Divina Sabino

Divina Sabino joined the Seychelles’ National Office for Disaster Risk Management in 2010. She served as the national counterpart for international and regional projects, where she was responsible for Planning & Policy and International Commitments. She developed and managed the Disaster Risk Management Information System, which had a tremendous impact in improving effectiveness of communication, documentation and reporting within all emergency first responder organizations. She played a key role in leading the formulation of the National Disaster Risk Management Act, 2014 and influencing the National Disaster Risk Management Policy, 2014. Divina’s recommendations to the government resulted in the establishment of the National Vulnerability Assessment Committee. This committee has both national and regional influence, brings together expertise from key sectors of government and tasks each sector with their responsibilities towards disaster risk reduction and accountability.

Divina’s ultimate goal is to support both Seychelles’ and regional governments, including all members of the African Small Island Developing States (SIDS), to establish a regional disaster risk management platform. This would improve communication and information-sharing between all member countries, build regional capacity and make the most of regional expertise; similar to many regional platforms already established around the world. These platforms support disaster risk reduction in the region by helping governments prepare, respond and recover from the human and economic impact of disasters. Divina truly believes that this is one of the most effective strategies in poverty reduction for the Indian Ocean region and African SIDS.

Divina was awarded a full joint scholarship by the Government of Seychelles and the Chinese Scholarship Council and holds a B.Sc. in Geography from Northeast Normal University. She was also awarded the UNESCO-Great Wall Scholarship and pursued a postgraduate certificate in Environmental Science from Beijing Normal University.