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Disaster Reduction: A Tool for Sustainable Development Presentation at the Africa Regional Consultation on Disaster Reduction A Preparation for the WCDR Johannesburg, South Africa, 1 June 2004 By Dr. Hesphina Rukato, Advisor: Environment and Tourism, NEPAD Secretariat.
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Disaster Reduction: A Tool for Sustainable Development Presentation at the Africa Regional Consultation on Disaster Reduction A Preparation for the WCDR Johannesburg, South Africa, 1 June 2004 By Dr. Hesphina Rukato, Advisor: Environment and Tourism, NEPAD Secretariat
Structure of Presentation Section A: NEPAD • What is NEPAD? • Collaboration • Programme on Implementation Section B: Disaster Reduction: A Tool for Sustainable Development • Objectives of NEPAD • DRR as an Indicator in Achieving NEPAD Objectives • Challenges in Achieving Sustainable Development
What is NEPAD? • NEPAD is a holistic and integrated socio-economic programme of the African Union, aimed at achieving sustainable development • Process building (integration of the continent through RECs) • Relationship building (partnerships, mutual accountability, responsibility with development partners) • Programme implementation
What is NEPAD? Key Principles • African leadership • Commitment to good governance and human rights • Accountable leadership - that is prepared to accept responsibility as well as acknowledge their own mistakes • Self-reliance - building capable states, capable institutions, based on long term development of Africa’s human and natural environment • Partnerships
Collaboration • RECs - at sub-regional level. All actions happen at national level • Ministerial bodies – With a reformed and strengthened AU and AUC, many sectoral ministerial forums are re-organising themselves to work more inline with the Programme of the AUC. • Relations with UN - Resolution 57/7 of September 2002 - NEPAD adopted as framework for UN’s development interactions, particularly in Africa - Replace the UN NADAF. Therefore collaboration with UN/ISDR is only logical
Programme Implementation • Action Plans have been prepared for each of the priority areas of NEPAD. INFRASTRUCTURE • Energy - STAP • Water and Sanitation • Transport - STAP • ICTs – Pilot Projects • Environment – Action Plan SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PLATFORMS • Science and technology – Pilot Initiatives MARKET ACCESS • Tourism – draft Action Plan • Private Sector – Strategy development in Progress
Programme Implementation HUMAN DEVELOPMENT • Health – Strategy • Education – Pilot projects • Agriculture – Action Plan CROSS-CUTTING • Partners’ Support – UNDP Facility COMMUNICATIONS • Communications and Outreach PEACE, SECURITY, DEMOCRACY & POLITICAL GOVERNANCE • African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) – now operational with 19 countries acceded.
SECTION B: Disaster Reduction: A Tool for Sustainable Development
Objectives of NEPAD • To eradicate poverty • To place continent on a path of sustainable development • Reverse the marginalization of the continent and benefit from globalization • Promote regional integration, including intra-Africa trade
How does DRR assist inAchieving NEPAD Objectives? • DRR is cross-cutting in all NEPAD Programmes and Africa’s development vision cannot succeed if DRR is viewed as a stand alone effort. • In the same vein, Africa, RECs and individual governments need to develop the appropriate partnerships to deliver on this development vision. No one institution or government can do it alone. • As we focus on programme implementation, also important to ensure the sustainability of DRR programmes.
How does DRR assist inAchieving NEPAD Objectives? • Therefore, funding for DRR at national level should not be project based but rather be an integral part of each country’s budget requirement. • For this to happen, certain fundamentals have to be in place: • Political will and commitment to DRR; • Vibrant civil society that proactive in reminding government of the human rights based perspective of DRR; and • Strong and capable institutions at all levels.
Challenges in Achieving Sustainable Development • Building the necessary political will • Developing the necessary awareness and capacities at all levels • Building a culture of integrated developing planning as compared to project and shot-term based initiatives. • Changing development partner tendencies to focus more on African-led prioritisation of development programmes. • Building the capacity of local institutions. • ‘Being long on implementation and short on report writing, repetitive studies, and workshops/conferences”