Host country Algeria made a great impression of its multi-hazard preparedness as it hosted the 18thSession of the Africa Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction (AWGDRR). The meeting was hosted in Algiers from October 4 to 6 October 2022, and ran under the theme of "from Commitments to Action: Enhancing Anticipatory Action in Africa through effective implementation of the Africa Multi-hazard and Early Action".
On the margins of the 18th Session of the Africa Working Group on DRR, the AU Commission met with H.E. Mr. Ibrahim Merad, Minister of Interior of Local Authorities and Land Planning of Algeria and his interdepartmental delegates. The bilateral discussions focused on the establishment of Pan African Capacity for Disaster Preparedness & Response, as well as development of a non-paper. The Pan African capacity is envisioned to draw from individual African Member States' capacities to provide timely assistance to disaster stricken countries.
Speaking on behalf of AU Commission, Mr. Gatkuoth Kai, Technical Coordinator for DRR Unit, applauded the Government of Algeria for being a main actor in Africa on Disaster Risk Management issues. He also recalled the country's proposal for the establishment of the Pan African capacity for disaster preparedness and response as an important contribution by Algeria to the continent. Mr. Amjad Abbashar, the Chief of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Regional Office for Africa (ROA), commended the measures put by the Government of Algeria in reducing disaster risk and further commended the role it is playing in achieving the objectives of the Pan-African Agenda for disaster risk reduction.
Participants updated their progress on their action points from the 17th session of AWGDRR that was held in Maputo in March 2022. The Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), the Regional Economic Community (REC) of which Algeria is a member, expressed its ambition for strengthened disaster risk management. Mr. Habib Hlali, representing the UMA pointed out to the common hazards of wildfires and earthquakes in Algeria, and drought in the wider region. He cited the regional climate centres as critical in creating dialogue and synergy between disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.
On behalf of the Government of Algeria, Prof. Hamid Afra, the National Delegate of DRR of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria conveyed the greetings from the Ministry of Interior. He also underscored the importance of the Working Group, describing it as a platform that brings DRR stakeholders together to discuss issues of common interest with relation to resilience development. Referring to worrying disaster risk figures in Africa over the past decade, Prof. Afra re-emphasised the urgent need to reinforce multi-hazard early warning systems for early actions to save lives and reduce impacts from disasters.
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Organized by the host government participants had 6 field visits of important centres that play a particular role in early warning for early action. These included: (i) The National Earthquake Engineering Centre (CGS); (ii) Djamaa el Djazaïr (the Great Mosque of Algiers); (iii) the Center of Research in Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Geophysics (CRAAG), (iv) the Algeria Meteorological Service; (v) the Algerian Civil Protection and (vi) the Agence Spatiale Algérienne (Algerian Space Agency).
Participants appreciated the earthquake resistance techniques and codes in the Great Mosque of Algiers, which is the third largest mosque in the world and also houses the world's tallest minaret. The country is also a Continental pace-setter in space science and technology, and boasts of several satellites in orbit. They also witnessed the existing coordination between the DRR institutions, and joint simulation exercises which carried out in emergency communication and evacuation.
