Regional Office for Africa
Overview
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Regional Office for Africa (UNDRR-Africa) based in Nairobi, Kenya coordinates DRR initiatives in support of 44 Member States in Sub-Saharan Africa. UNDRR-Africa has as solid partnership with the African Union Commission, five Regional Economic Communities (RECs) regional UN entities and other development partners. It also engages stakeholders such as science and technology consortia, youth representatives, media and civil society members and groups.
The UNDRR-Africa Liaison Office, based in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, provides support to the African Union Commission to implement the Programme of Action (POA) for the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 in Africa. The UNDRR-Ethiopia office also organizes the biannual meetings of the Africa Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction (AWGDRR) jointly with the AUC. The AWGDRR is chaireda by the AUC while UNDRR is the Secretariat. It is the primary body for continental coordination of DRR in Africa. The AWGDRR meetings bring together regional and national DRR focal points alongside key DRR actors to implement the POA.
Within the context of the EU-ACP Programme “Building Disaster Resilience to Natural Hazards in Sub-Saharan African Regions, Countries and Communities”, Country Risk Profiles for floods and droughts were elaborated for 16 countries of the region. In addition, the data catalog which was developed contains a series of geographic layers which can be freely accessed and downloaded.
These statistics show live data about municipalities in Africa that have joined the Making Cities Resilient 2030 initiative. The villages, towns, and cities have made a commitment to move along the resilience roadmap to better protect their citizens.
United Nations Complex
Block N
Level 2
Gigiri
PO Box 47074
00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Phone: +254 207626719
UNDRR-Africa@un.org
Countries
Angola 
Benin 
Botswana 
Burkina Faso 
Burundi 
Cabo Verde 
Cameroon 
Central African Republic 
Chad 
Congo, Dem Rep of the 
Congo, Rep of the 
Côte d'Ivoire 
Equatorial Guinea 
Eritrea 
Eswatini 
Ethiopia 
Gabon 
Gambia 
Ghana 
Guinea 
Guinea-Bissau 
Kenya 
Lesotho 
Liberia 
Madagascar 
Malawi 
Mali 
Mauritius 
Mayotte 
Mozambique 
Namibia 
Niger 
Nigeria 
Reunion 
Rwanda 
Sao Tome and Principe 
Senegal 
Seychelles 
Sierra Leone 
South Africa 
South Sudan 
Tanzania, United Rep of 
Togo 
Uganda 
Zambia 
Zimbabwe
News and events
Publications
Regional platform
About the Africa Regional Platform
The biennial Africa Regional Platform has established itself as a critical mechanism that brings together Member States, Regional Economic Communities, development partners and other disaster risk reduction stakeholders to review progress, share experiences, good practices and lessons learned on disaster risk reduction at the regional level.
The Platform seeks to build a consensus on the way forward to enable Member States to deliver on their commitments to the Sendai Framework and the African Union’s Programme of Action for its implementation in Africa, thereby contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the ‘Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want’.
Sessions of the Africa Regional Platform
8th Africa Regional Platform: 16-19 November 2021, Nairobi, Kenya
Theme: Towards Disaster Risk-Informed Development for a Resilient Africa in a COVID-19 Transformed World
The Government of the Republic of Kenya hosted the Eighth Africa Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Seventh High-Level Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction on 16-19 November, 2021. The events were organized by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The Africa Regional Platform was held under the over-arching theme: “Towards Disaster Risk-Informed Development for a Resilient Africa in a COVID-19 Transformed World”. The events on 16-18 November were held virtually, while the High-level/Ministerial session on 19 November was in hybrid format in Nairobi, Kenya.
