UNDRR ROAS, the Kingdom of Morocco, and the League of Arab States Announce the Convening of the Fifth Arab Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction

Source(s): United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Arab States
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4 October 2021 – The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Regional Office for the Arab States (UNDRR ROAS), the Kingdom of Morocco, and the League of Arab States announce the convening of the Fifth Arab Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, which will be organized virtually under the theme “From Risk to Resilience: Accelerating Local Action for Disaster Risk Reduction” from 8 to 11 November 2021, hosted by Rabat in the Kingdom of Morocco.

The upcoming platform will gather representatives of the Arab States countries, UN organizations, Arab and intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, academia, women, youth, civil society, partners, stakeholder groups, and media. It is expected to yield increased commitments of Arab countries to enhance attention to risk-sensitive investments and to showcase the progress made in national and local strategies and achievements in line with the Sendai Framework and the Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2030. The outcomes of the Fifth Arab Regional Platform for DRR will inform the 2022 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York and the 2022 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Indonesia.

The organization of this Platform in Rabat comes to confirm the serious and responsible engagement of the Kingdom of Morocco in implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 – as an international framework aims at preventing the emergence of new disaster risks and reducing the existing risks by implementing integrated and comprehensive measures to reduce exposure to risks and at the same time strengthening the capacity to confront it – as well as the Kingdom’s continued contribution to the implementation of the Arab strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction adopted by the Council of the League of Arab States, in addition to its contribution to Arab and regional platforms.

On this occasion, Mami Mizutori, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of UNDRR, emphasized the pivotal role that the regional and global platforms play in advancing the implementation of the Sendai Framework, adding “The Fifth Arab Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction is an opportunity to place the Arab States Region at the center of the discussion of the regional agenda for the implementation of the Sendai Framework.”

In their turn, the League of Arab States stressed the importance of these platforms, as disaster risk reduction requires an effective partnership between governments, the United Nations, and all partners at the regional and national levels. The League called on all governments and stakeholders in the Arab region to invest in resilience, provide the necessary resources, and strengthen institutional frameworks to accelerate the implementation of the Sendai Framework and the Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Dr. Jamal  Djaballah, Head of the Secretariat of the "Arab Coordination Mechanism for Disaster Risk Reduction,” stated that the joint Arab efforts are continuing to reduce disaster risks through the adoption by the Arab Summit in Dhahran in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of this Mechanism as an official Arab institutional framework within the framework of the League of Arab States. It constitutes an Arab Forum in which governments participate, at the highest levels with experts at the technical levels and in cooperation and partnership with all stakeholders, in making decisions, developing operational plans, evaluating disaster risk reduction management, and ensuring coordinated implementation in the Arab region at the regional, national, and local levels.

Sujit Mohanty, Chief of the UNDRR Regional Office for the Arab States, highlighted the increasing responsibilities of the regional platforms to address the growing demand for disaster risk reduction efforts in the Arab region. “In the long term, we aim at creating a platform for technical and operational deliberation on the progress, challenges, and gaps in the implementation of the Sendai Framework in the region and facilitating regional discussion on innovative solutions towards climate risk management and DRR integration in the Sustainable Development Goals in the Arab region,” he said.

The upcoming platform will host a high-level ministerial session to affirm the strong political commitment to accelerate the implementation of the Sendai Framework and the Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2030 by promoting and integrating disaster risk reduction into development strategies and investing in disaster prevention and resilience.

The "Rabat Declaration" will constitute documentation of this commitment and a milestone for issuing a set of voluntary statements to the authorities concerned with implementing the Sendai Framework and the Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction 2030, thus setting the priority 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.

The UNDRR Regional Office for the Arab States, within their mandate which is assigned by the United Nations General Assembly, has been convening the regional platforms to ensure the effective implementation of the Sendai Framework and Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction. The objective of these platforms is to promote and evaluate the implementation of the Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction and priority action plans for disaster risk reduction and to build the resilience of societies and countries in the face of natural and man-made hazards. Furthermore, these platforms aim to enhance disaster risk reduction efforts through the exchange of experiences and improved communication and coordination. These platforms also provide a unique opportunity for governments to reaffirm their political commitment to implementing the Sendai Framework and the Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction.

For more information and registration, you may kindly visit the platform website: https://rp-arabstates.undrr.org/

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