Namibia is vulnerable to various disasters such as droughts. ©FAO

Uukwangula, Namibia - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with government officials, community members, and various stakeholders, came together to celebrate the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) in Uukwangula, Oshana Region. The event coincided with the Namibia Regional Water Symposium (NRWS), offering a unique platform to explore the critical themes of "Fighting inequality for a resilient future" and "Water for All: Achieving Sustainability and Security."

IDDRR, originally established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989, serves as a global call to action for building resilient communities and nations, striving to reduce disaster risks, safeguard lives and livelihoods, and enhance community resilience. This mission aligns with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 – 2030.

Qingyun Diao, the FAO Representative to Namibia, expressed FAO’s commitment to address the challenges posed by flash floods, crop pests, diseases, and climate-induced episodic droughts that affect communities in Namibia. In this pursuit, she says, FAO aims to contribute to a resilient future while achieving sustainability in water supply and security, and food security and nutrition in the country.

Diao highlighted that FAO, in recognizing the importance of disaster risk reduction (DRR), has over the years played a vital role in disaster risk reduction and resilience building in Namibia, in close collaboration with government and various partners. She says FAO remains instrumental and continues to contribute to DRR and resilience with special focus on, amongst others:

1. Ensuring a conducive policy environment and institutional framework;
2. Strengthening capacity at local, regional, and national levels;
3. Building community resilience.

Diao continued to note the important contributions made by FAO in disaster risk reduction and resilience building in Namibia, including the support provided by FAO for the development of the National Strategy for Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation into Development Planning in Namibia (2017-2021).

The FAO Representative also underscored FAO’s work as it actively continues to address water security and flood-induced challenges in the country. Including the organization’s recent participation in the first airborne fact-finding mission over the Cuvelai, Okavango, and Zambezi catchment areas.

Furthermore, Diao added that FAO has supported the rehabilitation of boreholes along drought-induced livestock migration routes in the Erongo, Kunene, and Omusati regions. FAO has also been instrumental in capacitating the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform to enhance locust surveillance in the country, among other efforts.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister (PM) of Namibia Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila during the event highlighted that disasters, whether natural or human-induced, know no boundaries, nor do they discriminate based on social, economic, or geographic factors.

The PM highlighted that Namibia is vulnerable to disasters, given the fact that it is highly impacted by climate change which exposes the country to diverse disasters, such as droughts, floods, wildfires, pest outbreaks and windstorms. She encouraged the need for building resilience at every level of society to become a top priority to address these complex and ever-evolving threats.

“Although disasters cannot always be prevented, preparedness and resilience building can mitigate the damage caused by disasters thereby limiting adverse situations from escalating into emergencies and disasters,” said the PM.