The African, Caribbean Pacific Secretariat, in collaboration with the European Commission, hosted the Fall Meeting of the Consultative Group (CG) of the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), in Brussels during the 7th-9th November, 2018. The meetings, co-chaired by the ACP Secretariat, the European Commission and the World Bank, celebrated the ACP Group initiative in 2005, to create ACP-EU Natural Disaster Risk Management Programs under the intra-ACP framework.The ACP-EU NDRR Program supports Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation activities in ACP countries through technical assistance, capacity building and advisory/analytical work. The Consultative Group discussions at the ACP Secretariat showcased the current success stories of GFDRR program (launched in 2011), and highlighted newly emerging priorities of mutual interest, including inclusive community resilience, gender mainstreaming, and local adaptation. Ambassador Ognimba, the Assistant Secretary General of the Political Affairs and Human Development Department, in his opening remarks at the Consultative Group meeting, stated ‘The top priorities for the group remains a pro-active approach to the management of natural disasters and the associated risks, the promotion of programs leading to Resilient Recovery, and a bottoms-up approach which will give a voice to the voiceless and empower the most vulnerable members of our societies’. The Consultative Group Meeting was followed by the information sharing seminars of The Knowledge Partnership Day and the ACP Focus Day (8th and 9th November 2018 respectively), and provided the platform for participants to share their perspectives on efforts to enhance resilience at the local levels. The Knowledge Partnership Day connected key partners and stakeholders such as ACP government officials, EU and international donors, regional organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Source: ACP Secretariat