The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Velenkosini Hlabisa, will officially launch the inaugural virtual meeting of the Group of Twenty Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (G20 DRR WG) under the South African Presidency on Thursday.
South Africa will host the G20 under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability”, which will serve as the guiding principles for collective engagements.
Through the G20 DRR WG, South Africa has a unique opportunity to reinforce the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction implementation and support the acceleration of early warnings for all initiatives, a key global target set by the United Nations (UN).
The Sendai Framework emphasises the importance of implementing measures that target the three dimensions of disaster risk – exposure to hazards, vulnerability and capacity, and the characteristics of hazards.
Its goals are to prevent the creation of new risks, reduce existing risks, and enhance resilience.
Having acknowledged the work done by India and Brazil’s Presidencies in strengthening the G20 DRR WG the South African Presidency has decided to retain all six priorities agreed upon under those Presidencies.
The launch of this working group’s first meeting by Hlabisa forms part of a series of ministerial and working group meetings that will take place throughout 2025.
These discussions are expected to culminate in the G20 Leaders’ Summit in November 2025. – SAnews.gov.za
