UNDRR ROAS Participates in the First National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Sudan: Governance of Disaster Risk

Khartoum, 5 August 2021 – The Regional Science and Technology Advisory Centre and the National Council for Civil Defense in Sudan organized the first National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Sudan, in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Government, the Arab Science and Technology Advisory Group, and UNESCO.

The event was an important opportunity to emphasize the different types and origins of hazards that Sudan is exposed to. It tackled the disaster risk reduction concepts, early warning system, seasonal rain forecast for July, August, and September, flood risk management, the future vision of the valleys in reducing disaster risk, the role of reservoirs in reducing flood risk, the impact of GERD dam on floods in Sudan, the impact of floods on archeological sites, ministries roles in reducing flood and flood risks, and the future vision to reduce flood and flood risk

“The more we understand risk and vulnerability, the better equipped we will be to mitigate disasters when they strike and save more lives,” said Fadi Jannan, Deputy Chief, UNDRR ROAS. “The scale of the impact of any disaster depends on the choices we make for our lives and our environment. Adopting a multi-hazard and holistic approach for better understanding disaster risk represents a step forward.”

Throughout the past years, the hazards have affected the livelihood of people, causing damages and losses on their assets and imposing a large burden on development plans at the national level. Furthermore, climatic hazards have facilitated the conditions for the spreading of health risks. Floods and torrents are the main hazards facing the country. In 2020, floods have caused severe damage in Sudan, killing 99 people, collapsing tens of thousands of homes, and affecting more than half a million people, according to Ministry of Interior statistics.

In this regard, the UNDRR Regional Office for the Arab States is working on developing a multi-hazard risk profile that underlines risk factors across major sectors and the most vulnerable areas in Sudan. Furthermore, we have developed a scoping paper for probabilistic risk assessment in Sudan.

The objective of this initiative is to strengthen Sudan's capacity to systematically account for disaster losses, identify hazards, and develop risk assessments. UNDRR collaborated with the government to identify the problem, the need to perform risk assessments, and how can these results increase overall disaster resilience.