Media Advisory Note

African Union Commission (AUC)/ African Risk Capacity (ARC) Joint Workshop

INVITATION TO MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES

When : 26th -27th November 2018
Where : African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Who: African Union Commission and African Risk Capacity
Theme: Transforming Disaster Risk Financing Towards Agenda 2063

Background:
The African continent remains susceptible to climate-prone and other natural disasters at ever-increasing frequency compounding development setbacks on the continent. Over time, there have been, policies and frameworks set up at the continental and national levels to guide the management of such disasters. Hence, the Africa Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction and its Action Plan which was developed to provide strategic guidance to African countries in ensuring Disaster Risk Reduction.
Evidence from the baseline assessment of country gaps indicated that more emphasis is laid on post-disaster loss assessment, thereby diverting the focus away from anticipatory measures. The need for innovative mechanisms to fill the identified gaps therefore becomes necessary.
One such approach is to fill the risk Identification and emergency response gaps, through risk transfer and insurance solutions combined with effective early warning and contingency planning interventions.
In 2012, the African Risk Capacity (ARC) Agency, was established as a catastrophe risk pool to assist African countries to plan, prepare and respond to natural weather events and other disasters. In 2014, the ARC Agency launched ARC Ltd, an affiliate insurance arm, to carry out commercial functions to deliver services and products to Member States. In only four years of operations, ARC Ltd has disbursed over $36 million as payouts to affected member states. The financial resources have gone to support response interventions to 900,000 livestock and over 2.1 million people affected by drought in 4 Member states.

Objectives:
The workshop is to present the opportunity for officials within the AUC, and key stakeholders in the Disaster Risk Reduction space, to have a shared, deepened understanding of Disaster Risk Financing as implemented by ARC. Clarification of the vision, mission, strategy, and programmes of the ARC as a Specialized Agency of the AU would ensure transparency, and provide a clear alignment between ARC and the PoA for the implementation of the Africa Regional strategy and in line with the SENDAI framework.
Specifically, the session would ensure the following:
• Provide the platform to present the work of ARC towards explicitly clarifying its role in Disaster Risk Financing;
• Provide clear linkages between Disaster Risk Financing and the Programme of Action for the African Strategy for DRR and the SENDAI framework;
• Discuss options for closely supporting RECs’ efforts towards Disaster Risk Financing;
• Explore solutions for the identified challenges faced by ARC in supporting country Disaster Risk Financing efforts;

Expected Outcomes:
The 2 Day session will realize the following outcomes:
• Improved understanding of the role of Disaster Risk Financing and the contribution of regional Risk Pools to addressing weather-based disaster risks;
• Specific understanding of ARC’s operations and identification of gaps for strengthening delivery of ARC products and services to AU Member States;
• Specific recommendations and identified streams in which AU support for advocacy of the mechanism would be strengthened;
• Recommendations for sustaining Premium Financing efforts of Member States.

Media personnel are invited to cover this event.

The draft programme and agenda is attached
Media Enquiries:
Mr. Chinedu Moghalu/Chinedu.moghalu@wfp.org/African Risk Capacity: Chinedu.moghalu@africanriskcapacity.org
Ms. Afrah Thabit / African union Commission/ Thabitma@africa-union.org/ Cell: 0911200922
For further information:
http://www.africanriskcapacity.org/
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