Regional outreach

To facilitate disaster risk reduction in Africa, UN/ISDR has established its regional outreach office in Nairobi in October 2002, with the financial support of the German government.

To foster national ownership of the disaster reduction process, UN/ISDR Africa continued to provide tailored assistance to the establishment of national platforms with national leadership and cost sharing. At the same time, UN/ISDR Africa endeavoured to reinforce partnership with already-established ISDR National Platforms through mutual support in disaster reduction initiatives. UN/ISDR Africa’s areas of focus are:

Regional areas focus

• Supporting Policy & Strategy Development
• Advocating & Raising Awareness in Disaster Risk Reduction
• Promoting Information Sharing & Knowledge Exchange
• Forging networks, partnerships & coordination in mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into development

Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction

What is the Africa Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (ARSDRR)?
The New partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) and the Africa Union Commission with support from UN/ISDR Africa, AfDB, UNDP-BCPR and UNEP developed the Africa Regional Strategy for DRR aimed at facilitating integration of DRR into development programmes of member states and institutional programmes.

The ARSDRR, is an African Regional Disaster risk reduction framework for action whose mission is to reduce or eliminate the conditions that promote vulnerability to natural hazards and related technological and environmental phenomena which result in human, social, economic and environmental losses in Africa.

Objectives of the ARSDRR

1. To reduce the social, economic and environmental impacts of disasters on African people and economies, for sustainable development.
2. To increase understanding and knowledge of DRR as an integral part of sustainable development.
3. To increase capacity at sub-regional and national levels for mainstreaming and implementing DRR into development processes.

ASDRR Mechanism of Implementation

1. African Ministerial Conference for DRR
2. Africa Working Group (AWG) of the Global Platform for DRR (headed by the AU, members include heads of all RECs and the AAG)
3. Africa Advisory Group (AAG) (Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Madagascar, Algeria, Senegal, South Africa, AU, regional consultants)
4. Africa Regional Economic Commissions (RECs) i.e: IGAD, EAC, ECOWAS, SADC, ECCAS, IOC, COMESA.
5. National Governments
6. UN Agencies to support
7. Africa Programme of Action