Workshop to assist Seychelles in setting up vulnerability assessment programme |26 July 2016

The regional vulnerability assessment committee being set up in Seychelles was the focus of a one-day workshop held yesterday.

The workshop, led by a consultant from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis (RVAA) programme, was an occasion for delegates to be introduced to the RVAA programme and given an update on such activity going on in Seychelles.

Seychelles has six vulnerability assessment activities being set up but only three in the stage of implementation. The rest are still in the pipeline which were to be implemented by November 2015. They are Food Insecurity Experience Scale Survey;  Agricultural Production Survey; Survey of Dietary Diversity and Nutritional Status; Seychelles VAC secretariat set up; Exchange visits to member states and Dinventar Data Collection.

In 1999, SADC established the Regional Vulnerability Assessment Committee  (RVAC) with international cooperating partners and other stakeholders. This committee has spearheaded critical improvements in vulnerability analysis and food security at both regional and country level.

In 2006, building on previous initiatives, the SADC secretariat began implementing the RVAA programme. Its goal is to reduce poverty and livelihood vulnerability through climate resilience livelihood in the SADC region.

The workshop was led by by George Chiduwa from the SADC RVAA programme. He was assisted by representatives from the Seychelles Agricultural Agency (SAA), Seychelles Fisheries Authority (SFA) and the Division of Risk and Disaster Management (DRDM).

“The programmme is about the region coming together to do vulnerability assessment and analysis so that we can be better prepared for any risks or hazards that the region may encounter,” said Mr Chiduwa.

He added the main objectives are to collect liable information, analyse them and present them to member state governments and other stakeholders so they can be better prepared in the event of a disaster.

He said all topics are relevant to the Seychelles as it is a programme for the region.