Agenda

As the Southern African development Community (SADC) region has been experiencing escalating climate-related risks and disasters, the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Disaster Preparedness Workshop will focus on three key themes.

Africa faces significant challenges from climate change and disasters. To effectively address these issues, it's crucial to involve all sectors of society.

The Early Warnings for All Multi-Stakeholder Forum for Africa, taking place on 21 October 2024 in Windhoek, Namibia, will bring together diverse stakeholders to enhance Africa’s disaster preparedness.

Opening ceremony of the 9th Africa Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction

Risk information is a crucial foundation for effective risk governance as governments and organizations gain a deeper understanding of current and emerging threats and proactively aim to mitigate risks and build resilience.

With climate change intensifying the magnitude, frequency, duration, and severity of climate-related hazards across Africa it remains necessary to create sustainable solutions that will address disaster losses, and the setbacks in development.

The Sendai Framework Monitor (SFM) Platform is a tool to guide risk-informed policy by measuring countries progress against the Sendai Targets.

The increasing frequency and intensity of climate hazards have resulted in a dramatic surge in disasters worldwide, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations and causing significant economic losses.

As Africa experiences unprecedented levels of urbanization, the continent is confronted with a complex set of challenges that threaten its economic, social, and environmental development.

DRR relies on comprehensive legislation, standards, regulations and predictable budget that provide a roadmap for prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

This plenary focuses on the third priority of the Sendai Framework, which calls for financial investments in disaster risk reduction that will help to prevent the creation of new risk, reduce existing risk, and increase resilience.

LDCs in Africa face a unique challenge of ensuring economic growth and development while addressing multiple challenges of weak infrastructure, limited resources, and heightened susceptibility to climate change and associated disasters.

As disasters increase in frequency and severity due to climate change, poor rural, urban and regional planning, and environmental degradation, innovative approaches to disaster risk reduction (DRR) are urgently needed.

Please join our Learning Lab where we will share expertise and learn from each other on how future climate projections can be sensitively used to advise governments and empower people to starting planning NOW for the FUTURE impacts of climate change.

Africa is disproportionately vulnerable to the devastating impacts of disasters. Extreme weather events, coupled with socioeconomic challenges, pose significant threats to livelihoods, infrastructure, and overall development.

The session will focus on the critical contribution of women and girls in reducing disaster damages and losses through their engagement in disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and recovery processes.

Climate hazards are increasing in intensity and frequency, leading to a rise in the number and scale of disasters, and the African continent finds itself on the frontlines of this global crisis.

This session will showcase effective practices and examples of people-centered DRR throughout the Africa region, as well as areas for further action.

Launch Event: Handbook on the Use of Risk Knowledge for Early Warning

This session will explore the implementation of the Africa Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Early Action System (AMHEWAS) at the national level, emphasizing its critical role in enhancing disaster resilience across the continent

Urban areas across Africa face increasing risks from a variety of hazards, including climate change impacts, public health crises, and vulnerabilities stemming from inadequate inclusion of marginalized groups, such as persons with disabilities.

Global agreements like the 2030 Development Agenda, the Paris Agreement, and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Sendai Framework stress the importance of investing in disaster risk management/reduction (DRM and DRR) for sustainable development

Early Warning (EW) and Early Action (EA) systems play a crucial role in reducing loss and damage caused by disasters, especially when pre-disaster risk reduction efforts fall short. However, these systems alone are not enough.

The working session builds on UNDRR’s financing approach for DRR that has been collaboratively developed with experts and government partners.

Presentation and Discussion of the Windhoek Declaration

A comprehensive multirisk, multisectoral integrated approach to resilience is needed at different scales to tackle the root causes of vulnerability and account for complex system dynamics and interactions.

As Africa expands its early warning systems, effective risk communication is crucial to ensure communities are informed and prepared.

Reception

Consideration and adoption of the Windhoek Declaration

The private sector is a vital partner in building resilient societies and achieving the goals of the Sendai Framework.

Field Trip

The Forum is co-convened with the SADC Parliamentarian Forum and Globe Legislators to provide a dedicated space for parliamentarians to engage with the aim to enhance their understanding of the Sendai Framework and their role in managing disaster risk.

This session will explore the critical role of localization of disaster risk reduction (DRR) in humanitarian and fragile context.

RAAWG member agencies and partner governments will take participants through the basics of Anticipatory Action, the main learnings from the recent El Nino drought activations, display identified g

As Eastern and Southern Africa continue to face the impacts of the ongoing El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), key ministers and high-level representatives will gather for a strategic roundtable to discuss and co-create policy directions for DRR

The INFORM Index will simplify and inspire the use of disaster risk data to support decision making.

This session will explore the potential of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as cost-effective strategies for integrated disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate adaptation across the continent.

This High-Level Event on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in African Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) will address the unique challenges African LLDCs face in disaster risk reduction.

Closing Ceremony