This Africa-Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction is a multilateral document aiming at developing a new strategic approach to improving and enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the risk reduction policies and institutional mechanisms in African countries to be achieved by facilitating initiatives by Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and countries in developing and implementing their strategies in harmony with the present document. The Strategy’s objectives are to (i) increase political commitment to disaster risk reduction; (ii) improve identification and assessment of disaster risks; (iii) enhance knowledge management for disaster risk reduction; (iv) increase public awareness of disaster risk reduction; (v) improve governance of disaster risk reduction institutions; and (vi) integrate of disaster risk reduction in emergency response management. Since disaster risks reduction involves environmental protection, the document suggests in this field the following interventions (i) improve identification and assessment of disaster risks to help individuals, communities, and countries protect life, livelihoods, infrastructure, and ecosystems; (ii) develop early warning systems to provide information about vulnerability factors and patterns in addition to hazards forecasting; (iii) integrate disaster risk reduction in emergency management by (a) including disaster risk reduction in development strategies at local, national, sub-regional and regional levels, (b) preparing guidelines for integrating disaster risk reduction in development planning and activities, (c) strengthening the contingency planning and other preparedness measures in emergency management. To promote an inclusive economic and social growth, the Strategy focuses on the effects that disasters, at all levels, produce on livelihood and proposes to (i) reduce complex humanitarian emergencies arising from conflicts causing an increase in the vulnerability status of populations and ecosystems and address the natural hazards induced by mass population movement resulting from conflicts; (ii) promote different forms of resourcing disaster risk reduction, such as insurance and micro-finance; (iii) convince political leaders and investors of the developmental benefits of investing in disaster risk reduction demonstrating the concerned cost-benefit; (iv) improve communication and information exchange among stakeholders in risk identification and assessment and increase access to information; (v) promote integration of disaster risk reduction in education; (vi) strengthen the role of the youth and other major groups in disaster risk reduction; (vii) increase gender sensitivity of disaster risk reduction policies, legislation and programs. As for Governance, it is crucial to increase the political commitment to disaster risk reduction and create a culture of disaster risk reduction at all levels, together with empowering those at risk to achieve protection against disaster impacts. Governments should demonstrate their commitment by (i) improving their governance structures and processes; (ii) through strategically and adequately resourced actions, i.e. strengthening dedicated public funding for disaster risk reduction through special funds. Since the resourcing of disaster risk reduction is a shared responsibility between the State and other stakeholders, a committed political leadership should also facilitate the mobilization of resource investment by communities and the private sector in disaster risk reduction and increase public participation in planning and implementing disaster risk reduction interventions.
2004-07-01