Italy is in the front line to help Kenya prevent natural disasters.
Yesterday, the Italian Ambassador to Kenya, Roberto Natali, and the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Kamal Kishore, signed the agreement that kicks off the initiative to strengthen warning and preventive action systems in Kenya. This is a project financed by Italian cooperation and implemented by the United Nations, through the UNDRR Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.
The investment amounts to EUR 1.5 million and is part of the Italian cooperation's efforts to improve governance and coordination mechanisms in disaster risk reduction in Africa. This is a highly topical issue after the floods that hit the country, with entire villages swept away, bridges destroyed, and almost 200 deaths.
Since 2020, several regional initiatives have been implemented with Undrr and the African Union, which have enabled, among other things, the implementation of the first continent-wide warning system for catastrophic phenomena (African multi-hazard early warning and action system), which has the potential to save thousands of lives and reduce the damage caused by extreme weather and climate events.

"The initiative we are launching today represents a crucial intervention in a country like Kenya, where the risk of disasters is a growing concern. The Italian role is certainly helping to lead the transition from disaster management to risk management,’ said Ambassador Natali. Also present at the signing was the head of the Nairobi office of the Italian Development Cooperation Agency (AICS), Giovanni Grandi.

"Disaster risk reduction is a priority for the agency. In East Africa, we are committed to providing humanitarian support to people affected by natural disasters, acting in advance of disasters, according to the humanitarian, development and peace nexus,’ Grandi said.