This issue addresses disaster risk by highlighting the action undertaken by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and its partners to reduce the impacts of natural hazards in Africa.

Its content includes:

• Africa agrees on a common position for Durban

• International Day for Disaster Reduction 2011

• Southern Africa launches DRR platform

• SARCOF-15: Bridging gaps between climatologists and DRR experts

• East African Community seeks common strategy to address DRR

Almost seven years after the devastating tsunami of 2004, more than 20 nations* will participate on 12 October in a full-scale exercise to test the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System. This exercise, organized under the auspices of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, will also see responsibility for the issue of advisories handed over to the countries of the region through a new regional tsunami advisory service.

Windhoek (Namibia), 27 August 2011 – The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Disaster Risk Reduction Unit in partnership with the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and UNISDR is conducting a disaster risk reduction (DRR) stakeholders training workshop from 27-28 August 2011. The workshop will be held alongside the Fifteenth Southern Africa Region Climate Outlook Forum (SARCOF-15) from 29-30 August 2011.