SADC and Germany Strengthen Cooperation on Disaster Risk Reduction
The SADC Secretariat, together with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, held two strategic engagements on 3 to 4 June 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland, on the margins of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
The SADC Secretariat, together with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, held two strategic engagements on 3 to 4 June 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland, on the margins of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. The discussions were convened on the margins of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, which took place from the 2 to 6 June 2025.
The discussions reviewed progress under two flagship initiatives - the Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management (GIDRM) and the Resilience Initiative Africa (RIA) - which are supporting the SADC region’s efforts to mainstream disaster risk reduction (DRR) into regional development planning.
Dr. Martin Schuldes, Head of Division for Peace and Security at BMZ, commended SADC’s sustained commitment to the partnership and underscored the mutual benefits of joint investments in disaster prevention. He stressed the importance of integrating risk awareness into all stages of development planning and called for more evidence-based approaches to risk-informed policymaking.
Ms. Nana Dlamini, Acting Head of the SADC DRR Unit, highlighted the achievements of GIDRM and RIA, especially in enhancing disaster preparedness and mainstreaming risk-informed development in key sectors such as urban development, water, agriculture, and natural resources. She also noted the successful rollout of the INFORMRisk subnational index, jointly implemented with GIZ and UNDP.
Looking ahead, discussions also focused on the upcoming phase of the RIA programme (concluding in June 2026), with emphasis on advancing urban resilience, enhancing evidence generation, and operationalising DRM guidelines across sectors.
Mr. Marcus Oxley of Resilience Solutions emphasised that while early warning systems have reduced fatalities, the growing socio-economic costs of disasters - now amounting to USD 2.3 trillion annually require urgent action. He urged a shift toward stronger risk governance to safeguard development gains.
BMZ and SADC representatives agreed on the importance of including DRR as a priority in upcoming government-to-government negotiations.