[Consult the official website of the event]
7th Africa Regional Platform: 9-13 october 2018, Tunis, Tunisia
Theme: Towards Disaster Risk Informed and inclusive sustainable development
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) in collaboration with the League of Arab States and the African Union Commission and hosted by the government of Tunisia, organized the Africa-Arab Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction, which comprised of the 7th Africa Regional Platform and 6th High-Level Meeting and the 4th Arab Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. The Platform provided an opportunity for governments and all stakeholders to assess the progress and reaffirm commitment towards implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 in the two regions. The platform also enabled stakeholders and partners to foster cooperation across the regions towards disaster risk informed and inclusive sustainable development, while enabling them to share knowledge, experiences and best practices in advancing disaster risk reduction. [read more...]
6th Africa Regional Platform: 22-25 November 2016, Mauritius
Representatives of African countries, stakeholder groups and development and humanitarian partners gathered in Mauritius, 22-25 November 2016, for the 6th Session of the Africa Regional Platform, and the 5th High Level Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction. The Platform and High Level Meeting were hosted by the Government of Mauritius, in cooperation with the African Union Commission, the SADC Secretariat and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). Some of the objectives of the event were to review progress in the implementation of Sendai Framework in Africa and to discuss and agree on the Africa Programme of Action aligned with the Sendai Framework. [read more...]
5th Africa Regional Platform: 13-16 May 2014, Abuja, Nigeria
Theme: Prevent risk: build resilience
The Fifth Africa Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction and Third Ministerial Meeting was organised, under the leadership of the African Union Commission to develop the Africa contribution to the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction (the Sendai Framework for DRR) to be considered at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and its Preparatory Committee meetings. It adopted a declaration which is a key instrument to frame the overall outcome of the African Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, including the validation of core elements of the Post-2015 Framework for DRR. [read more...]
4th Africa Regional Platform: 13-15 February 2013, Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania
Theme: Protect development gains and build resilience of African Nations
Over 250 participants from 45 African countries and partners gathered in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, 13-15 February 2013 for the 4th Africa Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. Stakeholders from governments, intergovernmental regional organizations, bilateral and multilateral donors, United Nations, academic and technical institutions, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Government Organizations were joined by mayors and local governments, community leaders, parliamentarians, youth, media and the private sector – all sharing a common commitment to build the resilience of African communities and nations to disaster risk and adapt to a changing climate. [read more...]
More about Global and Regional Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction
Regional Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction are multi-stakeholder forums that were developed incrementally after the Kobe Conference 2005. While they have varying characteristics, they all share the same traits as dynamic forums for policy-makers, partners, experts and practitioners to announce initiatives, launch products, share information, promote campaigns, monitor progress and provide evidence about disaster risk reduction.
The Sendai Framework recognises the Global and Regional Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction as key mediums for its implementation, building on the pivotal role that they have played in supporting the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action. The Sendai Framework also underscores the need for the Global Platform and Regional Platforms to function as a coherent system of mechanisms in order to fully leverage the potential of collaboration across all stakeholders and sectors to provide guidance and support in implementation.
The function of the Global and Regional Platforms is identified in the Sendai Framework’s paragraphs 28 (c) and 49. In particular, they are expected to serve as instruments to:
- Forge partnerships;
- Periodically assess progress on implementation,
- Share practice and knowledge on disaster risk-informed policies, programmes and investments, including on development and climate issues;
- Promote the integration of disaster risk management in other relevant sectors;
- Contribute to the integrated and coordinated follow-up processes to United Nations conferences and summits.
Key documents
Africa and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
- Africa Common Position to the 2019 Global Platform for DRR, 2019 [EN]
- The Programme of Action(PoA) for the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for DRR 2015-2030 in Africa, 2017 [EN]
- Africa Status Report for DRR, 2014 [EN] [FR]
- Africa Regional Strategy for DRR, 2004 [EN] [FR]
- Extended Programme of Action for the implementation of the Africa Regional Strategy for DRR (2006-2015) [EN] [FR]
Disaster Risk Reduction Frameworks
- Sendai Framework for DRR (2015-2030) [EN] [FR] [More on Sendai Framework]
- Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015 [EN] [FR] [More on HFA]
- Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action for a Safer World, 1994 [EN]