Luanda - The Southern African Development Community (SADC) called, this Thursday, on the international community to intensify efforts to mitigate the impacts of disasters in member states.
In a message signed by the Executive Secretary, Elias Mpedi Magosi, as part of the celebration of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, the regional organization highlights the need for accelerated efforts, investment in reducing disaster risk, increasing resilience, as well as designing measures to ensure equal access to basic social services.
“All of this serves to ensure that disaster risk management efforts, including early warning systems, protect everyone on earth by 2027. It is only through coordinated and deliberate action that we can achieve a significant reduction in disaster risk for everyone”, reads the message.
According to the organization, the SADC region continues to deal with the devastation caused by disasters, most often resulting in the loss of life and extensive destruction of property and infrastructure.
“Disasters are expected to continue with greater intensity and frequency in the foreseeable future, resulting in greater negative social and economic impacts”, he adds.
Between February and March this year, the catastrophic Tropical Cyclone Freddy devastated the region and affected more than 2 million people, with a cumulative of 1,400 deaths in Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique.
The organization points out the need for post-disaster reconstruction and recovery resulting from the substantial destruction of property, infrastructure and environmental assets caused by the cyclone.
Given the complex interaction between persistent structural problems and recent shocks, it is estimated that there will be 37.5 million people in a situation of food insecurity between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024, in eight SADC member states.
This scenario, he emphasized, requires greater and better coordinated regional efforts to reduce disaster risk in the region, in order to ensure that everyone has access to disaster risk management services.
“SADC notes these inequalities and discrepancies with concern, and is, therefore, committed, through its Strategic Indicative Plan for Regional Development 2020-2030, to improving disaster risk management in support of regional resilience and integration”, he asserts.
It adds that at the national level, Member States have demonstrated this commitment through the integration and implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and the African Union Program of Action for the implementation of that Framework.
“So far, all SADC Member States are implementing national DRR strategies aligned with the Sendai Framework, while others are in the process of harmonizing their strategies with the Global Framework. This commitment was also demonstrated through the operationalization of the SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Center (SHOC), based in Nacala, Mozambique”, he reinforced.
According to the organization, the Center will ensure that there is coordinated management of disaster risks in the region.
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