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Nqobile Bhebhe, [email protected]
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa is set to officially open the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Committee of Ministers Responsible for Disaster Risk Management (DRM) meeting in Victoria Falls today.

The high-level meeting will review regional disaster management initiatives, focusing on preparedness, response, and the operationalisation of key humanitarian efforts.

The meeting will spotlight progress on the implementation of SADC’s regional appeal for humanitarian assistance, launched earlier this year, seeking to raise US$5,5 billion.

This appeal aims to support the 58 million people affected by El Niño-induced droughts and floods in the region.

Key discussions will include the operationalisation of the SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre (SHOC), based in Nacala, Mozambique. Once fully functional, SHOC, which was launched in 2021, will serve as a hub for coordinating disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts across the region.

Civil Protection Unit department chief director Mr Nathan Nkomo yesterday said today’s official opening of the meeting of the Committee of SADC Ministers Responsible for Disaster Risk Management was preceded by the meeting of the SADC senior officials responsible for disaster risk management on Monday and Tuesday.

“Disasters happen any day and anywhere hence we are meeting as SADC to plan for us to set our preparedness plan as a region. All SADC countries save for Mauritius, DRC, Seychelles, and Namibia are here in Victoria Falls,” he said.

“During our preliminary meetings, we agreed on a position and came up with seven critical decisions some of which include issues to do with food security and disaster in light of the El Nino-induced drought among others.”

Mr Nkomo said President Mnangagwa who is also the current chair of the SADC will officially open the meeting today.

In May this year, the regional bloc held a virtual Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government to discuss the humanitarian situation in the region, following the El Niño- induced drought that has negatively impacted the lives and livelihoods of an estimated 58 million people.

It was during the extraordinary summit that the humanitarian appeal was launched to raise at least US$5,5 billion.

As part of the support towards the regional humanitarian appeal, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) pledged US$33 million, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) also pledged US$10 million.

The SADC regional humanitarian appeal was developed with the support and collaboration of SADC’s cooperating partners which include FAO, OCHA, World Food Programme (WFP) and other regional and international humanitarian agencies.

The Extraordinary Summit was chaired by Angolan president, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, who was the SADC chair at the time.

In a statement, the regional bloc said the Committee of Ministers Responsible for Disaster Risk Management (DRM) from SADC will meet in Victoria Falls today.

The ministers will also consider an addendum to the regional appeal following updated vulnerability assessments by member states. The meeting builds on discussions held earlier this week by SADC senior officials responsible for DRM, laying the groundwork for a coordinated regional approach.

The SADC region’s increasing susceptibility to natural disasters calls for urgent and collaborative efforts. The outcomes of the Victoria Falls meeting are expected to shape the future of disaster risk management and humanitarian assistance in the region.

“During the meeting, ministers will review progress on the implementation of regional disaster management activities and programmes aimed at strengthening the region’s preparedness and response to disasters.

“The ministers will also discuss modalities for the operationalisation of SADC-SHOC as well as to review progress made towards the operationalisation of the regional appeal for humanitarian assistance launched by the João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of Angola in his capacity as Chairperson of SADC in May 2024,” read the statement.

“The launch of the appeal followed the negative impacts of the El Nino-induced drought and floods that negatively affected the lives and livelihoods of an estimated 58 million people in SADC countries that provided data.”

Member States are also placing special emphasis on the prevention of natural disasters and improving early warning systems.

Adaptation measures are being implemented in the agricultural, fisheries, energy, environmental and water sectors, among others.

In recent decades, the SADC region has faced a surge in natural disasters, including severe droughts, floods, and cyclones, driven by climate change. These events have heightened food insecurity and disrupted livelihoods, with Cyclone Idai in 2020 being one of the most devastating in the region’s history.

Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi have declared droughts as national disasters, underlining the severity of the situation. President Mnangagwa previously announced that nearly three million Zimbabweans face food insecurity, prompting an appeal for US$2 billion to address the crisis.

In April, President Mnangagwa said nearly three million people in the country were estimated to be food insecure due to the drought, and he appealed for US$2 billion to fund a multi-pronged strategy to address the situation.

Announcing the declaration in February this year, President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia said severe drought had affected nearly 10 million people in 84 of the country’s 116 districts.

A month later, President Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi appealed for humanitarian assistance amounting to US$200 million for people in 23 of the country’s 28 districts that are affected by drought.