The signing in October of a Memorandum of Understanding between SIPU International and Mulungushi University in Zambia, is a direct outcome of SIPU's international training programme "Local Environmental Management in Urban Areas," financed by Sida.
One of the participants in the 2010 programme - Adrian Phiri -is
a lecturer at MU's Disaster Management Training Centre. At the
regional follow-up in Zambia in November 2010, Senior Consultant
Tim Greenhow met the Centre's head - Dr Mitulo Silengo - and
discussions began on the possibility of collaboration.
Discussions continued during 2011, including a visit to the
University by another SIPU Senior Consultant Gabriel Marin. At the
initiative of Dr. Silengo an MoU was drafted, and signed by
University Vice chancellor, Professor Vernon R. N. Chinene and SIPU
MD Anders Olin.
The first significant collaborative effort was in submitting a
joint proposal for funds to the Climate and Development Knowledge
Network at the end of October. SIPU was instrumental in bringing
the Stockholm Environmental Institute on board in this
effort.
The two parties are now considering new areas of cooperation,
particularly in the sphere of local environmental management and
its relation to disaster management.
Links:
Mulungushi University: www.mu.ac.zm
Sida: www.sida.se
Stockholm Environment institute: www.sei-international.org
Climate and Development Knowledge Network: http://cdkn.org