From 14 to 16 September 2014, 19 Arab States met in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, for the 2nd Arab Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. They discussed the way forward for disaster risk reduction in the region and their recommendations for the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction which will be adopted next March in Sendai, Japan, at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.
The declaration emerging from the conference calls for a "strong focus on water and food security, the effects of climate change and extreme weather events, including drought, on dry lands and arid zones which are home to two billion people around the world," as UNISDR reports.
The Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, said: “The Arab States are giving strong support to ensuring that reducing disaster risk is seen as a cross-cutting issue for the post-2015 development agenda including new agreements on climate change and sustainable development goals. There is also a welcome move to ensure that specific attention is paid to engaging women, children and youth, people living with disabilities and older persons in the work of disaster risk management. A focus on capacity building for all segments of society has been evident in discussions here throughout the week.”
