Its founding members are the Governments of Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique and the Union of Comoros. Its Headquarter is in Maputo, Mozambique, and it has antennas in the other four member countries. Its purpose is to provide Technical Assistance on Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation to Climate Change in Southern Africa and the South-West Indian Ocean. It operates as a non-profit, autonomous, regional organization, international in status and non-political in management, staffing and operations. It focuses on Urban Resilience to respond to the increasing demand of capacity-building in the areas of urban risk reduction and resilience services. It works with Governments, NGOs, the UN, the Academia and the Civil Society.