The Southern African Development Community (SADC), in partnership with the government of Eswatini and the World Bank, has officially launched two key initiatives to address regional challenges. The SADC Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Platform and the Eswatini Centre of Excellence on Drought Resilience are designed to improve regional coordination and collaboration among SADC member states. The SADC DRM Platform will serve as the region’s common space for advancing the disaster risk reduction (DRR) agenda, enhancing coordination across sectors, and facilitating inclusive dialogue among governments, technical experts, development partners, civil society, and communities. In her remarks, Ms. N’Tumba emphasised that the establishment of the SADC Platform on DRR is a direct response to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, which calls for stronger disaster risk governance and the institutionalisation of platforms at both national and regional levels. She noted that the platform will provide SADC with a vital mechanism to shape its collective DRR agenda, integrate risk reduction into broader development planning, and ensure that policies and practices are informed by both scientific knowledge and community experience.