Martin Endjala
Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, says in order to address the threat of climate change, building resilience at every level of society has become an urgent priority.
“As we face these complex and ever-evolving threats, building resilience at every level of our society has become an urgent priority,” she said.
The premier said this last week at the commemoration of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction at the Uukwangula, Okatana Constituency, in the Oshana region.
She said the day is a reminder about the importance of disaster risk reduction, in the face of increasing and unprecedented natural and human-induced disasters that threaten the lives and livelihood of the people.
The day is remembered under the theme “Fighting Inequality for a Resilient Future”, a reminder that when these occur, disasters often exacerbate inequalities among societies.
The Prime Minister noted that as leaders reflect on the theme, they must appreciate the urgent need to address the disparities in order to build a more resilient Namibia.
She pointed out that Namibia is vulnerable to disasters, given the fact that it is highly impacted by climate change which exposes the country to diverse disasters, such as droughts, floods, wildfires, pest outbreaks and windstorms.
As a result, the PM indicated that the government, in collaboration with the University of Namibia, recently conducted a National Risk Profile that catalogues the exposure of each region to natural hazards.
These hazards she said, often occur in quick succession, leading to greater vulnerabilities. Just this year, parts of Ohangwena, Oshana and Omusati Regions were exposed to flooding which destroyed crops and diminished prospects for better-anticipated crop yield. Then immediately after, the rain stopped, leading to a drought, country-wide.
Furthermore, she emphasised that disasters, whether natural or human-induced, know no boundaries, as they do not discriminate based on social, economic, or geographical factors, but their impact is not uniform.
She went as far as to say that they disproportionately affect the most vulnerable who often lack the capacity to cope with and effectively recover from the crises.
However, she mentioned that disasters can derail developmental agendas to a certain extent, as resources allocated to disaster relief are often diverted from developmental programs.
She believes that in order to substantially address this situation, there is a need to build resilience to disasters, among sectors and amongst communities. Subsequently, she says although disasters cannot always be prevented, preparedness and resilience building can mitigate the damage caused by disasters thereby limiting adverse situations from escalating into emergencies and disasters.
She underscored the role of development partners in disaster risk management, adding that their support enhances the strength of the disaster risk management system, and exposes Namibia to international best practices.
“As we roll this drought programme 2023 out, I wish to use this opportunity to call upon our development partners and Namibian individuals and corporates to support our disaster relief and disaster risk reduction efforts to enable our country to weather this storm and build resilience,” she urged.
This initiative she explained, is a further commitment to building a country where disasters do not exacerbate inequalities but instead serve as catalysts for positive change.
“Our collective actions today will shape the country and world of tomorrow, and it is our responsibility to ensure that future generations inherit a safer, more just country, “affirmed the PM.
