OPENING REMARKS OF H.E. AMBASSADOR HAROLD SAFFA,

CHAIR OF THE PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE COMMITTEE SUB-COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE RURAL DEDEVLOPMENT WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Your Excellency, John Mutorwa, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works and Transport of the Republic of Namibia

Honorable Ministers in Charge of Disaster Risk Management

Your Worship, the Mayor of the City of Windhoek

H.E. Kamal Kishore; Special Representative of the United Nations for Disaster Risk Reduction

Excellencies Ambassadors and High Commissioners

Distinguished Representatives from the African Union Member States and Regional Economic Communities                                                 

Representatives of Development Partners

Members of the Media

All Protocol duly observed

1. Let me commence by acknowledging with gratitude the legendary hospitality accorded to all delegations by the Republic of Namibia in this magnificent City of Windhoek.

2. In the same vein, I have the honour to thank the Honourable Deputy Prime Minister and all the Honourable Ministers and Heads of delegations for honouring our invitation to attend this very important meeting.
3. Disasters have no respect for anyone and they happen everywhere striking the most powerful and the weakest nations – and what makes the difference is our ability to respond to them.

4. But experience has taught us that prevention is better than cure, and for this reason the continent has become proactive.

5. It is for this reason that African governments decided to establish the African Union Multi-Hazard Early Warning System and Early Action System (AMHEWAS) to provide alerts for looming hazards.

6. This programme in our wisdom, is supposed to be rolled out to Regional Economic Communities and Member States in order to protect every African.

7. It is our flagship programme and we request partners to support it fully in order to contribute to disaster prevention in Africa.

8. On resilience building the Urban Resilience programme stands out and again we would like to work with our partners on this programme too in order to make a difference.
9. On this note, I would like us to listen to a video that contains the message of Her Excellency, Amb Josefa Sacko, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment of the African union Commission.

10. I wish you all fruitful deliberation.