Acknowledgments

This report is the result of extensive research and close collaboration between Zambian governmental institutions, international organizations and scientific research centres. The scientific consortium was led by CIMA Research Foundation in partnership with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (ROA), and included the VU University of Amsterdam and the Wageningen University & Research. During the past two years, as the scientific team collected data and conducted the risk assessment process, the vital contributions and continuous feedback provided by the Zambian institutions once again revealed the importance of collaborative, fruitful relationships for knowledge sharing and horizontal learning.

The consortium would like to express its gratitude and acknowledge the valuable support it received from all of its Zambian partners, namely: Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Lusaka City Council, Central Statistics Office, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, Zambia National Public Health Institute, Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Ministry of Education, National Remote Sensing Centre, Zambia Meteorological Department and Zambezi River Authority.

The present disaster risk profile is not only the synthesis of insights gained during several months collecting data and conducting risk modelling in Zambia, but also the result of having mobilized more than six hundred risk managers from fifteen other African countries during strategic national workshops, consultative meetings and individual interviews. This opportunity, made possible through the implementation of the ACP-EU funded programme “Building Disaster Resilience to Natural Hazards in Sub-Saharan African Regions, Countries and Communities”, allowed us to listen to the real challenges, perceptions and priorities on risk governance and societal needs. As a result, we believe that we have moved towards a common understanding of risk in each of the countries we have had the privilege to work with.

Aligned to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and as representatives of the scientific community, the consortium will always encourage countries to increase research on disaster risk causes and scenarios, supporting local authorities in understanding the value of a systematic interface between policy and science for decision-making. Under this lens, three main groups of stakeholders were identified as key beneficiaries of this report:

• Policy makers, risk managers and local academia, who wish to develop their risk knowledge and to apply and promote evidence-informed policy making for good public risk governance. • Civil society leaders, who wish to explore the evolving roles that they may play, through advocacy and awareness, given the foreseen economic, environmental and social changes. • International Donors and NGOs who wish to identify priority sectors and regions for risk mitigation funding and actions.

As science is first and foremost at the service of humankind, we hope that this report facilitates the translation of knowledge into solutions to reduce disaster losses, increase societal resilience and the capacity to create development models able to provide a better future for all of Earth’s inhabitants.

The Consortium