UNESCO Islamabad in partnership with UNDP, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and Pakistan Humanitarian Forum (PHF) organized a webinar to commemorate the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) on 13 October 2020.
The United Nations General Assembly has designated 13 October as IDDRR to promote a global culture of disaster risk reduction. It is an opportunity to acknowledge the progress being made towards reducing disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. The 2020 target is: “Substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020”, which lays the foundation for the implementation of the Sendai Framework and is closely linked with strengthening disaster risk governance.
The objective of the event is to promote and encourage stakeholders at the national, provincial and community levels to mark the implementation of the Sendai Framework with a focus on governance and Target E, highlighting challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr. Amanullah Khan, Assistant Resident Representative at UNDP Pakistan, opened the event by highlighting the importance of disaster risk reduction and the role that governance can play in it. Mr. Syed Shahid Kazmi, from the Pakistan Humanitarian Forum, proceeded to elaborate upon the governance challenges faced during humanitarian work in this sphere. This was followed by Mr. Muhammad Idrees Mahsud, Member DRR at NDMA, speaking about risk governance from a national perspective and the work carried out by NDMA to promote DRR in Pakistan. Mr. Zafar Hayat Malik, Senior Programme Officer at UNESCO, concluded by addressing different aspects of disaster risk governance that emerged in Pakistan this year. There was an active question and answer session at the end of the event. Ideas for future interventions, including gender-focused studies and the involvement of academia, emerged from the discussion.