Virtual Meeting with National and Regional DRR and Sendai Framework Focal Points

Virtual Meeting with National and Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Focal Points, African Union Commission and UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Tuesday, 28 April 2020, 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Addis Ababa time)

Objective:

The meeting will provide a platform for Disaster Risk Reduction Focal Points (DRR FPs) from Member States (MS) and Regional Economic Communities (RECs), African Union Commission (AUC) and United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) to share information on preparedness, response and recovery efforts to COVID-19, with focus on lessons learned, good practices, challenges and way forward.

Background:   

Since Egypt reported Africa’s first confirmed case of COVID-19 on 14 February 2020, the number of confirmed cases has risen to 24,686, with 1,191 deaths (https://africacdc.org/covid-19/-as at 23 April 2020). The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has been playing a leading role in coordinating and supporting preparedness, response and recovery efforts to COVID-19 on the continent. Preliminary results of COVID-19 related survey being conducted by UNDRR Regional Office for Africa indicates that National and sub-regional DRR/DRM institutions and, in particular, DRR FPs have also been playing important roles in this regard. While Africa focuses its efforts on responding to COVID-19, including by mobilizing $100 billion to deal with and mitigate the adverse social and economic impacts of the pandemic, the continent, particularly East Africa, is facing the worst desert locus infestation in decades. In addition, widespread flooding across parts of East Africa (Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia) is another challenge currently facing the continent. With COVID-19 declared as national disaster in many African countries, there is a need for Disaster Risk Management Agencies and Public Health institutions to coordinate the crisis management efforts. Whereas there are collaborative efforts between public health institutions and disaster risk management agencies in some countries and regions, this has not been the case in others, indicating the need for strengthening support for proper functioning of coordination mechanisms, including national DRR platforms.

This meeting will focus its deliberations on how the DRR/M community can: (i) leverage response to COVID-19 crisis; and (ii) pursue its efforts to strengthen DRR in the context of the Programme of Action for the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 in Africa, particularly in a context of COVID-19 pandemic.

Key questions to be addressed:

• What role national DRR/M institutions in particular have been playing in COVID-19 preparedness, response and recovery efforts?
• What support can the AUC, RECs and UNDRR provide to strengthen COVID-19 preparedness, response and recovery efforts across the continent?
• What steps have been taken so far to assess and address the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 on Africa? What are the specific roles expected from national and sub-regional DRR FPs in this regard? 
• What needs to be done, including by the international development community, to strengthen MS capacity to better prepare for, respond and recover from and build resilience, including against biological hazards and epidemics?

Modality

The dialogue would be organized on ‘ZOOM’ virtual platform allowing all AUC MS and RECs to join.