BY PHUMELELE MKHONTA
MBABANE– Eswatini is partaking in the world’s move to elevate disaster risk management.
Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku has expressed that disaster risk management remained one of the biggest challenges for small economies, but inadequate finance slows down its implementation plans and leaves everyone vulnerable even when the risk was known and can be prevented.
He was been speaking when addressing a high-level meeting on the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) 2015-2030 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA, under the theme ‘Working Together for a Resilient Future’.
The meeting is an opportunity for countries to reflect on their progress against the Sendai framework.
Masuku said while Eswatini was on course to develop a disaster risk management fund, there were already concerns that it may not be adequately capitalised to meet the cost of loss and damage caused by the impact of climate change, saying this called for climate change and DRR practitioners and institutions to work together to prevent duplication, and maximise use of limited resources.
“Eswatini will continue to work with UNDRR and SADC to improve understanding of risk which is one of the priorities of the Sendai Framework for DRR. The country will also launch a National Platform for DRR which will ensure active and meaningful participation of communities and all sectors of our economy in disaster risk reduction.
“Eswatini will further institutionalise systemic risk monitoring through the development of a disaster risk management monitoring framework as well as through the implementation of the Global Risk Framework in collaboration with the UNDRR,” said Masuku.
He further said the Kingdom of Eswatini recognised that disaster risk management should be part of all Government policy and programs as sustainable development would be elusive without it.
“In this view, DRR has been included in the Water Management Policy of 2017, Drought Management Plan 2019, and the 2022 National Development Plan as well as many other Government plans.”
On the side-lines of the meeting, the DPM attended a side event focused on children’s participation in DRR. He has also had a private meeting with a special representative of the UN Secretary General where issues of mutual collaboration were discussed.
