Ambassador Josefa Sacko, Commissioner of the African Union for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Development (DARBE), encouraged “Member States to sign and ratify the ARC Treaty as soon as possible and to become members of this innovative pan-African disaster risk financing mechanism and solution, which helps to respond in a timely manner to natural hazards and protect the livelihoods of our most vulnerable populations”.
UN Deputy Secretary-General and Director-General of the ARC Group, Ibrahima Cheikh Diong, stated that by April 2023, only 11 countries had ratified the instrument and 35 had signed it.
“It is time for AU Member States to take ownership of funding for disaster risk management and also reduce extreme dependence on donor funding,” he said.
The ARC Group has been working on disaster risk management finance for ten years. The institution has recently developed flood products and implemented financing instruments for tropical cyclones and droughts.
The Republics of Malawi, Madagascar and Mauritania shared their best practices in using ARC products. Malawi developed a disaster risk management financing strategy, establishing itself as one of the first African countries. As an ARC signatory, you have benefited from ARC software to improve preparedness and effectively reach vulnerable populations.
