The African Regional Economic Communities Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Program was part of the “Building disaster resilience to natural hazards in Sub- Saharan African regions, countries and communities” Program, and implemented within the framework of the Organization of African Caribbean Pacific States (OACPS) – European Union (EU) Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Program, as an initiative of the OACPS, funded by the EU and managed by the World Bank-led Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). This Program supported four African Regional Economic Communities (RECs): the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in East Africa (IGAD), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to strengthen regional cooperation across the continent, as RECs were able to support their member states in taking informed decisions to building resilience to disaster and climate risks and to prioritize DRM.
Activities under this Program leveraged regional expertise and reinforced a collaborative approach to DRM through improved knowledge-sharing and more effective advocacy. RECs have been able to develop long-term disaster resilience strategies to address specific intervention areas such as hydrometeorological capacities, early warning mechanisms for floods and drought, and climate-smart agriculture to protect people from food insecurity caused by disasters. The RECs have also integrated gender considerations into DRM strategies as an essential aspect of building inclusive resilience to natural hazards.
Learn more about the accomplishments and lessons learned from the African Regional Economic Communities Disaster Risk Management Program in the following video.