Disaster Risk Reduction – Lecture Series

Our first lecture of the year will be delivered by Mami Mizutori, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction, and head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, based in Geneva, Switzerland. The theme for the lecture is Disaster Risk Reduction: Opportunities and Perspectives for Africa.

Floods in South Africa; Droughts in East Africa; Tropical cyclones hitting Madagascar. Climate-related disasters across the continent are threatening recent development gains. Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is therefore an important pillar for sustainable development and an integral part of the efforts being deployed by various climate change institutions, including the UNDRR.

What used to be infrequent disasters are becoming the new normal. With the right foresight, investments and preparedness for disasters in Africa have been characterized by events such as droughts which still affect the largest number of people on the continent, and floods occurring frequently along with the major river systems and in many urban areas. Cyclones mainly affect Madagascar, Mozambique, and some of the Indian Ocean islands. With climate change, a higher magnitude and frequency of these extreme weather events are expected.