IFRC Disaster Law supports countries in the Indian Ocean to advance their national disaster laws. We have worked with Mauritius and Seychelles to finalise disaster management related legislation, and with Madagascar in the finalisation of an International Disaster Response Law (IDRL) study.
We have continued work with the French Red Cross’ Plateforme d’intervention régionale de l’océan Indien (PIROI), to promote International Disaster Response Law (IDRL) in the Indian Ocean as well as Tanzania and Mozambique.
In 2025, the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and the IFRC signed an MoU which sets out the modalities of cooperation between the IOC and the IFRC, including in the field of Disaster Law. The MoU also promotes the specific partnership between Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies of the region with their respective public authorities through joint programming to address climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and early warning early action.
In parallel, closer relationship was tied with the other Island States gathered within the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). A technical workshop on strengthening disaster risk governance highlighted the role of legal frameworks, most importantly in enhancing resilience across the Member States of IORA.
Over the course of 2025, the IFRC Disaster Law Africa team facilitated a series of workshops across the Indian Ocean Islands, engaging stakeholders in Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles. These workshops focused on reviewing and improving national legal frameworks for DRM and strengthening National Societies’ auxiliary role.
