Chairman
NDMA Pakistan General Lieutenant Omer Mahmood Hayat, unanimously elected as
Chair of the Fifth Session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission
for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) committee on Disaster Risk Reduction, in
Bangkok, Kingdom of Thailand yesterday.
In recognition of NDMA Pakistan
leadership role in the field of Disaster Management and its contribution in DRR
activities at international arena, particularly within the Asia Pacific region,
Chairman NDMA was unanimously elected as the Chair of the Fifth Session of the
Committee on DRR. The nomination was proposed by the delegate of the Russian
Federation, which was seconded / endorsed by the delegate of Republic of Korea
while the house elected him as its Chair, unanimously.
Chairman NDMA participated along
with team of NDMA, at the Fifth Session of United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) Committee on Disaster Risk
Reduction (DRR) being held from 10th -13th October 2017
in Bangkok, Thailand.
Chairman NDMA also had a meeting
with the UN Under Secretary General and Executive
Secretary of UNESCAP Ms. Shamshad Akhtar. Both sides discussed matters for
future cooperation in the field of DRR.
Both sides also agreed to organize an international conference on
disaster management in Pakistan and further enhance cooperation in areas of DRR
and gender mainstreaming, protecting child and vulnerable segments of society
from negative impacts and hazards of disasters.
Earlier, Member (DRR) NDMA,Idrees
Mahsud delivered a keynote address at the opening session of the UNESCAP DRR
Committee Session. NDMA Pakistan is also participating at expert level in
the Expert Group Meetings on Early Warning Mechanisms for River basin floods,
flash floods and landslides. NDMA also attended Expert Group Meeting on Risk
Knowledge and Risk Assessments and showcased its tools developed for carrying
out Multi Hazard Risk and Vulnerability Assessments (MHVRA).
UNESCAP launched
“Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2017” during the inaugural ceremony of the fifth
session of UNESCAP committee on DRR. According to the report Pakistan is likely
to incur 3 times more losses due to disasters up to 2030. Such futuristic
estimation is an eye opener and warrants urgent attention and prioritization of
DRR and preparedness measures at national, provincial and local levels.
The ESCAP is the
regional arm of the United Nations Secretariat for the Asian and Pacific region
serving as the regional hub promoting cooperation among member States to
achieve inclusive and sustainable economic and social development.
