The EAC Secretariat was also requested to establish linkages between national parliaments and the East Africa Legislative Assembly to create synergy in both institutions and ensure regular and adequate interaction of parliamentarians with technocrats to create knowledge on crucial climate change and disaster risk management activities. It was also tasked with following up with governments on the ratification of important regional legislation such as the 2015 Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act,, the 2016 EAC Forest Management and Conservation Bill, the 2010 EAC Trans boundary Ecosystem Management and Conservation Bill (2010), and the 2006 Protocol on Environment and Natural Resources.

The EAC Secretariat was urged to pioneer projects on urban planning that are based on benchmarks that are consistent with international standards to reduce urban risks, and invited to convene a regional high-level ministerial meeting to develop joint strategic interventions on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

East Africa has experienced disasters resulting from both natural and human-induced hazards including drought -- which has left more than 38 million people at risk this year of which approximately 20 million people are from the Greater Horn of Africa Region – floods, landslides, windstorms, lightning, hailstorms, fires, epidemics, conflict, road accidents, and terrorism.  Hazards in the region also include risks emanating from climate change, environmental degradation, poverty, unplanned urbanization, population explosion and conflict.

EAC countries were encouraged to urgently undertake vulnerability impact assessment in their respective disaster-prone hotspots to inform planning, and carry out an assessment of the state of early warning systems and readiness to respond to emergencies at national and local levels. They were also requested to engage parliamentarians in conflict resolution and peace building as part of disaster risk reduction initiatives, and prioritize investment and development of resilient energy and viable technological options to mitigate disasters.

The legislators reviewed the draft roadmap for the implementation of the 2016 EAC Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act (2016), which was developed at an EAC meeting in Rwanda’s capital Kigali in March 2017. The roadmap has seven objectives and a number of activities to be undertaken to meet them, such as raising awareness of the legislation  amongst various target groups, strengthening regional coordination, better networking across institutions and sectors and enhanced regional and national capacity development on disaster risk reduction, and partnerships.

Like many developing countries, East African nations face challenges in implementing disaster risk reduction. Key among these is dependence on donor support, a non-existent or limited national budget allocation and inadequate coordination of interventions. Governance challenges such as a lengthy process with low approval of policies and inadequate law enforcement measures also hamper efforts.

Date:

31 May 2017

Sources:

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Africa (UNISDR AF)

Themes:

Capacity Development, Governance, Disaster Risk Management

Countries:

Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, United Rep of, South Sudan

Regions:

Africa