The SADC Executive Secretary, Her Excellency Dr Stergomena L. Tax, met the Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator for the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), His Excellency Mr. Stephen O’Brien on 29th January 2017. The objective of the meeting was to review the status of implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between SADC and OCHA in October 2014.
Through the MoU, SADC and OCHA have cooperated in strengthening regional and national coordination for effective disaster preparedness and response. The meeting noted the progress made to address humanitarian needs in the SADC Region. The SADC Executive Secretary thanked OCHA for the support rendered to SADC in preparation of the 2016 Regional Appeal to support the humanitarian needs and disaster response recovery for those affected by the El-Nino-induced drought.
Both parties appreciated progress made, and the recorded achievements, and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen their bilateral relations by among others reviewing the Memorandum of Understanding to take into account the actions provided in the SADC Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Strategies, focusing on early warning and resilience building to weather related shocks that frequently affect the SADC region.
