Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction
The second meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20) Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group put the issues facing Africa in focus as it made progress on its agenda for the year in the lead-up to the Ministerial meeting in October.
Held under South Africa’s G20 Presidency, with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) serving as Secretariat, the Working Group met for two informal days (8 and 9 April) and two formal days of discussions (10 and 11 April) in eThekwini, South Africa.
The centrality of disaster risk reduction to development and prosperity was reaffirmed by the Chair of the meeting, Mr. Mbulelo Tshangana, Director-General of South Africa’s Department of Cooperative Governance, who said at the opening:
“Disaster risk reduction is not merely a technical agenda. It is a development imperative, it speaks to equity, justice, and sustainability. And it requires our unwavering commitment, political will, and solidarity.”
This was echoed by Dr. Abhilash Panda, Deputy Chief of the Intergovernmental, Interagency Cooperation and Partnerships Branch at UNDRR, who emphasized the important role of the G20 in driving cooperation around disaster risk reduction:
“Disasters have far-reaching impacts on growth, stability, and development gains. By embedding DRR into the G20’s economic agenda, we have the opportunity to drive smarter investments, protect livelihoods, and build more resilient economies for the future.”
The meeting highlighted for the first time Africa’s unique challenges and innovations in disaster risk reduction —through site visits, side events on early warning and extreme heat, and examples of locally led solutions from across the continent.
The Working Group also made progress in advancing the priorities and deliverables that were presented at the first meeting, especially around financing. In this regard, UNDRR presented to the group an initial draft of the “high-level principles for financing in DRR” for the group’s consideration, and Norway briefed the group on the outcomes of the Oslo Policy Forum on DRR Financing that it hosted with UNDRR in March.
Looking ahead, the third meeting of the Working Group will be held in Johannesburg from 7 to 10 July, which will set the stage for the Ministerial-level meeting in October 2025.