Tema-Ghana, Oct. 28, MNN – The Africa Institutional and Operational Framework for Multi-hazard Early Warning Systems and Early Action and COVID-19 Recovery Framework for Africa, has been launched.
The two described as key Continental frameworks towards enhancing disaster resilience in Africa were endorsed at the 35th Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government that took place in February 2022.
President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, of the Republic of Mozambique who launched the two frameworks passionately, called for all stakeholders to work together and combat climate-induced disasters, a report obtained by Myliberty News Network (MNN) in Tema, Ghana indicated.
He also noted that Mozambique contributed very little to air and ocean pollution stressing that Africa needs to have a united voice on how to collectively address the impact of climate change.
President Nyusi who is also the African Union Champion of Disaster Risk Management (DRM) noted that whereas Africa contributes little to climate change, it is the hardest hit by the effects of the changing climate.
The launch took place during the celebrations of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction in Maputo, Mozambique, which was hosted by the government of Mozambique, and organised by the AU Commission and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
President Nyusi said: “We shall be taking a package of climate resilience to further strengthen our call for enhanced disaster preparedness in Africa. As it is, every African should be covered by an effective early warning system”.
Ambassador Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, the AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (ARBE) stated that “the African continent is the most vulnerable to disaster risk”.
She emphasised that since 2015, the continent recorded over700 disaster events, which affected over 80 million people and killing over 66,000 people across the continent.
Owing to the vulnerability of the continent to disaster risk, the AU Commission developed institutional Framework for Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Early Action and its delivery Programme, the Africa Multi-hazard Early Warning and Early Action System (AMHEWAS), she continued.
Ms. Mami Mizutori, United Nations Secretary General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, raised the concern that countries with limited early warning coverage have disaster mortality that is eight times higher than countries with wide coverage.
And in Africa, unfortunately, only around 40 percent of countries have an early warning system. However, she expressed optimism and underlined the importance of the AMHEWAS programme as being instrumental in strengthening continental, regional and national capacities to collect and analyze risk data.
The Africa Institutional Framework for Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Early Action was developed with support by Sweden and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Sahel Resilience Project.
The operationalization of the AMHEWAS programme is supported by the government of Italy and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) with technical support from the CIMA Research Foundation.
The COVID-19 Recovery Framework was developed in a process co-led by AU Commission and UNDP.
Donors and partners expressed their support for the continued efforts to strengthen disaster recovery and investment in disaster preparedness.
The 2022 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction focused on “substantially increasing the availability of and access to multi‑hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to the people by 2030”.
The efforts are also aimed at fast-tracking the progress towards achieving Agenda 2063. Strengthened disaster preparedness fosters sustainable development by protecting development gains, and also contributed to the vision of a strong and resilient Africa.
