The Southern African Development Community (SADC) convened a virtual Extraordinary Meeting of the Committee of Ministers Responsible for Disaster Risk Management from 12–13 May 2025. The meeting was chaired by Honourable Daniel Garwe, Minister of Local Government and Public Works of Zimbabwe and Chairperson of the Committee.
The session was also attended by Ms. Angéle Makombo N’Tumba, Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration at the SADC Secretariat, who delivered opening remarks.
The Ministers deliberated on two critical agenda items in preparation for submission to the SADC Council of Ministers:
Full operationalisation of the SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre (SHOC).
Operationalisation of the SADC Emergency Response Team (ERT).
Key outcomes included the approval of the composition of the inaugural SHOC Governing Board and a directive to the Secretariat to convene its first meeting. The Governing Board will review and endorse the SHOC staffing structure and budget for submission to the Council. Ministers also recommended extending the contracts of SHOC interim staff to March 2026, with costs covered by the 2022 approved interim operational budget.
On the ERT, the Ministers approved the proposed list of team members, selected to represent a broad spectrum of disaster response expertise. The Secretariat was urged to continue collaborating with Member States and SHOC to train the ERT for rapid deployment in response to regional disasters.
These decisions mark significant progress toward strengthening regional disaster preparedness and response mechanisms in the SADC region.
