The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat Delegation, led by the Deputy Executive Secretary for Corporate Affairs, Dr. Judith Kateera, will participate in the inaugural International Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in Africa to be held in Maputo, Republic of Mozambique, from 13 to 15 October 2026 under the theme: “Scaling Proactive Governance and Strategic Investment for Disaster Risk Reduction and a Resilient Africa.”
Convened by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Government of the Republic of Mozambique, the Conference brings together policymakers, regional economic communities, disaster risk management practitioners, development partners, financial institutions, academia, civil society organisations and private sector representatives to advance Africa's resilience agenda and accelerate the implementation of disaster risk reduction commitments.
During the opening session, the SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Corporate Affairs, Dr. Judith Kateera, will join His Excellency Daniel Francisco Chapo, President of the Republic of Mozambique and African Union Champion for Disaster Risk Management, and other high-level leaders in addressing more than 500 delegates.
The SADC Secretariat will also contribute to key discussions, including the technical session "From Data to Action: Using the SADC INFORM Subnational Risk Index to Strengthen Risk-Informed Decision Making," and a session on “Transforming Systemic Drought Risk into Resilient Dividends in the Benguela Current Region". These discussions, convened with key partners and collaborators including the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), GIZ and Map Action will strengthen political and strategic dialogue on the use of risk information for disaster risk and demonstrate the resilience dividend of integrated water-risk management.
The Conference is taking place at a critical moment when increasing disasters and hazards as droughts, floods, cyclones and other extreme weather events place immense pressure on economies, infrastructure, food systems and vulnerable populations, and threaten to reverse development gains in the SADC region and Africa at large.
The participation of SADC at the Conference underscores the region's commitment to advancing proactive disaster risk governance and resilience-building.
#DRR #ICDRR #ResilienceStartsAtHome #SADC
For media enquiries, contact Ms. Barbara Lopi, Head of Communication and Public Relations, Email: blopi@sadc.int; Mr. Innocent Mbvundula, Communications and External Relations Officer at imbvundula@sadc.int
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SADC in Brief
SADC is an organisation of 16 Member States established in 1980 as the Southern African Development Coordinating Conference (SADCC) and later transformed into SADC in August 1992. SADC’s mission is to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development through deeper cooperation and integration, good governance, and durable peace and security, so that the region emerges as a competitive and effective player in international relations and the global economy. Member States are Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Issued by the SADC Secretariat, Gaborone, Botswana
