Namibia: Country Case Study Report / How Law and Regulation Support Disaster Risk Reduction

Namibia is vulnerable to a range of natural hazards, especially drought and flooding. Flooding is an annually recurring event which is worsening each year, with the northern and northeastern regions being the worst affected. Drought is increasingly difficult to predict in the country. In 2013, Namibia experienced an extensive and prolonged drought throughout the country. Namibia is extremely susceptible to the impacts of climate change, especially the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, which is exacerbating Namibia’s already water-stressed situation.

Historically, Namibia’s efforts to combat the impact of disasters have been focused almost exclusively on relief for flooding and drought. This strategy was governed by a legal framework (the Civil Defense Act and the Civil Defense Ordinances) which was inherited from the South African colonial administration. Namibia has a relatively new national framework for Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), which includes the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) of 2012, the National Disaster Risk Management Plan of 2011, and the National Disaster Risk Management Policy of 2009. This framework is representative of the wider global paradigm shift away from a disaster response approach to one of comprehensive DRM that takes account of a wide range of hazards and stakeholders. The framework is aligned to relevant international agreements such as the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-15, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Africa Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction.