Improving Disaster Risk Reduction in Mozambique

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On the occasion of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Government of Mozambique, in partnership with UN-Habitat and Oxfam, organised the ground-breaking ceremony  of one of the public works that will contribute to disaster risk reduction and resilience of the City of Chókwe in the face of extreme climate events. This is a building whose features will allow it to function as a safe shelter for the population affected by floods in the future.

The construction of the public works for disaster risk reduction and climate resilience is part of the implementation of the project entitled “Enhancing Urban Climate Resilience in Southeast Africa” with the financial support of the Adaptation fund. The project aims to establish conditions for building resilience to the adverse effects of climate change in Southern African cities and towns, with effective participation of the affected communities. 

Belém Monteiro, Vice President of the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD) said on the occasion that “disaster risk management and reduction requires good building policy, good land use planning, better early warning systems, good environmental management and evacuation plans and, above all, education.”

Sandra Roque, Head of the UN Habitat Mozambique Office, said that the organisation believes that the efforts of the Government of Mozambique and partners to improve the quality of life of populations in disaster risk areas will contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. “These efforts,” she added “embrace inclusive and participatory approaches that put people at the center of the processes of planning and of implementing resilience actions, leaving no one behind.”

The ceremony was also attended by the National Representative of OXFAM, the Executive Director of the Regional Technical Center for Disaster Risk Management, Sustainability and Urban Resilience for Southern Africa (DiMSUR), the Mayor of Chókwe, the Head of Cooperation of the Belgian Embassy in Mozambique, as well as senior staff from the Ministry of Land and Environment (MTA) and Mozambique's National Meteorological Institute (INAMM).

Other activities included visits to several public works that support the City to reduce disaster risks and build resilience such as the main drainage canal in the City of Chókwe, whose hydraulic capacity was improved, resilient classrooms that serve as a safe haven in case of floods and cyclones, and a recently inaugurated resilient community radio station that is part of Chókwe's City-wide early warning system.

Also, in the context of the Adaptation Fund-funded Project, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the aim of providing a framework for cooperation under which INGD and the MTA, with UN-Habitat -acting as a facilitator, can accelerate the implementation of Mozambique's Agenda for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation in line with global and national frameworks, with special focus on Urban areas.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN Habitat.