SADC Emergency Response Training (ERT) Induction Course hosted in Nyanga, Republic of Zimbabwe

The Southern African Development Community (SADC), in collaboration with the SADC Humanitarian and Emergency Operations Centre (SHOC), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Republic of Zimbabwe, will conduct the SADC Emergency Response Team (ERT) Induction Course for its second cohort from 24 August to 4 September 2025 in Nyanga, Republic of Zimbabwe.

The induction course is part of the Disaster Risk Management strengthening in the Southern African Development Community (DRMSS) project financed under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) Intra-African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Programme (NDRRP). It brings together selected participants from SADC Member States with the aim of preparing members of the SADC ERT for deployment on regional emergency response missions.

The main objective of the training is to familiarise members of the ERT with the SADC region emergency preparedness and response methodology and prepare them for rapid deployment to sudden-onset emergencies on behalf of SADC to her Members States, to assist the national authorities of disaster-stricken respective Members States with coordination of the regional humanitarian response. This training targets the second cohort of the SADC ERT members with the first cohort trained in July 2024, in Maun, Republic of Botswana. 

This initiative is particularly critical given the SADC region’s vulnerability to a range of hazards, including floods, droughts, and disease outbreaks. Strengthened preparedness and response capacities are vital to reducing the humanitarian and economic impacts of disasters, which can disrupt livelihoods, damage infrastructure, divert resources from essential development priorities and reverse development gains.

This training is anchored on the long standing partnership between SADC Secretariat and OCHA, as such the course curriculum is based on the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC)Mission Cycle, adapted to the SADC context. It combines plenary and group sessions, desktop exercises, group work, and simulation activities focused on emergency deployment methodologies for both regional and international humanitarian response. The intensive programme will cover theoretical and technical exercises, coordination responsibilities, group dynamics, and a simulated UNDAC mission under compressed timelines.

The training seeks to minimise the devastating consequences of disasters, ultimately safeguarding development gains and strengthening resilience across the SADC region through enhancing regional preparedness and response capabilities.