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Regional Office Arab States

Overview

The UNDRR Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS) was established in 2007 to support Arab States and communities build their resilience to disasters. ROAS partners for disaster risk reduction (DRR) with key regional intergovernmental organizations including the League of Arab States and its technical regional organizations.

ROAS promotes linkages and coordination at regional level with civil society networks, expert technical groups, the media and UN and international organizations to build awareness and knowledge of contextual risks and to collaborate around risk reduction activities.

UNDRR’s regional efforts help to improve the relevance and understanding of DRR in the region and promote the integration of risk reduction in regional and national policies and plans such as on climate change adaptation, sustainable development, urban development and city planning.

Highlights
MCR 2030
Updates

Dubai as a smart, sustainable and resilient role model city to establish a city resilience hub under the MCR 2030 Programme

A sculpture at the tsunami memorial park at Kamala Beach in Phuket, Thailand, which was one of the areas hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.
Updates

Asia-Pacific commemorates World Tsunami Awareness Day with a focus on inclusive risk governance

Panelists of Second PRP webinar
Updates

Local wisdom and leadership key for resilient Pacific

study tour in Italy
Updates

Italy approves a contribution of EUR 3 million to support the establishment of a multi-hazard early warning system in Africa

Upcoming Events
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Latest Publications
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Contact us

UNDRR Regional Office for Arab States
14 Road 280, Off Laselky Street, Corner of Mashreq Bank
New Maadi, Cairo, Egypt 

Email: undrr-arabstates@un.org
Phone: +2 (02) 25229166
Fax: +2 (02) 25164918

Countries

COUNTRY OFFICIAL FOCAL POINT TYPE CONTACT WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Algeria Delegation Nationale aux Risques Majeurs Sendai Framework COUNTRY PROFILE
Algeria Ministère de l'Intérieur et des Collectivités Locales National Platform +213 21732340 COUNTRY PROFILE
Algeria Ministry of Interior Local Collectivities and land Management Sendai Framework COUNTRY PROFILE
Comoros Centre National de Documentation et de Recherche Scientifique, Observatoire Volcanologique du Karthala Sendai Framework COUNTRY PROFILE
Djibouti Ministère de l'Intérieur (Djibouti) Sendai Framework VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Egypt Cabinet Information and Decision Support Center, Crisis Mangement and DRR Sector Sendai Framework +20 2 27929292 VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Iraq Ministry of Environment (Iraq) Sendai Framework +964 18852569 VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Jordan National Center for Security and Crisis Management National Platform COUNTRY PROFILE
Jordan General Directorate of Jordan Civil Defence Sendai Framework +96 265681992 VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Jordan Supreme Council of Civil Defence, General Directorate of Civil Defence Disaster Management Sendai Framework +962 775444907 VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Kuwait Kuwait Fire Service Directorate Sendai Framework VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Lebanon Presidency of the Council of Ministers (Lebanon) Sendai Framework VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Mauritania Ministèr de L'Environnement et du Développement Durable Sendai Framework +222 601 24 24 VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Mauritania Ministèr de L'Environnement et du Développement Durable National Platform +222 601 24 24 VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Morocco Ministry Delegate to the Head of Government Responsible for General Affairs and Governance Sendai Framework +212537689000 VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Morocco Ministry Delegate to the Head of Government Responsible for General Affairs and Governance Sendai Framework +212537689000 VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Morocco Ministry of Interior Sendai Framework 022 918 01 44 COUNTRY PROFILE
Morocco Ministère de l'Intérieur Sendai Framework COUNTRY PROFILE
Oman Ministry of Environment & Climate Affairs Sendai Framework VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Oman Ministry of Environment & Climate Affairs Sendai Framework VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Palestine, State of General Directorate of Civil Defense, Ministry of the Interior Sendai Framework +972 2 2950131 VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Palestine, State of National Centre for Disaster Risk Management Sendai Framework COUNTRY PROFILE
Qatar Ministry of Interior Sendai Framework COUNTRY PROFILE
Qatar The Permenant Committee of Emergency Sendai Framework VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Qatar Ministry of Interior Sendai Framework COUNTRY PROFILE
Qatar The Permenant Committee of Emergency Sendai Framework VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Qatar The Permenant Committee of Emergency Sendai Framework VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Saudi Arabia civil defense - civilian protection- emergency planning Sendai Framework VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Somalia Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management Sendai Framework VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Sudan Humanitarian Aid Commission- Early Warning Center Sendai Framework VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Sudan National Council of Civil Defence Sendai Framework COUNTRY PROFILE
Tunisia Ministère de l'Environnement et du Développement Durable Sendai Framework +216 70 243 800 VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
Tunisia Ministry of Local Affairs and the Environment Sendai Framework VIEW WEBSITE COUNTRY PROFILE
United Arab Emirates National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority Sendai Framework COUNTRY PROFILE
Yemen Environment protection Authority Sendai Framework COUNTRY PROFILE

News and events

Free image
Updates

Parliamentarians have strong role to play in COVID-19 struggle

GENEVA - The world’s parliamentarians were urged today to set their differences aside and act in unity at the national level to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. “We don’t need to use this virus to score political points against each other. Strong national
Webinar image
Updates

COVID-19 is huge challenge for business resilience

GENEVA - The COVID-19 pandemic has tipped the world into recession and the world’s most disaster-prone region Asia and the Pacific is really feeling the economic pain. Tourism is a good barometer of that pain as small and medium sized enterprises make up
Youth web pic.PNG
Updates

