The Eighth Arab Partnership Meeting for Disaster Risk Reduction from Sharm El-Sheikh Addressing Early Warnings for All, the Outcomes of COP27, and the Way Forward to COP28
Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, 6 – 7 December 2022, The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Regional Office for Arab States convened the eighth Arab Partnership meeting for Disaster Risk Reduction in Sharm El-Sheikh, in cooperation with the Government of Morocco, creating a forum for technical and operational deliberations on the progress, challenges, and gaps in the implementation of the Sendai Framework in the Arab region.
The 8th meeting brought together the National Sendai Focal Points from 17 Arab countries, key members of Arab stakeholder groups on disaster risk reduction representing all the stakeholders, and representatives from United Nations Regional Offices, as well as representatives of the League of Arab States and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Regional Office for Arab States.
The meeting was timely as it was held one year before the culmination of the Mid-Term Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, which marks the midpoint in the implementation of the Sendai Framework, the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement, and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. The Mid-Term Review of the Sendai Framework will conclude in 2023 at a high-level meeting of the General Assembly.
“4 years into the Arab Partnership Meetings for Disaster Risk Reduction. We kicked off these meetings in 2018 as a platform with increasing responsibility to address the growing demand for disaster risk reduction efforts in the Arab region,” said UNDRR Director Paola Albrito. “Because we have learned what happens when risk is ignored.”
The meeting focused on the outcomes and recommendations of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction 2022 (GPDRR), Seventh Arab Partnership Meeting for DRR, Rabat Declaration, and the Arab States Prioritized Action Plan 2021 – 2024. It was an opportunity to take stock of the progress made in the region through updates and exchanges from national governments and key stakeholders from the region and discuss the opportunities to move forward in accelerating the implementation of the Sendai Framework.
“This meeting is an opportunity for governments and UN organizations to showcase innovative solutions to climate change and a major milestone to build on and affirm the results of COP27," said Abdallah Nassif, Governor of Disaster Risk Management at the Interior Ministry of Morocco.
Furthermore, the meeting addressed the outcomes of COP27 and the way forward to COP28, which will be held in Dubai in 2023, in enhancing synergies with climate change adaptation and resilience at all levels. It was also an opportunity to discuss the way forward in implementing the ‘Early Warning for All’ initiative launched by the United Nations Secretary-General.
Following the Sendai Framework guidance, UNDRR Regional Office for Arab States has organized several coordination meetings since 2018 with the aim of accelerating the implementation of the Sendai Framework in the region. The most recent declaration, the Rabat Declaration for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2021, which was adopted along with several stakeholder groups’ voluntary action statements, emerged as the outcome of a series of successful coordination meetings.