6th Arab Partnership Meeting for Disaster Risk Reduction

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Regional Office for the Arab States convened the sixth Arab Partnership meeting for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) virtually this year on 30 June and 1 July 2021. The meeting brought together the National Sendai Focal Points with government representatives from 16 Arab countries, key members of Arab stakeholder groups on disaster risk reduction, and representatives from 11 United Nations Regional Offices, as well as representatives of the League of Arab States and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Regional Office for the Arab States.

The two-day meeting discussed the preparations for the Fifth Arab Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, which will be hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco, and the second phase of the implementation of the ‘Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2030: Prioritized Action Plan for DRR for the period 2021 – 2024’ for endorsement at the upcoming Fifth Arab Regional Platform on DRR.

“We, at UNDRR Regional Office for the Arab States, recognize the Arab Partnership Meeting for Disaster Risk Reduction as a platform with increasing responsibility to address the growing demand for disaster risk reduction efforts in the Arab region, because we have learned what happens when risk is ignored,” said Sujit Mohanty, Chief of the UNDRR Regional Office for the Arab States.

The deliberations of the meeting saw discussions on the concept note, themes, topics, and outcomes of the Fifth Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, consultations, and agreements on Prioritized Action Plan 2021-2024 for the Arab Strategy for DRR 2030, identification of key priority actions to be pursued at regional, national and local levels under each of Sendai Framework’s priorities of action, and recommendations to include biological hazards in disaster risk reduction activities in the Arab region.

The meeting defined the expected outcomes of the Arab Fifth Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction as follows: (1) Strengthening the commitment of governments through a political declaration on risk reduction and mitigating its effects, in addition to enhancing resilience by accelerating the implementation of the Sendai Framework and the Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2030 in the Arab region and increasing government investments to reduce disaster risk; (2) Issuing a set of voluntary work evidence for the parties concerned with the implementation of the Sendai Framework and the Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2030; and (3) Adopting the Prioritized Action Plan 2021-2024 for the Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2030 to accelerate the implementation of the Sendai Framework in the Arab region.

Noting that the Fifth Arab Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction will be held under the theme “From Risk to Resilience: Accelerating Local Action for Disaster Risk Reduction,” and will be hosted virtually by the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco from 8 to 11 November 2021.