Fifth Session of Central Africa Regional Platform on Disaster Risks Reduction (CARPF – DRR - 05)

Assessment of identified priority actions for the implementation of the Sendai Framework, through national legislations in Central Africa

The year 2015 provided opportunity for the global community with a series of international agreements adopted that will determine the global development agenda. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 adopted in Sendai in Japan in March 2015, is a paradigm shift in the policy and action on sustainable development. It provides that risk should be taken into account in development for sustainability. It calls for the need of a risk-sensitive development at global, regional, national and local levels.

In accordance to international, continental and regional commitments and guided by the Yaoundé Declaration during the fourth Africa DRR high-level Meeting on Sendai Framework, which took place in Yaoundé in Cameroon in July 2015, ECCAS with the support of the WB/GFDRR, in the framework of the Result 2 area of the ACP-EU programme “Building Disaster Resilience to Natural Hazards in Sub-Saharan African Regions, Countries and Communities”, has among other launched the Central Africa parliamentarian network of DRR, organised the CARPF-DRR -04 & the 2nd Ministerial Conference on DRR in October 2015 in Kinshasa in DRC. During these meetings, participants from members States identified priorities of actions to be implemented within the framework of the Sendai Framework on DRR.

The 2nd Central Africa Ministerial Conference on DRR endorsed the 4th Central Africa Regional Platform recommendations aligning the Central Africa DRR Strategy to the Sendai Framework, through the Kinshasa Declaration of October 2015. Priorities actions to be implemented within the framework of the Sendai Framework were thus identified (see Kinshasa Declaration and recommendations attached).

In order to follow up the implementation of those priorities actions, and set up the tools to ownership the new instruments, ECCAS with the support of WB/GFDRR and UNISDR will organize in Yaoundé December 13 to 16 2016 the 5th Session of the Central Africa Regional Platform for DRR in Central Africa (CARPF-DRR-05).

It should be noted that the Central Africa Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction is a multi-stakeholder forum, which monitors progress and provide evidence about disaster risk reduction.

What's Included

The 5th Central Africa DRR Platform (CARPF-DRR-05) will review progress made in the implementation of the commitments taken during the CARPF-DRR-04 (Plan of action and priorities actions in line with Sendai), & the 2nd Ministerial Conference on DRR (Kinshasa declaration), define the actions to be taken as concern loss and damage within the framework of the implementation of the Agreement adopted in Paris during the 21st Conference of Parties (CoP-21) on Climate Change, and provide a framework of dialogue to the ECCAS National Focal Points for the preparation of the 6th African Regional Platform and 5th High Level Meeting on DRR to be held in Mauritius from 22 to 25 November 2016.

The agenda will equally encompass a number of areas including opportunities for learning and experiences sharing, successes, challenges and opportunities in applying disaster risk management across sectors, status of national policies and plans for disaster risk reduction, approaches for close collaboration with Climate Change community in order to foster DRR in Central Africa Region.

More specifically, the CAPF-DRR-05 will:

1. Present ECCAS’ DRR work achieved during the past year and share the next year planned activities (in particular ECCAS WIS with the regional water database and the regional risk assessment with a focus on transboundary flood)
2. Share Member States achievements and constraints to implement the recommendations of the CAPF-DRR-04 and the 2nd Ministerial Conference etc.. and where ECCAS stands in the Sendai implementation
3. Validate with member states the DRR databases created by ECCAS on the state of the art on a) institutional and legal instruments for DRR/CCA and b) EWS and other instruments;
4. Define a synergy mechanism between the Sendai Framework & the Paris agreement on Climate Change to better implement Central Africa Strategy on risks prevention, Disaster Management & Climate Change Adaptation
5. Debrief on the outcome of the 6th African Regional Platform and 5th High-Level Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction, to be held in Mauritius from 22 to 25 November 2016.

It will permit:

• An updated of DRR regional state of the art of institutional and legal instruments for DRR/CCA and EWS and other instruments
• The ECCAS MS Expert to be aware of the initiatives ahead in the context of the ECCAS’ DRR work plan for next year;
• The review and validation of the DRR databases created by ECCAS on the state of the art of i) institutional and legal instruments for DRR/CCA and ii) EWS and other instruments;
• The development of a mechanism to synergize agreements on Climate Change with the Central Africa Strategy implementation for a holistic mainstreaming of DRR & CCA in Central Africa;
• The ECCAS MS to best organise themselves to implement efficiently the 6th Regional African Platform and 5th High-Level Meeting outcomes.

Intended Audience

Participants at the platform will include the ECCAS Secretary General, ECCAS Experts, DRR, CC and water resources National Focal Points and Experts, ECCAS Specialised Institutions on Environmental issues, World Bank, European Union, United Nations and other development partners, Civil Society Organisations, The International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent. Any other interested partners in DRR & CC.

How to Register

Other participants should indicate their willingness to attend by mail to:

Dr Flaviane BEVAL: E-mail: flavianebelval@gmail.com, with copy to Dominique KUITSOUC, ECCAS DRM/CCA Programme Coordinator: E-mail: dkuitsouc@ceeac-eccas.org, latest November 14, 2016.