Geneva. Tanzania’s engagement in the 8th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction has significantly broadened the nation’s access to international partnerships and strategies aimed at curbing the impacts of disasters, a senior government official has said.
Speaking during the ongoing forum in Geneva from June 2 to 6, 2025, the Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (Policy, Parliament and Coordination), Dr Jim Yonazi, described the platform as a vital mechanism for fostering collaboration among governments, stakeholders and the United Nations system to accelerate global disaster risk reduction efforts.
“This forum serves as a key instrument for assessing and discussing progress, as well as strengthening international disaster risk governance through voluntary agreements by United Nations member states,” said Dr Yonazi.
“The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, which is currently being implemented, guides these efforts.”
He noted that the forum also complements other international agendas contributing to disaster risk mitigation, including the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Dr Yonazi emphasised that the outcomes of the forum feed into resolutions and guidance issued by key global institutions, including the United Nations General Assembly, the UN Economic and Social Council, and the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.
According to Dr Yonazi, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) has been tasked by the UN General Assembly to convene the Global Platform biennially. Since its inception in 2007, the forum has been held seven times.
He added that the 2025 forum agenda includes strengthening the implementation of the Sendai Framework based on insights from its midterm review and the subsequent 2023 resolution by the UN General Assembly.
Other key items on the agenda include enhancing national and local disaster risk reduction strategies, with a specific focus on the lessons learned from recent disasters and how they have informed current planning and implementation.
