Djibouti, 15 March 2019 – The African Risk Capacity (ARC) Agency and the Government of Djibouti have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to address persistent climate risks and to scale up national disaster risk management and financing efforts.
The MoU serves as a framework to facilitate cooperation and collaboration between ARC Agency and the Government, and to set out the terms and conditions under which the Government and the ARC Agency will work together to address the impact of Extreme Weather Events in Djibouti, including through support provided by ARC Agency to the country, training of Government personnel and other efforts in support of the country’s objectives.
With threats of prolonged drought and flooding, Djibouti is highly vulnerable to climate risk. The country has been ranked among the top 50 countries most affected by extreme climate events on the Global Climate Risk Index, and a drought lasting from 2008-2011 caused US $51 million in damage and US $157 million in losses.
“We are eager to join efforts with the Government of Djibouti to address the persistent climate risks faced by the country, especially by rural populations”, said Mr. Mohamed Beavogui, ARC Director General and UN Assistant Secretary-General. “Extreme climate events can drive back years of development, but we can protect those economic gains by working together to identify and respond to climate risks before they become climate disasters,” he further stated.
The Government of Djibouti has taken significant steps in addressing its disaster risk over the years. With the World Bank Global Fund for Disaster Risk Reduction, Djibouti developed the first comprehensive risk assessment program in the Middle East and North African region.
As one of the original signatories to ARC Establishment Treaty, the Government of Djibouti contributed to establishing ARC as a Specialized Agency of the African Union. By deepening its partnership with ARC, the government is taking another step towards the strengthening of its disaster risk management program.
“The Government of the Republic of Djibouti firmly supports the ARC’s innovative and pan-African approach,” said H.E. Mr Hassan Omar Mohamed, the Minister of the Interior of Djibouti. “We are ready to mobilize to help execute the ARC Program in Djibouti.”
About African Risk Capacity (ARC): ARC consists of ARC Agency and ARC Insurance Company Limited (ARC Ltd). ARC Agency was established in 2012 as a Specialized Agency of the African Union to help Member States improve their capacities to better plan, prepare and respond to weather-related disasters. ARC Ltd is a mutual insurance facility providing risk transfer services to Member States through risk pooling and access to reinsurance markets; it is owned by Member States with active insurance policies while the KfW Development Bank and the UK Department of International Development are capital contributors.
With the support of the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, France, The Rockefeller Foundation and the United States, ARC assists AU Member States in reducing the risk of loss and damage caused by extreme weather events affecting Africa’s populations by providing, through sovereign disaster risk insurance, targeted responses to natural disasters in a more timely, cost-effective, objective and transparent manner. ARC is now using its expertise to help tackle some of the other greatest threats faced by the continent, including outbreaks and epidemics.
Source: Dickson Boadi
