Malawi: Peer Review for Effective Implementation of National Disaster Risk Reduction Actions

Organizer(s) United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Africa Southern African Development Community Malawi - government

Format

In person

Date

1 December 2015 - 10 December 2015

Context:

The ‘Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters’ (HFA) pointed out that countries that develop policy, legislative and institutional frameworks for disaster risk reduction and that are able to develop and track progress have greater capacity to manage risk across all sectors of society. This has been substantiated in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, adopted earlier this year, which vests the States with the primary responsibility to ensure prevention and reduction of disasters and disaster risks.

Considerations on enhanced policy approach at the national level and addressing the self-assessment nature on the monitoring tool; a learning process of validation on the HFA monitor among peers was put forward as a way to improve policy, to enhance mutual learning and exchange of good practices. The Sendai Framework also called for promoting ‘mutual learning and exchange of good practices and information through, inter-alia, voluntary and self-initiated peer reviews among interested states’, as a key mechanism to enhance risk governance.

To take this forward, a peer review of Malawi has been requested and will be conducting by peer states. SADC Member States have regularly reported on HFA progress and the SADC Secretariat has shown high interest in coordinating the peer review. The peer review has been planned in Malawi following the commitment announced at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.

The Malawi peer review process will be led and organized by hosts from Malawi and will include three peers each from Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe, three from SADC, as well as external consultants. Key informants will be drawn from various ministries, departments and organizations throughout Malawi.

The objectives are:

Improvement of the country policy making on disaster risk reduction through mutual learning with reviewing experts from other countries acting as peers;
Enhance effective implementation of and reporting of progress in meeting Sendai Framework commitments;
Increase the consistency between national DRR policies, and between national DRR policy and the relevant national policies for sustainable development and economic growth (of critical sectors) and stimulate transferability of good and innovative practices;
Contribute to the development and implementation of relevant regional policy initiatives that could further align national efforts in implementing DRR;
Encourage awareness raising through involvement of all stakeholders in the review process and wide dissemination of results, and
Facilitate cross-country comparison, foster policy dialogue, and enhance regional cooperation between countries exposed to common hazards and risks (consistent with the HFA and the Sendai Framework) and stimulate transfer of good and innovative practices.

Peer Reviews represent an important contribution on how the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction will allow for improved policy making based on increased involvement of stakeholders. It will contribute to enhanced implementation and reporting of the new framework as well as transferability of innovative practices in disaster risk reduction.

The lessons learned from past peer reviews highlight some overall principles: its voluntary character; its participatory and multi-stakeholder approach; its value sharing and the identification of an adequate level of commitment.