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Hyogo Framework for Action

The World Conference on Disaster Reduction was held from 18 to 22 January 2005 in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan, and adopted the present Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters. The Conference provided a unique opportunity to promote a strategic and systematic approach to reducing vulnerabilities and risks to hazards. It emphasises the need for, and identified ways of, building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters.

An Africa Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction was proposed to contribute to the attainment of sustainable development and poverty eradication by facilitating the integration of disaster risk reduction into development. In 2007, a regional multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder forum on disaster risk reduction, namely the Africa Regional Platform for DRR, was established under the facilitation of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) Africa. The First Consultative Meeting of the Africa Regional Platform took place in Nairobi, Kenya in the same year to review the progress of the implementation of the Africa Regional Strategy and the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA).

The EAC Secretariat co-hosted the 4th Africa Regional Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction (AfRP) from 13th-15th February 2013, in Arusha, Tanzania. The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, the African Union Commission and UNISDR jointly hosted the meeting. The meeting was successful in preparing the Africa’s Statement on Disaster Risk Reduction that was agreed upon by 45 African countries. This was based on recommendations and decisions that reflect the achievements of African institutions and African leadership in meeting the priorities of the internationally agreed HFA.

The EAC’s focus is on providing strategic guidance to Partner States, facilitating the implementation of the sub-regional strategies and programmes in line with the Africa Regional Strategy, the Programme of Action and the HFA coordination, particularly in respect of inter-state initiatives.

Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

The East African is a region prone to a great variety of natural and human induced hazards and related disasters like;

  • floods,
  • droughts,
  • earthquakes,
  • volcanic activities,
  • landslides,
  • strong winds,
  • storms,
  • tsunamis,
  • lightning,
  • diseases and epidemics,
  • pests infestation,
  • conflicts,
  • terrorism,
  • wild and urban fires,
  • invasive alien species,
  • collapse of buildings,
  • traffic and
  • industrial accidents.

Drought is the most common hazard both globally and also at the region. Climate Change is expected to further increase the hydro-meteorological hazards in the sub-region.

In combination with poverty and slow and negative economic growth, and environmental degradation, internally displaced persons and refugees arise multiple vulnerabilities of the communities, and frequently disasters affect human lives and essential assets required for further development.

These natural and manmade disasters pose a huge threat to socio-economic development of the region towards the realization of EAC’s core objective and mandate of widening and deepening co-operation among the Partner States in political, economic, social, security, cultural and development fields. With increased frequency and intensity of extreme climate and severe weather events, the region experiences the severe consequences of disasters as resources for development are diverted to finance disaster emergencies.

The knowledge and comprehension of disasters by the general public is still low thus making it difficult to prevent and reduce the impact of disasters to the Community.

To minimize the impacts on the region’s development, the EAC Partner States have realized the need to move from reactive disaster management to proactive Disaster Risk Reduction. All the EAC Partner States have therefore put in place some disaster management mechanisms and institutions at various levels of capacities.

The Community is emphasizing integration of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and management into the sustainable development agenda to help create safer and more resilient communities in social, economic and environmental terms and encouraging Partner States to domesticate and mainstream policy on the aforementioned to ensure that ownership of the responses are made national, and at all levels of governance.

The areas of focus include DRR Policy and Coordination; Risk Information, monitoring and reporting; DRR Advocacy and Communication; Collaboration with Partner States in response to complex emergencies; and Resource mobilization. The priority areas on disaster risk reduction and management are on:

  • Accelerate the finalization of the EAC DRRM Act in line with the SFDRR;
  • Mainstream DRR and EAC Policies and Programs;
  • Formulation of mechanisms for supporting and collaboration for Partner states in response to complex emergencies;
  • Monitoring the Sendai Framework (2015-2030) implementation and the Africa Programme of Action;
  • Develop appropriate risk information, including the development of disaster loss databases and risk profiles; and
  • Organization of advocacy events, development of public awareness materials and mechanisms for data and information sharing and communication strategies for early warning.

East African Community
EAC Close
Afrika Mashariki Road
P.O. Box 1096
Arusha
United Republic of Tanzania

Tel: +255 (0)27 216 2100
Fax: +255 (0)27 216 2190
Email: eac@eachq.org  |  sgoffice@eachq.org