• woodrow wilson center
  • ecsp

New Security Beat

Subscribe:
  • mail-to
  • Who We Are
  • Topics
    • Population
    • Environment
    • Security
    • Health
    • Development
  • Columns
    • China Environment Forum
    • Choke Point
    • Dot-Mom
    • Navigating the Poles
    • New Security Broadcast
    • Reading Radar
  • Multimedia
    • Water Stories (Podcast Series)
    • Backdraft (Podcast Series)
    • Tracking the Energy Titans (Interactive)
  • Films
    • Water, Conflict, and Peacebuilding (Animated Short)
    • Paving the Way (Ethiopia)
    • Broken Landscape (India)
    • Scaling the Mountain (Nepal)
    • Healthy People, Healthy Environment (Tanzania)
  • Publications
  • Events
  • Contact Us

NewSecurityBeat

The blog of the Wilson Center's Environmental Change and Security Program
  • Friday Podcasts

    Roger-Mark De Souza: Integrated Development Shows Health, Population Dynamics Crucial for Resilience

    May 2, 2014 By Moses Jackson
    R-M-GMU

    Resilience means different things to different people. For many in the international development and humanitarian communities, building resilience means responding to growing climate risks through disaster mitigation and planning. But for people like Birhani Fakadi, a 39-year old mother of 11 in rural Ethiopia, it also means access to reproductive health and family planning services, says ECSP’s Roger-Mark De Souza in this week’s podcast.

    Resilience means different things to different people. For many in the international development and humanitarian communities, building resilience means responding to growing climate risks through disaster mitigation and planning. But for people like Birhani Fakadi, a 39-year old mother of 11 in rural Ethiopia, it also means access to reproductive health and family planning services, says ECSP’s Roger-Mark De Souza in this week’s podcast.

    Birhani is a “model farmer” who teaches others in her community to adopt sustainable agricultural practices in the face of environmental change. But she was only empowered to do so after taking control of her reproductive health through a development program that combined health and conservation interventions, De Souza says. This raises important questions for resilience programming. “If we want to talk about resiliency we need to be thinking about population dynamics.”

    “Health is everything. A resilient community is a healthy one.”

    A reality check is needed, he says. This year the global population is expected to grow by 82 million people, and the fastest growing areas are often the most vulnerable to climate impacts. “These shocks will be quick hits, so we need to think about how we respond quickly. But how do we set the base for longer-term mechanisms to deal with these shocks and stressors over a period of time?” Population dynamics, climate change, and the connections between food, water, and energy are all part of the equation.

    We can build resilience by linking social trends with technological innovations, as well as by fostering greater integration and flexibility across development and humanitarian efforts, De Souza says. “A lot of the international programming continues to be in stovepipes. Many think about responding just initially without setting the basis for longer-term strategies.”

    One of the most important factors in building resilience is health. “Health is everything. A resilient community is a healthy one. And if you’re unable to address the key health dimensions around communities and think about how you scale that up, resiliency programming will face many more challenges.”

    Roger-Mark De Souza spoke at the Wilson Center on April 23.

    Friday podcasts are also available for download on iTunes.

    Topics: Africa, agriculture, climate change, conservation, development, energy, environment, Ethiopia, family planning, Friday Podcasts, funding, gender, global health, maternal health, mitigation, PHE, podcast, population, poverty, risk and resilience, security, water

Join the Conversation

  • RSS
  • subscribe
  • facebook
  • G+
  • twitter
  • iTunes
  • podomatic
  • youtube
Tweets by NewSecurityBeat

Trending Stories

  • unfccclogo1
  • Pop at COP: Population and Family Planning at the UN Climate Negotiations

Featured Media

Backdraft Podcast

play Backdraft
Podcasts

More »

What You're Saying

  • Rainforest destruction. Gold mining place in Guyana China’s Growing Environmental Footprint in the Caribbean
    ZingaZingaZingazoomzoom: US cleans up. China runs wild on free rein- A lack of international compliance mechanisms to hold...
  • shutterstock_1858965709 Break the Bias: Breaking Barriers to Women’s Global Health Leadership
    Sarah Ngela Ngasi: Nous souhaitons que le partenaire nous apporte son soutien technique et financier.
  • shutterstock_1858965709 Break the Bias: Breaking Barriers to Women’s Global Health Leadership
    Sarah Ngela Ngasi: Nous sommes une organisation féminine dénommée: Actions Communautaires pour le Développement de...

Related Stories

No related stories.

  • woodrow
  • ecsp
  • RSS Feed
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • Publications
  • Events
  • Wilson Center
  • Contact Us
  • Print Friendly Page

© Copyright 2007-2023. Environmental Change and Security Program.

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. All rights reserved.

Developed by Vico Rock Media

Environmental Change and Security Program

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

  • One Woodrow Wilson Plaza
  • 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
  • Washington, DC 20004-3027

T 202-691-4000