Namibia: International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction Commemorated

Nearly 100 000 livestock perished due to drought in 2019, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which left the economy at a standstill for most of 2020.

Against this background City of Windhoek hosted this visibility event, themed “Early Warning and Early Action” shining a spotlight on the seventh Sendai Framework Global Target G: “Substantially increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to people by 2030.”

Windhoek Mayor Sade Gawanas noted that disaster risk reduction (DRR) is an integral part of social and economic development and is essential if development is to be sustainable for the future. She underscored “let us build on the lessons learned to work together to prevent and be better prepared for possible future disasters. Let us not ignore early warning signs issued by the authorities. We are part of a global village. What happens thousands of kilometres from here may reach us or have a far-reaching impact on our supply system, so let us adhere to disaster early warnings.”

The commemoration of the day was complimented with a public exhibition at the António Agostinho Neto Park showcasing the commitment efforts of various private entities, ministries and that of UN Namibia promoting disaster reduction, prevention, mitigation and preparedness ahead of shocks to save and protect people’s lives, food security, agricultural livelihoods activities.

With great excitement on what is on display, Gawanas, spend some time at the UN Namibia stall explaining to the audience the significant relationship between disaster risk reduction and sustainable development goals (SDGs). “The SDGs helps to bring everything together to ensure safe, inclusive, resilient cities and human settlements, and to promote better risk communication in Namibia” she highlighted.