In order to develop appropriate guidelines for integration of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) aspects in the Housing Policy and National Reference Manual for planning standards, a day long consultative seminar was arranged by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing & Works and United National Development Program, at National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), at Islamabad on Tuesday.
The main focus of the seminar was to (i) Introduce a Ministerial Strategy on DRR in the Housing sector in Pakistan (ii) Initiate dialogue and to identify gaps in the “National Housing Policy” and the “National Reference Manual” instruments from a DRR perspective (iii) Finalize recommendations and way forward from the mutual consultation of the resource persons and professional participants from PCATP, PEC, development authorities and other relevant agencies in Pakistan.
“DRR Sensitive Housing Policy and Planning Standards” is identified as a crucial need by the Ministry of Housing and Works for mainstreaming DRR in the Housing Strategy which has also been emphasized globally in the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) and in Pakistan, to incorporate DRR in all such policies and regulatory instruments, since the earthquake of 2005.
Prominent partners of this initiative included the Pakistan Engineering Council, Pakistan Council of Architects, Town Planners and the UN-Habitat. Professionals from the planning and construction fields who attended the seminar included engineers, architects, town planners and decision makers from various public and private sector organizations. Lt. Gen (Retd) Farooq Ahmad Khan, Chairman NDMA, Ms. AR Shama Usman, Chairperson Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners, and Mr. Aslam Muhgal, President Institute of Planners Pakistan (IPP) and Ms. Maggie Stephenson, Senior Technical Advisor UN-Habitat were some of the keynotes speakers on the occasion.
Speaking to the participants of the seminar, Chairman NDMA, Lt. Gen. (R) Farooq Ahmad Khan was hopeful that the recommendations of the seminar will lead the NDMA/UNDP to formulate a methodology which would be developed as guidelines for integration of DRR aspects in the relevant section of the Housing Policy and National Reference Manual for Planning Standards. The recommendations evolve from this seminar will lead towards formulation of DRR annexure for both the Housing Policy and National Reference Manual and will serve a consultative start for development of DRR guidelines for the sector.
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For further information and media assistance, please contact,
Mehreen Saeed, Communication Analyst, Strategic Management Unit, UNDP Pakistan
UN House No. 12, Street 17, F-7/2 Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-8255650 or Email:
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Website: http://www.undp.org.pk
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