Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Government Statement on the 9th African Disaster Risk Platform and 8th High-Level Meeting on the Disaster Risk Reduction
Excellences,
Ladies and gentlemen, Delegates of members states
We honored to participate in the 9th African Disaster Risk Platform and 8th High-Level Meeting on the disaster risk reduction. Likewise, we would like to express our gratitude to the African Union Commission (AUC) and UN Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) for convening the meeting and nominating our country, Ethiopia. We would like to thanks the Government of the Republic of Namibia and Southern African Development community (SADC) for collaborating to host these important high level events.
We reaffirm that Ethiopia has made significant progress in disaster resilience efforts over the last ten years as reported in our Mid Term Report (MTR) to high-level UN body and AUC and additional efforts afterwards.
To begin, Ethiopia has aligned its National Disaster Risk Management (DRM) policy with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Programme of Action for its Implementation in Africa. Ethiopia has developed a variety of guidelines, tools, SOPs, and methods, including Multi-Hazard-Impact Based-Early Warning & Action System (MH-IB-EWAS) roadmap to ensure that DRM is the business of sectors and everyone.
It has recently developed and launched a multi-hazard, impact-based, early warning and action roadmap that is expected to transform the DRM, specifically EWS in terms of modernization, interoperability, harmonization, impact-based, and multi-hazard as a system from 2023-2030.
Furthermore, the country has completed a legal framework to ensure accountability and threshold-based Disaster mainstreaming, Disaster declaration and response system at various levels of government.
To integrate disaster risk management into sector planning, budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation, the country recently developed disaster risk-informed development planning manual, and capacity building is currently being cascaded to lower government administration levels.
In terms of Risk Assessment, Information, and Understanding, we were able to collect and profile risks for over 600 local and lower administrations (woredas) using Rural Woreda and urban disaster risk profiling (WDRP) methodology, which we then used to develop disaster risk reduction and contingency plans for over 500 districts 2 big cities.
This flagship programme profiled and did the same with a wide range of geographically disaggregated and multidimensional data produced at the lowest administrative level possible, in order to inform risk-informed development planning and achieve a highly decentralized early warning system in the country.
Additionally, success has been achieved in urban areas, where two federal administrative cities have completed risk assessments. Risk information collection and sharing has advanced in certain sectors, including the national metrological institute, as well as the ministries of health, agriculture, water, and energy.
Excellences,
Ladies and gentlemen, Delegates of members states
Despite not reaching expectations, Ethiopia has made progress in terms of risk governance across sectors and decentralized DRM. As a federal state with a constitution that favors decentralization, Ethiopia is the ideal place to implement it. An excellent example of how strategy and policy for disaster risk management (DRM) were synergized is evident in the hazard-specific mandates that were implemented for different sectors.
To further support these mandates, a dedicated DRM platform was established at both the federal and regional levels. This ensured that all stakeholders had access to the most up-to-date information and resources to facilitate effective DRM actions.
In Ethiopia, though some progresses haven being seen, investments in disaster risk management have primarily been geared towards response. There have been a few initiatives undertaken by partners, mainly in the form of technical assistance and standardization. However, the bulk of investments have been dedicated to response and humanitarian activities, instead of pre-disaster preventive measures.
As such, there is still a need to increase investment in pre-disaster activities to better prepare for and mitigate the effects of disasters. Despite investing comparatively less in disaster risk reduction and prevention, Ethiopia has seen a noteworthy decrease in climate change induced disaster-related deaths and economic losses.
To illustrate, the country has responded effectively to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, drought, flood and landslide events in many areas, humanitarian response in the conflict affected areas. This demonstrates that Ethiopia has the capacity to successfully manage disaster-related issues with the support of Donors, UN system and implementing partners.
Excellences,
Ladies and gentlemen, Delegates of members states
Despite the aforementioned efforts, the country is confronted with a plethora of risk management and humanitarian needs caused by a variety of factors, the most prominent of which are conflict, desert locust invasions, and climate shocks such as floods and droughts.
Furthermore, the effects of the protracted COVID-19 pandemic, as well as reduced financial support deficits resulting in high vulnerable situations in different localities. All of these factors have resulted in a significant increase in Ethiopia's humanitarian needs.
To close these gaps and make progress, it is essential to build capacity in a variety of areas, including investing on profiled localized risks, fast-on set emergencies, risk-informed recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict and its effects, the provision of technical guidance, tools, and methodologies, and facilitating knowledge sharing in the areas of risk knowledge.
Strengthening multi-hazard early warning and action systems and disaster risk governance, as well as improving international cooperation and partnerships are paramount.
DRM platforms in Ethiopia are essential and must focus on prevention and disaster risk reduction undertakings rather than the response.
To support initiatives geared towards advancing climate and disaster risk-informed sustainable development,
- EWS must be followed by anticipatory and early action and trigger the National Emergency Coordination Centers and should link up with national and international data sharing initiatives.
- EW system needs to be decentralized and technologically advanced in Ethiopia in all of its functions from risk analysis, monitoring and warning, to dissemination and communication, as well as building a response capability.
- The EWS efforts must be well linked with the Building Back Better, a transition from response to resilience must be achieved practically. Indigenous knowledge must be well-utilized for this.
Finally, we look forward to strengthening partnerships and collaborating with our partners, including the UN systems, Donors and Implementing partners.
Thank you!!!