The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is strengthening regional disaster preparedness and early intervention measures ahead of the anticipated impacts of El Niño during the 2026/2027 rainfall season.

The regional bloc opened its four-day 2026 Disaster Preparedness and Response Planning Workshop in Johannesburg on Tuesday, bringing together Member States and humanitarian partners to assess potential risks, improve contingency planning and ensure that early warnings translate into timely action.

Held under the theme: “From Forecast to Consequence: Anticipating the Cascading Impacts of El Niño 2026/27 in Southern Africa”, the workshop seeks to strengthen coordination, mobilise resources and protect vulnerable communities and livelihoods from potential humanitarian consequences.

The workshop is convened by the SADC Secretariat in collaboration with the European Union, through the European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), and in partnership with the Regional Anticipatory Action Working Group (RAAWG).

The Director of South Africa’s National Disaster Management Centre, Pumeza Tyali, officially opened the workshop on behalf of the South African Government.

Tyali emphasised the need to strengthen multi-hazard early warning systems, improve forecasting and risk information, enhance contingency planning and ensure that vulnerable communities receive timely and actionable warnings.

She also highlighted the importance of inclusive disaster preparedness, particularly for women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities and communities living in high-risk areas.

Tyali called on participants to share experiences and lessons, strengthen partnerships and develop practical preparedness measures, stressing that the workshop’s success would be measured by the actions arising from its deliberations.

The discussions are guided by the question of whether existing systems are sufficiently prepared to respond to the anticipated risks before they develop into humanitarian crises.

Strengthening regional contingency planning

SADC Secretariat Head of Disaster Risk Reduction, Dr Manuel Lutango, said the workshop would provide an opportunity to assess progress in disaster preparedness and anticipatory action since the previous regional workshop in 2024.

He said the meeting would review measures being undertaken by Member States and partners in preparation for the projected El Niño conditions, while strengthening regional coordination and translating preparedness efforts into concrete action.

Key objectives include developing and validating the Regional Contingency Plan for the 2026/2027 season and reviewing the SADC Regional Multi-Hazard Anticipatory Action Framework, including provisions for drought triggers.

Participants will also work towards aligning regional contingency planning with the framework, strengthening sectoral preparedness, clarifying operational responsibilities and advancing discussions on pre-arranged financing to support early interventions.

Speaking on behalf of RAAWG, Resilience Team Leader at the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations Subregional Office for Southern Africa, Dr Lewis Hove, highlighted the challenges that can undermine disaster response despite accurate forecasts.

Hove noted that delays in funding, inadequate supplies and slow response mechanisms had constrained the effectiveness of interventions.

The representative called for stronger anticipatory action systems, timely financing, shared regional contingency planning and greater accountability to ensure that early warnings trigger practical interventions before hazards escalate into humanitarian crises.

Acting early and working together remain essential to saving lives, protecting livelihoods and strengthening disaster resilience across Southern Africa.

Moving from warnings to early action

Speaking on behalf of DG ECHO, the organisation’s Head of Office in Pretoria, Pablo Torrealba, said the region needed to move from reactive emergency response towards systematic, risk-informed anticipatory action.

He noted that early warnings were now arriving on time, but the challenge lay in translating them into pre-arranged financing, clear procedures, pre-positioned supplies and timely interventions.

Torrealba also stressed the need to prepare for multiple hazards rather than focusing on drought alone

He encouraged participants to conclude the workshop with validated plans, clear sectoral mandates and an accountable roadmap for action, reaffirming DG ECHO’s commitment to supporting SADC and its Member States.

The workshop follows calls for action made at the recent Maputo International Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, where Ministers emphasised the need to accelerate implementation of the African Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Early Action System (AMHEWAS) and the Early Warnings for All initiative.

The conference also highlighted the importance of improving interoperability among national, regional and continental early warning platforms to ensure that warnings are accessible, actionable and effectively communicated to at-risk communities.

Other priorities include implementing National Adaptation Plans, restoring landscapes, transforming agriculture and pre-positioning contingency food and non-food supplies ahead of El Niño and other potential disasters.

The deliberations in Johannesburg are expected to contribute to a coordinated regional approach that links seasonal forecasts with risk-informed decision-making, resource mobilisation and clearly defined operational responsibilities.

The workshop concludes on 23 October.

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