11-June 2008, Lahore: A four-day orientation workshop was organized in Lahore on 08 – 11 June 2010 by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) under One UN Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Joint Programme Component.
The workshop was focused on District Disaster Risk Management Planning in districts Mianwali and DG Khan (Punjab), districts D.I.Khan and Nowshera (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and district Bajaur in FATA, The objective of the workshop was not only to sensitize the participants regarding hazards, vulnerability, disasters and their impact on the communities in their respective districts but also to enhance their capacity to develop District Disaster Risk Management Plans.
It should be noted that the development of Disaster Risk Management Systems both at provincial and district levels were introduced in Pakistan in 2006 following the promulgation of National Disaster Management Ordinance. This resulted in mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction into planning and development processes. To date NDMA has organized similar trainings in 45 districts throughout Pakistan. One of the key focus of UNDP support to NDMA is to ensure that capacities on disaster risk management are made effective at Provincial and District level.
The workshop was inaugurated by Mr. Arshad Nawaz Chenna, Deputy Director NDMA and supported by Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab. Major ® Rizwan Ullah Baig, DG Relief and Crises Management Cell/PDMA Punjab was also present on the occasion. The participants were from different government departments such as Revenue, Planning, Civil Defence and PDMA (Punjab) etc. and possessed relevant experience in managing emergencies, relief work and disasters in their areas.
Participants emphasized that strong coordination amongst all relevant departments should be practiced in order to mitigate risks, enhance preparedness and handle post disaster situations in a sustained manner. The role of coordination cannot be understated as all relevant departments should work pre, during and post disaster situations in coordinated manner to reduce the impact of the disasters and respond to the situation timely and effectively.
According to Mr. Abdul Hafeez, Manager Planning, District Bajaur “Pakistan is located in a region which is prone to a number of natural disasters; Attabad Lake and PHET Cyclone are the most recent examples of this time. The impact of such disasters can be minimized tremendously by strengthening the district management. Therefore, this training on drafting DRM plans is a step forward in this direction”.
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
Website: http://www.undp.org.pk
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