Bujumbura, 26 September 2023 - In collaboration with the Economic Commission of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Government of the Republic of Burundi, the APRM successfully organized the 2nd regional workshop for capacity building and sharing of experiences on States resilience to shocks and disasters in Bujumbura. The workshop aimed to bring together Member States and experts, so that in light of existing research findings, notably the APRM country assessment reports, they would share their experiences on possible ways of addressing key issues of disaster risk reduction in the areas of urban resilience and food systems resilience.
The APRM delegation was led by Dr Ali Adel Rhamane Haggar ALI, member of the APRM Panel in charge of ECCAS, who was accompanied by Dr Rachel Mukamunana, representing the Chief Executive Officer of the APRM, Prof. Eddy Maloka, Mr. Ferdinand Katendeko, Acting Director of Operations, Dr Valery Yao, Technical Resilience Coordinator, Ms. Dahlia N'Goulakia, Administration and Logistics Officer, Mr. Constantin Lebogo, Interpreter, Mr. Baraka Makusudi, ICT Officer and Ms. Grace Kogere, Finance Officer. ECCAS member states, notably Burundi, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sao Tome and Principe and Chad, participated in the workshop. UNDP, FAO and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) also took part in the work.
The official opening ceremony noted the participation of several high-ranking personalities, namely, Mr. Ferdinand Bashikako, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, H.E. Amb. Albert SHINGIRO; H.E SGHAIR M'Bareck SAID, AU High Representative for the Great Lakes, H.E. Abdou Dieng, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Burundi; Dr Ali Aderhamane Haggar, member of the APRM Panel in charge of ECCAS; Dr Rachel Mukamunana, representative of the Director General of the APRM, Prof. Eddy Maloka, and Mr. Ngaryamngaye Semingar who represented Mr. Gilberto Da Piedade VERISSIMO, President of the ECCAS Commission.
After extending a warm welcome to the participants, Dr Ali Aderhamane Haggar recalled the commitment between the APRM and Burundi over the last two years which is summed up by the accession mission led by the Chief Executive Officer, Professor Eddy Maloka, on January 25, 2022, in Bujumbura followed by an awareness-raising mission under the leadership of member of the APRM Panel in charge of Burundi, Dr Ousmane Diallo. He underlined the relevance of the workshop theme by highlighting the frequency and severity of disasters. He concluded by indicating that given the fact that our populations are young and mostly live in urban centres, it is imperative that this issue be addressed in all its depth.
The representative of the Director General highlighted the key role played by the Regional Economic Communities in the execution of the APRM mandate. Faced with shocks and challenges caused, among other things, by conflicts, climate variability, diseases and natural and man-made disasters which lead to extreme vulnerability of populations, she called for collective action to be able to reduce the disaster risks in order to preserve human lives.
In their interventions, H.E SGHAIR M'Bareck SAID and H.E. Abdou Dieng, noted the multiplication of natural and human disasters over the last decades, the incalculable impact of these disasters in loss of human life and damage, the priority that constitutes the thorny issue of the resilience of States to shocks and disasters for public action and the increased need for collaboration between institutions such as the APRM, ECCAS and civil society in the management and reduction of disaster risks.
For His Excellency Ferdinand Bashikako, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, the country risk profile of our countries tends to deteriorate due to climate change, which climate changes, due to agriculture essentially dependent on rain, confront us with the very sad phenomenon of famine. Burundi gives priority to disaster risk reduction in its development policies.
APRM - DIRECTORATE OF COUNTRY REVIEWS AND ASSESSMENTS
For inquiries please contact:
Dr Rachel Mukamunana - Ag. Director of Country Reviews and Assessments
Dr Valery Yao Yao - Research Assistant - valery.yaoyao@aprm-au.org
