Meeting of southern Africa development community disaster risk reduction subregional platform: Focus on mainstreaming DRR into development frameworks and HFA

The Secretariat of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) jointly organized the Meeting of Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Subregional Platform. The meeting took place from 28 to 29 November 2013 at the Grand Palm Hotel in Gaborone, Botswana.

The main objective of this meeting was to promote the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction (DRR) into development frameworks, and to enhance implementation of DRR interventions at all levels. The specific objectives were to:
 

1. Enhance understanding among participants from SADC Member States on mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the Southern Africa development planning process in order to build capacities to achieve a disaster resilient development;
2. Facilitate the sharing of good practices, including tools and approaches as well as lessons learned at various levels that will contribute to strengthening capacities for DRR mainstreaming and implementation in Southern Africa. In this connection, the meeting discussed findings of the assessment reports on the status of DRR Mainstreaming in Malawi, Mozambique and SADC Subregion; and
3. Provide a platform for SADC and its Member States to consult on the implementation of HFA1, identify articulate and agree on the subregion’s inputs to HFA-2. These consultations on HFA-2 were intended to help the SADC Secretariat to provide inputs to the development of the Africa Position by March 2014.