click here to learn more about the Call for Proposals. Proposals can be submitted on any topic related to climate change adaptation. In addition, the Program Committee has identified several Special Session topics: Climate Displacement, Managed Retreat, and Relocation Climate Trauma and Healing Growing Pains of Adaptation Monitoring & Evaluation of Adaptation Progress and Successes Ecological Transformation in a Changing Climate Making Climate Science Usable and Useful Bridging the Urban-Rural-Natural System Divide Uncharted Waters: Using Uncommon Approaches in Adaptation Adaptation in the Private Sector Youth Empowerment and Leadership in Climate Adaptation Finding the Signal Among the Noise: Strategic Use of Media in Climate Adaptation Community-First Adaptation Innovations   Full details on session formats, special sessions, and how to submit will be available when the Call for Proposals opens in early January.

 

Share, Watch, and Re-Watch the Tribal & Indigenous Climate Adaptation Series

 

 

Recordings of all four sessions of the series are now uploaded to our website.

Sheltering Fundamentals Training. Free.

 

Free Online Training: EMERGENCY RESPONSE

 

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AMERICAN RED CROSS   Shelter Fundamentals

 

This online course will prepare participants to assist in the opening, organizing, operating, and closing of an emergency shelter.

 

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Detroit Black Community Food Security Network. Food Insecurity, Food Economy. December 2021

 Detroit Black Community Food Security Network continues to be a leader in building community-based food initiatives. We operate the seven-acre D-Town Farm, educate young people through our Food Warriors Youth Development Program and are making significant progress in developing the Detroit People’s Food Co-op and the Detroit Food Commons.

 

"The food economy is the first economy of any society.  As we’re thinking about how we build a more sustainable and just economy, food has to figure prominently in that.”

Community ownership, empowerment and access to healthy, sustainable food!   Through this development, we are working to increase access to healthy, sustainably grown food, while building community ownership and empowerment.   Located in Detroit’s North End, it will be a unique cooperative business model, serving an urban, predominately African American, low and moderate-income community. It will be an economic driver as the people living in the community will benefit from the money spent on food in their community. Malik Yakini, Executive Director Detroit Black Community Food Security Network Inc  11000 W McNichols, Suite 103 Detroit, MI 48221  myakini@dbcfsn.org

MENTAL HEALTH EQUITY FORUM 5:30 PM | Thursday, January 13, 2022

 

You are cordially invited to UPO's MENTAL HEALTH EQUITY FORUM 5:30 PM | Thursday, January 13, 2022     UPO is committed to improving the lives of the District’s residents. One way is to bring together thought leaders to address major concerns.     Among the most important is inequity in Mental Health, a problem that has grown during the pandemic. Addressing this crisis is vital to achieving UPO's vision: A city of thriving communities and self-sufficient residents.   REGISTER NOW     Register now to hear our distinguished panel of leaders for their online discussion:    MODERATOR   MARY ROARY, PhD Director of the Office of Behavioral Health Equity U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)   Dr. Roary is a public health epidemiologist who focuses on infectious and chronic diseases. She is also an Adjunct Professor at The Catholic University of America. Dr. Roary has worked across government, academia, and private industry. Her ultimate goal is to become an influential champion of eliminating health disparities by identifying and implementing data-driven best practices that promote health equity and wellness.     PANELISTS   BARBARA J. BAZRON, PHD Director DC Dept. of Behavioral Health   Dr. Bazron manages DC’s recovery-oriented, integrated behavioral health system. Throughout her career, she has used her expertise in strategic planning and organizational development to build systems of care that promote the integration of mental health and addiction services, foster equity with physical health care, and address disparities in health care. She is an early innovator and a published author on cultural competency in behavioral health.      HOWARD STEVENSON, PHD Professor of Africana Studies University of Pennsylvania   Dr. Stevenson is the Constance Clayton Professor of Urban Education, Professor of Africana Studies, in the Human Development & Quantitative Methods Division of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. He is Executive Director of the Racial Empowerment Collaborative, designed to promote racial literacy in education, health, and community institutions. His research focuses on helping children and adults assert themselves during face-to-face microaggressions.    LISA CACARI STONE, PHD Associate Professor of Health and Social Policy University of New Mexico   In addition to teaching at the University of New Mexico, Dr. Cacari Stone is senior research fellow with the university’s Robert Wood Johnson Center for Health Policy. She is trusted for her work in moving knowledge about health equity into action in governments, community-based organizations, coalitions, and foundations. Her studies have focused on the role of health and social policies in moderating U.S. health equity.   Please RSVP by Monday, JANUARY 10, 2022   RSVP NOW       ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