EAC, AU Commission team to address Africa disaster risks

Oct 01, 2014

Natural hazards, such as floods, droughts, and earthquakes are becoming more regular and intense, increasing impact on people and communities.


ARUSHA – Natural hazards, such as floods, droughts, and earthquakes are becoming more regular and intense, increasing impact on people and communities.

Low-income households have more difficulty buffering losses, meaning that disaster losses translate into a series of impacts, including more poverty, declining health and worsening nutrition.

Poor planning, poverty and a range of other underlying factors create conditions of vulnerability that result in insufficient capacity to cope with natural hazards and disasters. Action to reduce risk has grown in importance on the international agenda and is seen as essential for sustainable development.

The East African Community, in partnership with the African Union Commission and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction is hosting the sixth Africa Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction starting today (Wednesday) at the EAC headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, to address these challenges.

Every year on October 13th the world marks the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction.

“The frequency and intensity of climatic disasters is on the rise as a result of climate variability and change,” said Moses Marwa, the acting director Productive Sectors, who represented the Deputy Secretary General, Productive and Social Sectors, Jesca Eriyo.

He added: “Other underlying factors include poverty, low awareness on disaster risks and weak and uncoordinated policy measures and limited capacities in disaster preparedness.”
 


Natural hazards such as droughts are becoming more regular and intense


Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) includes all the policies, strategies and measures that can make people, cities and countries more resilient to hazards and reduce risk and vulnerability to disasters.

The Africa Working Group provides coordination and technical support to the African Union Commission, regional economic communities, and member states on the implementation of the Africa Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (2006-2015), and its programme of action. 

The process to develop a successor to the existing global agreement on disaster risk reduction under the Hyogo Framework for Action is underway and will take into account all the contributions from the ongoing continental and global consultations.

The process to craft a common African position on disaster risk reduction has evolved through a series of consultations at the national, sub-regional and regional levels.

Recent consultative meetings include the Fourth Africa Regional Platform in Arusha, Tanzania, in February 2013; the Fourth Global Platform held in Geneva, Switzerland, in May 2013 that considered a draft text on Africa’s contribution and position prepared by the African Union Commission; and a consultative meeting on the post-2015 framework held in Nairobi, Kenya, in November 2013 that resulted in a draft Africa contribution paper on the post-2015 framework.

The outcomes from regional platforms feed into the Global Platforms with the aim of supporting effective global action and expanding the political space devoted to DRR.
 


Whenever they occur, floods massively affect transport systems


Marwa said: “These meetings have significantly contributed to the process of consolidating the African Position on the Post 2015 Hyogo Framework of Action (HFA-2).

“Africa is therefore preparing to lead the global agenda as a continent that is prone to multiple disasters, high vulnerability compounded by low coping and adaptive capacities."

The 6th Africa Working Group will also discuss the implementation of the new regional programme: Building Disaster Resilience to Natural Hazards in Sub-Saharan Africa Regions, Countries and Communities that is expected to be operational soon.

The new programme is funded by European Commission-African, Caribbean and Pacific (EC-ACP).

The EAC has made considerable progress in the field of disaster risk reduction including the approval of the EAC Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Strategy by the 27th Meeting of the Council of Ministers held on 31st August 2013, the formulation of the draft Private Members Bill on EAC Disaster Risk Reduction, and the establishment of the EAC Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group, EAC Disaster Risk Reduction Platform as well as a Risk Reduction Unit.

The sixth Africa Working Group meeting will close on Thursday. 

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