The African Union Commission (AUC), through the Disaster Risk Reduction Unit, participated in a partners and planning workshop for the project ‘Resilience Initiative Africa’ (RIA) implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The event was hosted from 31 October to 2 November 2023 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

At the event, Mr Gatkuoth Kai, AUC Technical Coordinator for Disaster Risk Reduction, expressed the relevance of the partnership between the AUC and GIZ to address urban resilience. He said, “We are excited about the Resilience Initiative Africa, as it will strengthen urban resilience in Africa. We thank the Federal Republic of Germany for this Initiative and look forward to working with GIZ and other partners to operationalise the Africa Urban Resilience Programme.” Mr Kai added that the workshop came at an opportune time to build upon the outcomes of the “Enhancing urban resilience through risk-informed development” side-event held at the AU Pavilion on 4 September 2023 during the inaugural Africa Climate Summit.

On her part, Ria Hidajat, Head of the RIA Project at the GIZ Office to the African Union, emphasised the role of partnership in achieving the objectives of the RIA. She said, “The partners and planning workshop will enable us to effectively plan the next steps of the RIA project together and deepen our understanding of our common goal and the four project components. “These four components include: (i) Creation of a learning and exchange platform; (ii) Development of Risk-Informed Urban Development Guidelines; (iii) Development of Risk-Informed Urban Development Concepts for Informal Settlements; and (iv) Implementation of Climate Adaptation Measures for Improved Urban Disaster Risk Management.

Partner institutions, which included, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Slum Dwellers International (SDI), the Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI) and United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa), presented an overview of their planned activities. The workshop also led to the development of a proposed governance and programme steering structure for decision-making and coordination. 

The RIA project runs from July 2022 and is planned until June 2026.

About Resilience Initiative Africa (RIA)

The ‘Resilience Initiative Africa’ (RIA) is a regional project that aims to increase the capacities of regional, national, local state and non-state actors for risk-informed urban development in Africa. The project fosters technical exchange and coordination across countries by bringing together relevant actors with existing and proven approaches to reduce, mitigate and manage risks. One important part of RIA is the support of the Africa Urban Resilience Programme (AURP) developed by the African Union Commission (AUC). The project is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) together with its project partners.

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Aboubakar Diane| Senior Policy Officer, Disaster Risk Reduction| Directorate of Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy, African Union Commission | E-mail: DianeA@africa-union.org |

For media enquiry:

Mr. Molalet Tsedeke, Information and Communications Directorate | African Union Commission|+251-911-630 631; Molalett@africa-union.org

Ms. Maryanne Muriuki, Communication Specialist, Disaster Risk Reduction Unit, Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, AU Commission. Email: MuriukiM@africa-union.org

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