The UN International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has announced that the East African Community (EAC) has renewed its commitment to the Hyogo Framework for Action, and has also adopted the draft EAC Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Management Strategy.
11 February 2013: The UN International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has announced that the East African Community (EAC) has renewed its commitment to the Hyogo Framework for Action, and has also adopted the draft EAC Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Management Strategy.
According to UNISDR, the EAC’s announcement pertains to Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, and was made during the opening of the 5th Africa Drought Adaptation Forum, which convened from 11-12 February in Arusha, Tanzania, under the theme of “Reducing Drought Risk in Africa – Measuring Impact, Strategizing for the Future.” The Forum was organized jointly by UNISDR and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
Other key recommendations and conclusions from the meeting included: the need for countries and institutions to develop targets for building resilience across regions; the need for intra and inter sectoral coordination mechanisms to be enhanced to increase drought resilience; the need for increased and sustainable funding for resilience; that pilot DRR activities should be scaled up; and that resilience meta indicators are required and should be linked with existing regional methodologies. [UNISDR Press Release] [Fifth Africa Drought Adaptation Forum Meeting Announcement] [UNDP Event Announcement] [IISD RS Sources]