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

News and events

News
Temperature gauge (c) Petria Follett
Scientists have confirmed that 2017 was the third warmest year on record, after 2016 and 2015, in the State of the Climate Report, which examines temperature, precipitation and weather events throughout the world.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
The new co-chair of ARISE, Dale Sands speaking at the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Cancun, Mexico
The new Advisory Board for ARISE, UNISDR's private sector partnership, is now complete following the election of a new co-chair, Dale Sands, and vice-chair, Martha Herrera.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
"Reducing economic losses from disasters has the power to transform lives," says Mami Mizutori, head of UNISDR
The Sendai Seven Campaign continues. This year International Day for Disaster Reduction, October 13, will focus on target (c) of the Sendai Framework, reducing economic losses.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
The eight-day High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development concluded yesterday
The 31 UN Member States in the Group of Friends of Disaster Risk Reduction has urged that National Voluntary Reviews on progess towards achieving the SDGs should include data from the Sendai Framework Monitor launched by UNISDR in March.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
Children in class in Ketumbeine community in north-eastern Tanzania (c) World Vision
Following a deadly and disruptive earthquake in September 2016, authorities in Tanzania have embarked on a project to engage school children in community disaster preparedness as part of their Education in Emergency initiative.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Africa
A community in Gombaniro Village, Rusizi District, Rwanda, participates in an exercise to map hazards affecting their village (photo UNISDR/Samuel Okiror)
Rwanda has mainstreamed disaster risk reduction (DRR) across all sectors and put in place strong regulations and contingency plans to address all natural and man-made hazards affecting the country.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Africa
Cliff Chiunda, Office of the President and the Cabinet, speaking at the workshop to establish a disaster loss data base for Malawi, with Clement Chinthu Phiri, Department of Disaster Management Affairs.
Malawi today became the latest country in Africa to complete training on establishing a national disaster loss data base, considered an essential prerequisite for being able to report on progress on reducing disaster losses and improving disaster risk management.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Africa
A new guide designed to support local governments in their efforts to prevent disasters and reduce disaster losses is now available in draft form for public review before it will be finalized and launched in three months’ time.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
(from left) Sayanaa Lkhagvasuren of the Government of Mongolia met with UNISDR head, Mami Mizutori, during talks this week in Geneva on Sendai Framework implementation
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 will be three years old on March 18 as the first cycle of reporting gets underway.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
Group photo taken today at the close of the two day experts consultation on a Global Capacity Development Strategy to support implementation of the Sendai Framework
The 3rd anniversary of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 was marked today with agreement on key elements of a Global Capacity Development Strategy to accelerate implementation of the global plan to reduce disaster losses.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Office in Incheon for Northeast Asia and Global Education and Training Institute for Disaster Risk Reduction
Upcoming Events
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Publications

Publications

This working paper analyses the objectives and rationale of tracking public investments on disaster risk reduction (DRR). The document also looks into the methodologies adopted for tracking public investments for various cross-cutting issues and reviews

This report contains a synopsis of volcanism from a hazard and risk perspective and highlights the wide range of hazards posed by volcanoes and describes their diverse impacts on communities. This technical report complements a shorter summary background

This paper argues that a human rights-based approach (HRBA), i.e. participation in political life, consultation of affected groups in decision-making processes, access to justice, due process, transparency and accountability, provides excellent tools towards a real positive change in disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate change adaptation and mitigation. The publication analyses case studies in Brazil, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia and Nepal.

The paper discusses the conceptualization of drought and proceeds with analysing drought risk management which includes risk assessment and modelling based on spatial technology in Malawi, Niger, Mozambique and Kenya.

The author concludes that it is

The paper compares and contrasts how disaster risk management is being conceptualised in relation to emerging climate change adaptation efforts and how these two agendas are influenced by different governance systems, accountabilities and social contracts

This document asks if transformation pathways for disaster risk management can be observed, and if so then how and why they unfold as observed. The study uses a qualititative analysis to establish an empirical basis for policy development that can more

This paper’s information is drawn on excerpts of literature reviewed about disasters and oil resource from the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the United Nations and Uganda, oil and disaster scholarship, media and other sources. The authors note

This document presents a project which aims at improving the knowledge of the distribution of building type for 18 countries where more detailed information, than that previously gathered, became available. Secondly, the project attempts to solve the

This paper discusses the lessons learned from a comparative analysis of Early Warning Systems (EWS) for floods in Europe (Belgium) and Africa (Egypt, Mali). This paper focuses on the substantial challenges in the effective use of an EWS as a tool to

This background paper provides a resource for the relative analysis of volcanic hazard and risk around the world on the basis of regions and individual countries with volcanoes that have been active in the last 10,000 years.  Global information can mask

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

 

 

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