The Second Africa Regional Platform (ARP) on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Consultative Meeting was held at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya from 5-7 May, 2009. The event themed “Accelerate progress in implementing the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) and the Africa Regional Strategy for DRR” was organized by the Commission of the African Union (AUC) and the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). More than 150 participants representing governments, UN agencies and development organizations participated in the meeting. The overall objective of the Second Consultative Meeting was to review progress made in the implementation of the HFA, promote regional cooperation, strengthen regional mechanisms and programmes and prepare Africa’s participation in the Second Session of the Global Platform for DRR to be held from 16-19 June in Geneva, Switzerland.

The meeting was divided into nine sessions facilitated by co-chairs and panelists. Five of the sessions addressed the HFA priorities for action on: ensuring that DRR is a national and a local priority with a strong institutional basis for implementation; risk identification, monitoring and early warning; knowledge, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience at all levels; reducing underlying risk factors; and disaster preparedness. More.