Margareta Walhström, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, told the delegates to the 14^th regular session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment held in Arusha Tanzania, that African governments must acknowledge that risk reduction “as the first line of defense against the impact of climate change.”  Walhström urged African governments to “use its existing mechanisms, especially the African Program of Action for Disaster Risk Reduction to advance technology, learning and applications in climate risk management.”

According to the UNISDR website, “Walhström  stressed that disaster risk reduction and climate change adaption were central elements of sustainable development as they shared common causes and goals: reduction of the vulnerability and exposure of the communities and nations.” She said: "Recognizing and building links between them is effective and efficient development.” Walhström also called upon African governments to “accelerate implementation of the first global risk reduction plan: the Hyogo Framework for Action.”