Luanda - The acting president of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Council of Ministers, Téte António, Sunday in Luanda, defended the need for the implementation of emergency plans to combat the various natural disasters in the region.
Speaking at the opening of the virtually extraordinary meeting of this regional body, the head of the Angolan diplomacy said these plans would make it possible to ensure, in the short, medium and long term, an effective response to these phenomena.
According to the Angolan minister, natural disasters know no borders and have a major impact, hence the need for cross-border collaboration.
The meeting of the SADC Council of Ministers served to deliberate on issues related to the efforts to respond to drought effects caused by the El Niño phenomenon in the southern African region.
Téte António recalled that the Republic of Madagascar witnessed the devastation caused by tropical cyclones Alvaro, Filipo and Gamane between January and March 2024, which caused loss of life, destruction of property and infrastructure.
"We also saw continuous rains and flooding in Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi and the United Republic of Tanzania, which caused loss of life and destruction of infrastructure and property, resulting in billions of dollars in damage and losses," the minister said.
The minister added that during the 2023/24 agricultural season, there were crop losses as a result of the drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon, which is already causing food deficits.
"As a result, we are already seeing volatility in the prices of essential commodities," António said.
Téte António underscored that the low rainfall negatively impacts the availability of water resources for water supply, sanitation and hygiene services, energy production and breed production with some countries suffering from long power cuts.
The minister thanked the partners for their support, especially at critical times when the region is facing devastation as a result of the multiple threats wreaking havoc on communities and economies.
The meeting follows the directive of the SADC Chairperson, João Lourenço, following the decision of the SADC Council of Ministers in August 2023 and the recommendations of the Steering Committee of the Regional Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis Program.
It precedes the virtual Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of this continental organization to be held on May 20, with the aim to assess the humanitarian situation in the region following the drought caused by El Niño, which has had a negative impact on the lives and livelihoods of around 58 million people.
The head of Angolan diplomacy called on all member states to take the recommendations seriously and implement them in order to reduce the impact of these disasters and strengthen the long-term resilience of the communities. FMA/PA /TED/AMP
