Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) Graduate Research Assistant, Reshet S. Gebremariam, is participating in a summer internship on climate change adaptation in Ethiopia (East Africa) with the United Nations Development Program - Global Environment Facility (UNDP-GEF). The Global Environment Facility was established as a pilot program of the World Bank to assist in the protection of the global environment and to promote environmental sustainable development. As a GEF Implementing Agency, UNDP-GEF offers countries highly specialized technical services for eligibility assessment, programme/project formulation, mobilization of required co-financing, project implementation oversight, results management and evaluation, performance-based payments and knowledge management.
At the UNDP, under the supervision of Regional Technical Advisor Benjamin Laroquette, Gebremariam supports UNDP-GEF’s work on integrated climate change strategies, climate resilient livelihoods, and climate information and early warning systems. She undertakes research in support of programmes and projects developed by the UNDP-GEF team including editing, translation, formatting work, and review of documents. She also assists with annual project reviews including compiling critical information on project results and impacts. At the end of the internship, Gebremariam hopes to better understand the impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities, particularly women and youth in developing countries, and how communities can better adapt to changing climatic conditions through livelihood diversification and improved land, water, and resource management.
At the WRRC, under the supervision of Director Sharon B. Megdal and Assistant Director Susanna Eden, Gebremariam works on various outreach projects and assists the staff with special tasks. She is in her second year of the Master of Science in Water, Society, and Policy at the University of Arizona and expects to graduate in the Fall of 2015.