Opening Remarks Delivered to The

Ninth Session of The Africa Regional Platform For Disaster Risk Reduction

22^nd October 2024

Windhoek, Namibia

By

Anderson Kamdambo Banda

Director –Sadc Humanitarian And Emergency Operations Centre

SALUTATIONS

YOUR EXCELLENCIES, DISTINGUISHED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

ALLOW ME, ON BEHALF OF THE SADC EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT LED BY H.E MR. ELIAS MAGOSI, TO WARMLY WELCOME YOU TO THE SADC REGION FOR THIS NINTH SESSION OF THE AFRICA REGIONAL PLATFORM FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION (AFRP-9) AND INDEED THE EIGHTH HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION BEING BE HELD BACK TO BACK  HERE IN WINDHOEK, REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA UNDER THE THEME “ACT NOW FOR THE RESILIENT AFRICA WE WANT”.

ALLOW ME TO START BY THANKING MOST SINCERELY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA FOR THE EXCELLENT ORGANISATION OF THIS PLATFORM AND THE WARM HOSPITALITY ACCORDED TO US SINCE OUR ARRIVAL HERE.

I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND GRATITUDE TO THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION IN COLLABORATION WITH THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY FOR ORGANISING THIS PLATFORM.

TO ALL THE PARTNERS WHO HAVE MADE THIS AFRICA PLATFORM POSSIBLE, THE SADC SECRETARIAT EXTENDS ITS GRATITUDE AND SOLICITS FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT TO BETTER THE LIVES OUR COMMUNITIES VULNERABLE TO DISASTERS.

YOUR EXCELLENCIES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

AS YOU ARE AWARE, THIS PLATFORM, WILL SEEK TO BUILD A CONSENSUS ON THE WAY FORWARD, TO ENABLE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION MEMBER STATES AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC COMMUNITIES  TO DELIBERATE  ON OUR COMMITMENTS AND PROGRESS  TO THE SENDAI FRAMEWORK AND THE PROGRAMME OF ACTION FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN, THEREBY CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND THE AGENDA 2063: THE AFRICA WE WANT.

THESE MILESTONES WE HAVE SET FOR OURSELVES AT VARIOUS LEVELS CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED THROUGH THE MAINSTREAMING OF  DISASTER RISK REDUCTION, CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, RISK GOVERNANCE AND RISK-PROOF INVESTMENT AND RESILIENCE, INTO THE CONTINENTAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS  BEARING IN MIND THEIR CRITICAL ROLE TO THE INTEGRATION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY OF THE CONTINENT.

YOUR EXCELLENCIES, DISTINGUISHED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

THIS PLATFORM WILL BE HELD BACK TO BACK WITH THE HIGH-LEVEL MEETING OF  MINISTERS AND HEADS OF DELEGATIONS TO CONSIDER AND ADOPT ITS  OUTCOMES, WHICH WILL BE SUBMITTED TO THE AFRICAN UNION POLICY ORGAN FOR ENDORSEMENT. THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND OUTCOMES ADOPTED AT THE HIGH-LEVEL MEETING WILL INFORM THE OUTCOME OF THE 2025 GLOBAL PLATFORM FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE NEXT YEAR IN GENEVA, SWITZERLAND.

THE SADC SECRETARIAT APPRECIATES THIS INITIATIVE TO ASSEMBLE HIGH LEVEL LEADERSHIP  FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND ACTION CHAMPIONS DRAWN FROM ALL MEMBER STATES AND SUB-REGIONS OF THE CONTINENT, TO DISCUSS RELEVANT PROGRAMMES ON DRR, SUCH RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE , CAPACITY AND LEADERSHIP IN DRR, INCLUDING ADVOCATING FOR POLICY AND LEGAL FRAMEWORKS FOR ACTION.

IT IS FOR THIS REASON THAT THE SADC SECRETARIAT CALLS UPON ALL DRR STAKEHOLDERS GATHERED HERE TO RECOGNISE THE IMPORTANCE OF DISASTER RISK REDUCTION PREPAREDNESS AND COORDINATED RESPONSE. THUS OUR CALL IS FOR ALL GOVERNMENTS, INCLUDING INTERNATIONAL BODIES TO MAKE PROVISIONS FOR INTEGRATED DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE MECHANISMS GUIDED BY THE SENDAI FRAMEWORK AND THE PROGRAMME OF ACTION FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION AT CONTINENTAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL LEVELS. 

OUR FURTHER CALL IS FOR THE INTEGRATION OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE MECHANISMS INTO CLIMATE ACTIONS AND THE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS OF THE MEMBER COUNTRIES AS GUIDED BY THE SENDAI FRAMEWORK. 

OUR BELIEF IS THAT THE WINDHOEK DECLARATION WHICH WILL COME OUT OF YOUR DELIBERATIONS WILL  ACCELERATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAMME OF ACTION FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SENDAI FRAMEWORK FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION 2015-2030 IN AFRICA, AT REGIONAL, NATIONAL AND LOCAL LEVELS.

I WISH YOU ALL FRUITFUL DELIBERATIONS.

YOUR EXCELLENCIES , DISTINGUISHED LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

I THANK YOU

OBRIGADO,

ASANTE SANA

SHUKRAN

MERCI