FAO Assistant Director-General, Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, said world hunger was on the rise in the last two years because of conflict and disasters, making it more difficult to achieve a key Sustainable Development Goal. “The scarey thing is when the two interact."

Mr. Ahmed also expressed the view that water scarcity is a much greater threat to Arab States than conflict.

IOM’s Cairo representative, Nina Stuurman said there were obvious links between disasters and conflict which could lead to huge displacement of people. IOM adapts disaster risk reduction activity to conflict settings, developing effective relationships at community level and providing training to build back better when circumstances allow.

She added: “There was a need to be smart in applying disaster risk reduction in situations arising from conflict and mentioned the planting of trees in Rohingya refugees camps in Bangladesh as a defence against landslides in the rainy season.”

Session chair, Somali Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hamza Said Hamza, said there were clear challenges in countries like his own when confict and drought overlap. He said that 25% of the population were internally displaced.

There was general agreement among the panellists and those who spoke from the floor that conflict and DRR should be a regular topic of discussion at regional platforms.

Date:

12 Oct 2018

Sources:

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Arab States (UNISDR ROAS)

Countries:

Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen

Regions:

Africa, Asia