Highlights and images for 11 October 2018

The Africa-Arab Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) officially opened on Thursday, 11 October in Tunis, Tunisia.In welcoming remarks, Kirsi Madi, Director, UNISDR, urged countries that have not done so to adopt national strategies, and move from planning to implementation while recognizing links between DRR, climate change, and the SDGs. Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, African Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, welcomed the cooperation between African and Arab States in this first joint event on DRR, and highlighted the need for States to invest in DRR as a matter of survival. Abdellatif Obaid, Vice Secretary General, League of Arab States said efforts were underway to establish an Arab-Africa fund for DRR. Riadh Mouakhar, Minister of Local Affairs and Environment, Tunisia, described the DRR challenges faced by Tunisia and responses, including work on a national DRR strategy through an inclusive process.IISD/RS covered some of the working sessions that took place during the day, including:

• Economics of DRR: Risk-informed development and investment in disaster and climate risks management;
• DRR strategies: Stepping up efforts towards achieving target (e) of the Sendai Framework by 2020 – progress made at sub-regional, national and local levels;
• National perspectives on the role of disaster prevention, preparedness, early warning, response and recovery in achieving resilient, inclusive and sustainable development in Africa and Arab States; and
• Climate and disaster risk: Engaging local communities for inclusive DRM.

In addition, a side event on linking DRR, climate change adaptation, and sustainable development through the human security approach; and an event to commemorate World Tsunami Awareness Day were also covered.

IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily coverage and a summary report from the Africa-Arab Platform on DRR.

Photos by IISD/ENB | Natalia Mroz

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Official Opening

Riadh Mouakhar, Minister of Local Affairs and Environment, Tunisia

Kirsi Madi, Director, UNISDR

Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, African Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture

Abdellatif Obaid, Vice Secretary General, League of Arab States

Key Presentations

Amjad Abbashar, Chief, UNISDR Regional Office for Africa

Gatkuoth Kai, African Union Commission

Saloua Khiari, Governor of Nabeul, Tunisia

Sign language interpretation during the session

Members of the media

Participants greet each other before the session

Working Session 1: Economics of DRR

Pier Paolo Balladelli, UNDP, Angola

Thandi Mwape, Partners for Resilience (PrR)

Orsola Lussignoli, BMZ, Germany

Roberto Rudari, CIMA Research Foundation

Thandi Mwape, PrR, and Fadi Hamdan, Disaster Risk Management Centre (DRMC)

A participants poses a question to the panel

Working Session 2: DRR Strategies

L-R: María Mercedes Martínez, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Jo Scheuer, Director for Climate Change and DRR, UNDP;

Sujit Mohanty, UNISDR; Chokri Ben Hassen, Secretary of State for Legal Affairs and Environment, Tunisia;
Hazar Belli Abdel Kefi, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, Tunisia; Stern Mwakalimi Kita, Department of Disaster Management Affairs, Malawi;

and Khaled Abu Aisheh, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, Jordan

Sujit Mohanty, UNISDR

Chokri Ben Hassen, Secretary of State for Legal Affairs and Environment, Tunisia

Hazar Belli Abdelkefi, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, Tunisia

Stern Mwakalimi Kita, Department of Disaster Management Affairs, Malawi

Jo Scheuer, Director for Climate Change and DRR, UNDP

Khaled Abu Aisheh, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, Jordan

María Mercedes Martínez, María Mercedes Martínez, IFRC

Participants listen to the discussion

Working Session 3: The Role of Disaster Prevention, Preparedness, Early Warning, Response and Recovery in Achieving Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Development in Africa and Arab States

L-R: Elizabeth Petheo, Miyamoto international; Donna Pierre, Climate Risks and Early Warning Systems (CREWS); Khaled Al-Mekarad, Kuwait Fire Service Directorate, Kuwait; Iyad Nasr, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA); and Hafsa Ahmed, Risk Manager, Sudan

Habsa Ahmed, Risk Manager, Sudan

Khaled Al-Mekarad, Kuwait Fire Service Directorate, Kuwait

Iyad Nasr, UN OCHA

Donna Pierre, CREWS

Working Session 4: Climate and Disaster Risk: Engaging Communities for Inclusive Disaster Risk Management

Tabi Joda, Global Non-state Actors DRR Network

Wadid Erian Mansour, University of Cairo, Egypt

Ibidun Adelekan, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Panelists pose for a photograph

Nuha Eltinay, Arab Urban Development Institute (AUDI)

Participants listen to the discussion

Linking Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainable Development through the Human Security Approach

Fadi Hamdan, DRMC

Sheikh Saleh Habimana, Ambassador of Rwanda to Tunisia

Nada El-aguizy, League of Arab States

Nicholas Novelli, Yale University, US

Nada El-aguizy, League of Arab States; Sheikh Saleh Habimana, Ambassador of Rwanda to Tunisia; Kirsi Madi, Director, UNISDR; Fadi Hamdan, DRMC; and Nicholas Novelli, Yale University, US

Commemoration of the World Tsunami Awareness Day

The panel during the session

Hosam El-Sokkari, Media and Communication Consultant

Omran Kamzari, Ministry of Environment & Climate Affairs, Oman and Gina Bonne, Indian Ocean Commission

Denis Chang Seng, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, UNESCO

Around the Venue