The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has passed the 'Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Bill 2013' in an effort to curb the impact of natural and manmade hazards in the region.
The bill, the first such regional legislation in Africa, aims to enhance the coordination of disaster preparedness, management, protection and mitigation measures.
The adoption of the bill marks a significant step in Africa's implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), which was adopted in March 2015.
14 March 2015: The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has passed the ‘Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Bill 2013’ in an effort to curb the impact of natural and manmade hazards in the region. The bill, the first such regional legislation in Africa, aims to enhance the coordination of disaster preparedness, management, protection and mitigation measures. The adoption of the bill marks a significant step in Africa’s implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) 2015-2030, which was adopted in March 2015.
The bill was passed on 10 March 2016, during the third Assembly, which is convening from 7-18 March in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and will be forwarded to East African Community (EAC) Heads of State for approval.
The bill provides a legal framework to assist those affected by climate change and natural hazard, as well as to protect the natural environment through integrating DRR and management practices in the region. The bill includes a provision for establishing a ministerial-level East African Community Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, and encourages compliance by, for example, enacting laws and regulations, taking administrative actions and implementing enforcement measures.
According to the World Bank, around 2.8% of the EAC’s population is affected by droughts, floods or extreme temperatures on an annual basis, approximately nine times the world median, with billions of dollars in economic losses due to disasters and an increased frequency of climate-related disasters.
The bill was first introduced in April 2013, following a December 2010 visit to the Assembly by a UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) delegation in order to raise awareness within the legislature on the importance of DRR. The EALA and UNISDR then agreed to collaborate to develop legislation to build disaster resilience in East Africa. UNISDR has provided DRR and management support to the EAC, including assistance in crafting the bill, developing an EAC DRR and Management Strategy, creating a DRR Working Group in the Assembly, and establishing a regional platform to drive policy.
The EALA is an organ of the EAC, a regional intergovernmental organization that includes Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
The ‘Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030,’ which was adopted in March 2015, at the 3rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) held in Sendai, Japan, includes seven targets and four priorities for action. The Framework seeks to reduce disaster deaths, the number of affected people, economic losses, damage to critical infrastructure and disruption to basic services, such as health and educational facilities. It also aims to increase the number of countries with national and local risk reduction strategies, developing country capacity and coverage by early warning systems. [UNISDR Press Release] [Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Bill 2013] [EAC Press Release] [EALA Press Release] [EAC DRR Website] [IISD RS Coverage of WCDRR] [WCDRR Website] [EALA Website]