Introducing AURAN – Phase II

In 2004, ProVention, along with UNDP’s BCPR (Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery) supported six Africa-based partners to undertake applied research on patterns of urban risk – particularly in informal and poor urban settlements. The research initiatives, located in Ghana, Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa, profiled a diversity of emerging urban risks in Africa, including seismic vulnerability, road traffic accidents, significant environmental health and urban flood risks as well as informal dwelling fires.

The results of AURAN Phase I underlined the urgent need to strengthen urban risk reduction capacity in the targeted countries – and to seek innovative solutions to accumulating urban risk processes.

This led to four of the original partners developing Phase II projects that are now being implemented and will run until the end of 2009. The participating countries are Ghana, Mali, Niger, Algeria and Tanzania, with DiMP providing secretariat back-up and coordination. 

Specifically, in: 

• Ghana, the University of Ghana is focusing on the Korle Lagoon Complex- Accra, the project aims at building a community-based environmental management and disaster risk monitoring information system for promoting environmental health and ecological restoration of low income communities.
• Tanzania, Ardhi University is focusing on the Msasani Bonde la Mpunga informal settlement in Dar-es-Salaam, where the project is integrating Disaster Risk Reduction with urban planning practice.
• Mali and Niger, the Dakar based NGO ENDA-RUP is supporting expanding urban risk reduction partnerships to minimise the impact of increasing climate stress. Efforts are also being made to strengthen governance capacity with respect to urban vulnerability reduction to priority natural threats.
• Algeria, USTHB (University of Science and Technology Houari Boumediene) is moving forward on its earlier findings of vulnerability mapping to seismic risks from AURAN Phase I. This involves considerable advocacy and the development of accessible teaching and learning materials for policy makers and civil society organisations.