Webinar: Youth Engagement in Disaster Risk Reduction and COVID-19

The UNDRR Regional Office for Arab States will host a webinar discussing youth leadership and their response to COVID – 19. UNDRR aims to cultivate the next generation of leaders, and to ensure they are looped into decision-making conversations about
A seaside slum in Tacloban, the Philippines, devastated by Typhoon Haiyan
Updates

Extreme weather events in a time of COVID-19

GENEVA - Some of the world’s most disaster-prone nations are gearing up for their greatest challenge in the coming months when cyclones and floods can be expected to force the evacuation of millions of people while COVID-19 remains a widespread menace
Rohingya volunteers are raising awareness of the COVID-10 and cyclone threat for 900,000 refugees in the Cox's Bazaar area of Bangladesh
Updates

Calls for inclusion of migrants and displaced in COVID-19 response

GENEVA - The COVID-19 pandemic is causing enormous hardship for millions of migrants and displaced who need to be included in both response and economic mitigation measures being put in place across Asia and the Pacific, the world’s most disaster-affected
A man riding a NYC subway
Updates

Scenario planning vital in pandemic response

GENEVA - Critical asset management was hailed today as the “forgotten hero” of disaster management in a wide-ranging online discussion of urban resilience which reached an audience of 1,200 health specialists, policymakers and disaster managers from 124
Poster for the International day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
Updates

COVID-19 makes domestic violence a disaster management issue

GENEVA - COVID-19 has led to an explosion of domestic violence, a UNDRR-hosted webinar for 1,129 participants heard today. Domestic violence against women and children is now a major concern as lockdowns and isolation measures restrict freedom of movement
Older persons must be empowered in the fight against COVID-19
Updates

COVID-19: Battling stigma and discrimination against older persons

GENEVA - There is concern in the world’s most disaster-affected region, Asia-Pacific, about the risk of discrimination and stigma against older persons and any dilution of their needs in response plans as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to accelerate. “We
WHO dashboard for COVID-19
Updates

Disaster expert shares COVID-19 lessons from China

GENEVA - A serious shortage of medical resources was one of the main challenges which China had to overcome to stabilize the COVID19 outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei, where a mortality rate of 4.7% was recorded compared with 0.9% in the country’s 30 other
Dr. Wang-Jun Lee and colleagues at today's webinar on COVID-19
Updates

How South Korea is suppressing COVID-19

GENEVA, 25 March, 2020 - Trace, test and treat. That sums up the strategy pursued by the Republic of Korea since it detected its first case of COVID-19 on January 20 and its first death on February 20, without imposing a lockdown. The country has managed
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Publications

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Activities

Arab Partnership Meeting for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

Following the Sendai Framework guidance, UNDRR Regional office for Arab States has organized several coordination meetings to accelerate the implementation of the Sendai Framework in the region. The most recent declaration, the Tunis Declaration in 2018, which was adopted along with several stakeholder groups’ voluntary action statements, came out as the result of a series of successful coordination meetings. The aim of the bi-annual Arab Partnership for DRR meetings since 2017 has been to create a forum for technical and operational deliberation on the progress, challenges and gaps in the implementation of the Sendai Framework in the region. These periodic discussions on the implementation challenges, gaps and solutions intend to inform the deliberations of the Arab Regional Platform conferences.

The last partnership meeting, held in December 2019 in Cairo, Egypt, took stock of progress, challenges and opportunities in the implementation of the Sendai Framework in the Arab Region, specifically focusing on Target E of the Sendai Framework; and come up with agreed upon actions to accelerate progress. Participants also discussed identifying and scaling up innovative solutions towards climate risk management and integration of DRR and Climate Change in the SDGs.

Making Cities Resilient Campaign

The "Making Cities Resilient" campaign addresses issues of local governance and urban risk while drawing upon previous UNDRR Campaigns on safer schools and hospitals, as well as on the sustainable urbanization principles developed in the UN-Habitat World Urban Campaign 2009-2013. UNDRR’s regional office works closely with National governments, local government associations, international, regional and civil society organizations, donors, the private sector, academia and professional associations as well as every citizen as they all need to be engaged in reducing their risk to disasters. 
 

Arab Regional Assessment Report on DRR (RAR)

The Regional Assessment Report is a starting point to address rapidly increasing disasters exposure in the Arab region towards addressing the challenges of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation within a broad framework of sustainable development and poverty reduction. The regional assessment report highlights the risk scenario, drivers of risk and its trends and how to adopt approaches based on broad participation and partnerships and to address underlying drivers of risk, such as declining ecosystems, vulnerable rural livelihoods and badly planned and managed urban development. The RAR also highlights the importance of investing in disaster risk reduction and the need to take risk informed decisions for sustainable development. RAR helps the national governments civil society and other stakeholders through strategic policy advice on how to address these challenges.

Sendai Framework Monitoring and DesInventar Sendai

The Sendai Framework Monitor (SFM) functions as a management tool to help countries develop disaster risk reduction strategies, make risk-informed policy decisions and contribute to Target E of the Sendai Framework related to development of actionable national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020. As of March 1, 2018, Member States can report against a set of 38 indicators, recommended by an Open-ended Intergovernmental Expert Working Group (OIEWG), to track progress in implementing the seven global targets of Sendai Framework as well as its related dimensions reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals 1, (11) and (13).

DesInventar Sendai implements all the Indicators and data required for the Monitoring of Targets (A) to (D) of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, which correspond to parallel Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) indicators from Goals 1, 11 and 13. Among many other new features, it also allows for the definition and use of Sendai Framework metadata to describe several indicators and allow a finer desegregation of data.