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.

Upcoming Events
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Latest Publications
Cities becoming more resilient in Africa

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.

 

 

Contact us

United Nations Complex
Block N
Level 2
Gigiri
PO Box 47074
00100
Nairobi, Kenya

Phone: +254 207626719
UNDRR-Africa@un.org 
 

Countries

Country Sendai Focal Point National Platform Country profile on PreventionWeb
Angola Country profile
Benin Direction de la Prévention et de la Protection Civile Benin National Platform Country profile
Botswana National Disaster Management Office, Office of the President Botswana National Platform Country profile
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso - government Burkina Faso National Platform Country profile
Burundi Burundi - government Burundi National Platform Country profile
Cabo Verde Serviço Nacional de Protecção Civil Cabo Verde Country profile
Cameroon Country profile
Central African Republic Country profile
Chad Country profile
Congo, Dem Rep of the Min de l'Intérieur Congo, Dem Rep of Country profile
Congo, Rep of the Ministère de l'Économie Forestière et de l'Environnement Congo, Rep of the National Platform Country profile
Côte d'Ivoire Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests Côte d'Ivoire National Platform Country profile
Equatorial Guinea Country profile
Eritrea Country profile
Eswatini Country profile
Ethiopia Country profile
Gabon Ministere de l'Interieur,de la Sécurité Publique, de l'Immigration et de la Décentralisation Gabon National Platform Country profile
Gambia Gambia National Platform Country profile
Ghana National Disaster Management Organization (Ghana) Ghana National Platform Country profile
Guinea Ministère de l'Environnement et du Developpement Durable Guinea National Platform Country profile
Guinea-Bissau National Service of Civil Protection (Guinea-Bissau) Guinea-Bissau National Platform Country profile
Kenya Ministry of Devolution and Planning, State department of devolution, Directorate of special programmes Kenya National Platform Country profile
Lesotho Disaster Management Authority Lesotho National Platform, Lesotho National Platform Country profile
Liberia Country profile
Madagascar Country profile
Malawi Country profile
Mali Country profile
Mauritius Country profile
Mayotte Country profile
Mozambique Country profile
Namibia Office of the Prime (Namibia) Namibia National Platform Country profile
Niger Office of the Prime Minister (Niger) Niger National Platform Country profile
Nigeria National Emergency Management Agency (Nigeria) Nigeria National Platform Country profile
Reunion Country profile
Rwanda Country profile
Sao Tome and Principe Country profile
Senegal Direction de la Protection Civile, Ministère de l'Intérieur (Senegal) Senegal National Platform Country profile
Seychelles Division of Risk and Disaster Management, Division of Risk and Disaster Management Seychelles National Platform Country profile
Sierra Leone Disaster Management Department, Office of National Security Sierra Leone National Platform Country profile
South Africa Department of Water Affairs and Forestry South Africa National Platform Country profile
South Sudan Country profile
Tanzania, United Rep of Office of the Prime Minister (Tanzania, United Rep of) Tanzania, United Rep of Country profile
Togo Ministère de l'Environnement et des Ressources Forestières Togo National Platform Country profile
Uganda Office of the Prime Minister (Uganda) Uganda National Platform Country profile
Zambia Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit Zambia National Platform Country profile
Zimbabwe Country profile

News and events

Classes continue in Beira after cyclone Idai in difficult conditions
Mozambique's experience of cyclone idai is a text book example of why we need to build to last, critical infrastructure such as safe schools.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
Disaster risk management officials from Africa visited the European Response Coordination Centre this week in Brussels
Disaster risk management officials had an opportunity to meet counterparts in Europe this week and exchange experiences supported by the European Union.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Africa
The promotion of resilient infrastructure is at the heart of this year's International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on October 13.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
From left: Marim Faria e Maya, Tony Blair Institute: Mami Mizutori, UNDRR; Geoffrey White, CEO, Agility Africa; Francisco Pereira, Mozambican Reconstruction Authority
UNDRR chief Mami Mizutori took her advocacy messages to several key audiences in the Mozambican capital Maputo today
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Africa
Resilient Infrastructure and Disaster Risk Reduction 10 September 2019 Financial Times Summit, Maputo Remarks Ms. Mami Mizutori Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
UNDRR chief, Mami Mizutori, with the head of Mozambique's disaster management agency, Augusta Maita, at a meeting of the country's National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction
UNDRR chief Mami Mizturi applauds Mozambique's commitment to reducing disaster losses, on her first visit to the country which is recovering from back-to-back cyclones earlier this year.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Africa
Thanks to the ‘Making Cities Sustainable and Resilient’ initiative, Yaoundé Six, Cameroon, has developed a disaster risk reduction action plan to enhance living conditions in its informal settlements.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
Under the ‘Making Cities Sustainable and Resilient’ initiative in Cape Verde, a wide cross-section of organizations came together to rank Praia’s levels of disaster resilience. The city is also now developing its first DRR plan.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE) and the Ministry of the Interior for Finland have joined together to develop a new stress test tool that will help countries understand and improve their ability to reduce risk of hybrid threats and cascading disaster scenarios.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Europe & Central Asia
Kisumu has offered to be a training ground for other African cities due to its pioneering role in disaster risk reduction, which is thanks in part to great civic participation in preventive strategies and the Making Cities Sustainable and Resilient Initiative.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
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Publications

Rwanda cover page

This report analyses public investment planning for disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Rwanda and estimates the level of public investment in DRR in the country. It does this through a risk-sensitive budget review, which uses the Organisation for Economic

Namibia cover page

UNDRR has partnered with the European Union, African Union and African Caribbean and Pacific Group of States to deliver a programme to build African countries’ capacity in risk-sensitive investment planning and DRR mainstreaming under the programme

Kenya cover page

This report provides an analysis of public investment planning for disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Kenya and highlights the level of public investment in DRR in the country. It does this through a risk sensitive budget review, which uses the Organisation

Guinea-Bissau cover page

This report analyses public investment planning for disaster risk reduction (DRR) mainstreaming in Guinea-Bissau, as part of UNDRR’s programme “Building Disaster Resilience to Natural Hazards in sub-Saharan African Regions, Countries and Communities”. It

The Gambia cover page

This report provides an analysis of public investment planning for disaster risk reduction (DRR) in The Gambia and informs on the level of public investment in DRR in the country. This is done using a risk-sensitive budget review (RSBR) that applies the

Gabon cover page

This report provides an analysis of public investment planning for disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Gabon and informs on the level of public investment in DRR in the country. This is done using a risk-sensitive budget review (RSBR) that applies the

Eswatini cover page

This report analyses public investment planning for disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Eswatini (The Kingdom of) and the country’s level of public investment in DRR. It does this by means of a risk-sensitive budget review (RSBR), which uses the Organisation

Equatorial Guinea cover page

This report provides an analysis of public investment planning for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and the level of public investment in DRR in Equatorial Guinea. It does this by means of a risk-sensitive budget review (RSBR) that applies the OECD DAC DRR

Côte d’Ivoire cover page

This report provides an analysis of public investment planning for disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Côte d’Ivoire and highlights the level of public investment in DRR in the country. To do this, it conducts a risk-sensitive budget review (RSBR), which

Cameroon cover page

This report presents an analysis of public investment planning and financing strategy for disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Cameroon, as part of UNDRR’s programme “Building Disaster Resilience to Natural Hazards in Sub-Saharan African Regions, Countries

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