AUC holds Workshop on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

Arusha, Tanzania – 28th August, 2013: The African Union Commission (AUC), through its Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA), in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), held an interactive three (3) day workshop on mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in AU policies, programmes and plans, identifying stakeholder roles and responsibilities and making DRR an integral part of decision making.

Africa is faced with many climate and environmental challenges ranging from climate change, desertification, deforestation, biodiversity degradation, droughts, floods earthquakes and cyclones, amongst others that threaten to undermine the region’s sustainable development prospects and heavily impact population livelihoods. It is in this context that the workshop highlighted the importance of identifying key priority sectors within the AU 2014-2017 Strategic Plan and the necessity of integrating DRR in all decisions to strengthen frameworks and strategies at the continental level in view to mitigate the vulnerability of the Continent to natural disasters.

Hon. Jesca Eriyo, Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sectors of the East African Community (EAC), Dr. M.H. Khalil Timamy, AUC Head of Division on Environment, Climate Change, Water and Land Management and Ms Sophie Baranes of UNDP Regional Practice Coordinator opened the workshop by welcoming all participants.

Sessions focusing on topics ranging from Understanding DRR; Disasters, Climate Change and Resilient Development linkages; Economics of Disaster; Disaster Risk and Development in Africa; DRR Mainstreaming and more specifically into AUC Priority Sectors; Mainstreaming country examples were moderated by representatives from UNDP, the United Nations Center for Disaster Risk Initiative (UNCADRI) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and the AUC.

The workshop stressed the need for proper risk and preparedness assessments on key entry points in order to build a comprehensive national and continental plan of action (NPA), based on the 2004 AU DRR Strategy and recommendations from the 4th Africa regional platform on the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), with aims to alleviate population exposure and vulnerability as well as increase resilience to natural disasters.

The workshop emphasized the need for proper coordination, resource allocation, sensitization and advocacy within private, civil and public sectors as well as the need to provide experience-sharing opportunities with concrete examples of successful implementations within the region. The workshop further tapped into ways of lobbying for DRR with concerned ministries and institutions by accurately showing the human, economical and environmental impacts and benefits.

Due to the cross-cutting nature of DRR mainstreaming, the workshop was attended by representatives of key AUC programmes and departments such as Agriculture, Food Security, Environment, AU-SAFGRAD, PATTEC, IBAR, PANVAC, Infrastructure and Energy, Peace and Security, Political Affairs, Economic Affairs and Information and Communication.