oxfam ndma regional conference report

7/30/2019 Oxfam NDMA Regional Conference REPORT

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REGIONAL CONSULTATION EPORT

Engaging SAARC for Disaster Resilience

Organized by Oxfam and NDMA at Islamabad Club, Islamabad

(1-2 November 2012)

Report by: Amjad Nazeer

DAY ONE

I - Inaugural Session:

The workshop began with the recitation from the Holy Quran. While delivering welcomeaddress Cherian Mathews, Deputy Regional Director, Oxfam GB, thanked eminent

participants from all the South Asian countries that mainly included the government, civil

society, academic and media representatives.

Opening Remarks by Dr. Zafar Qadir Chairman NDMA, Pakistan:

Welcoming the participants, he said: You are all here for a two days consultation to gel

the views from governments, civil society, media, academics and other circles. Although

we have got intergovernmental forum in the shape of SAARC but communication in the

field of disaster response is limited. Oxfam came with an admirable idea of thinking andworking together. I welcome the efforts of all the organizations that made it happen.

Thanks to colleagues from all over south Asian Countries.

Hindu Kush Himalaya is one of the most disaster prone regions in the world. Scientific

analyses say that the region is going to face many more disasters with added

frequency. We might have many more natural surprises in terms of time, geography and

incidences. Our monsoon has already shifted. Its intensity is increasing every year. It is

a challenge for Pakistan and so is for India, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and

Maldives. Riverine floods in Bangladesh are well known. We have seen earthquakes,

floods, tsunami, landslides, mudslides and what not. You name a disaster we have it

here and all is interconnected. If it snows in Nepal, it affects India. If it snows in India, it

affects Pakistan. If it rains heavily in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, it affects Pakistan. And

if an earthquake jolts Afghanistan, it shakes Pakistan too.


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It is time to wake up. Disasters do not recognize political boundaries. Shared policy and

response mechanism and data sharing is important. Protecting life and livelihood of the

people should be the idea across countries. We need to put our heads together. We

strongly believe that member states in SAARC as well as non-governmental partners

need to be aware of the potential threats think together about how to come out of

emergencies. What is most important in this regard is managing knowledge. It is

scattered in bits and pieces. Some lies with universities, some with academia and much

of that with NGOs and media archives. Collecting and analyzing it for effective disaster

response is important. We need to share what seismic threats this region has got and

what lies ahead for communities, infra-structure and livelihoods to workout collective

plans. In other words, we need to be well prepared to face disasters. We need to

upgrade our infrastructures to resist impending disasters.

With an 8 to 9 months extensive effort, we have developed an effective response plan

here in Pakistan. It will surely help us better in building better future. The government isalso helping us in this regard. We are formulating relevant policies and setting in

practices. Our national response plan is now at the final stage of approval. We are

building capacities and filling out gaps. Public schools prove to be safe havens during

an disasters, therefore schools need to be developed and strengthened. We are

struggling to turn our schools into safe zones. We are building a system of stockpiles

and establishing an active and vibrant force. Rescue 911 now takes 9 minutes to reach

somewhere in the city of Islamabad. We are trying to replicate this response force in

other parts of the country i.e. in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakhtunekhuah and Sindh. Be it natural

or manmade emergency our response force should be capable of deal with it in a

minimum possible amount of time. Apart from responding to natural accidents, it shouldhave a capacity to deal with gas leakage, building collapses, fires or any other similar

incidence. India and Pakistan both have response forces and other countries can think

over to evolve a similar system.

This is the time when public and private bodies are joining hands to multiply their

strength and outcomes. Cooperation beyond borders is important to create peoples

resilience and minimize the devastating impacts of the disasters.

Statement of the Chief Guest Mr. Qamar Zaman Kaira, Minister for Information,

Communication and Broadcasting:

Warmly welcoming all the participants he expressed his gratitude to the organizers and

said:


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It is very important consultation that is going to discuss common concerns around

disaster risk response, mitigation and preparedness. The good thing is that Identifying

the impacts of disasters and response mechanism across South Asia is also part of it.

The proposed regional framework, I believe, can contribute to our corresponding

economies. Some of the countries are low while others are high at on the international

disaster risk index. Disasters create physical, psychological as well as emotional stress

and disorders. We cannot ignore them anymore.

By developing a regional response mechanism, we can redouble our DRR force and

capacity. Keeping in view an overall threat of various disasters in the region, there is a

need to adopt a holistic and integrated approach of DRR. The challenges posed by

multiple disasters and DRR are now recognized as the development challenges and

national actions to address the impact of disaster are considered as the development

goals. Therefore, it is essential to develop adequate response mechanisms in the

countries of the region. We also need to develop regional, national and sub-nationalresponse, mitigation, rehabilitation and recovery systems to improve the situation in

general. Significant knowledge has already been created such as humanitarian

framework of action at international and certain regional levels. Some good examples

could be adopted and regionalized.

Regional cooperation must be increased to address common concerns for disaster

management and other guidelines. For the purpose, strong political and disaster

management support is required as well as corresponding capabilities and

accountabilities. Therefore such consultations are important to develop regional

partnership. Developing our own systems and disaster response mechanisms is nolonger one countrys responsibility as disaster situation in one country affects the other.

We need to share resources and capacities to achieve disaster resilience. Gender

dimension, governance and the effects on women and children must be considered as

important cross cutting aspects in the national frameworks of action. It is admirable

effort that NDMA and Oxfam are engaging SAARC to mainstream DRR and develop

DRR framework at the regional level. The Government of Pakistan is fully aware of the

need for and challenges posed by the impending disasters. It is realized that a strong

governmental commitment is essential to develop the proposed framework. I look

forward a fruitful discussion in these two days to identify adequate mechanisms to be

adopted by SAARC for safer South Asia.

Opening Remarks by Cherian Mathews, Regional Director, Oxfam GB:


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On behalf of Oxfam, Mr. Mathew warmly welcomed the distinguished guests joining in

from the nooks and corners of South Asia. The conference, he said, is organized in

partnership with NDMA and further deliberated that:

South Asia has faced number of disasters and their frequency is further on the rise.

Disasters undoubtedly cast devastating impacts on the lives and livelihoods of the poor.

Besides causing deaths and destructions, disasters erode away development gains.

Countries of the region share their physical boundaries as we as waters, glaciers,

ecologies and cultures and it is significant to note that a disastrous bang outreaches

across boundaries. Coming together, therefore, is need of the hour. Urgency of the time

calls upon leaders to agree on SAARC Comprehensive Framework for Disaster

management. The biggest challenge is how to make adaptable agreements between

governments and how to bring all the stakeholders together. This is perhaps the sole

purpose of this conference. Specifically, we foresee 3 objectives of the conference:

1. To share common challenges and vulnerabilities;

2. Understanding the current frameworks and agreements between governments and

moving ahead together;

3. Listening and learning from ASEAN with respect to regional disaster management.

National and provincial officials are around to learn from and bring in the peoples

perspective, particularly womens. NGOs and other key players are there to help us and

move ahead. Oxfam is also there to share its decades-long experience, insights and

expertise collected from various countries. It is a matter of pleasure that Pakistans

disaster management authority agreed to work with Oxfam, share its experiences anddiscuss things forward. Ladies and gentlemen! I welcome you all to this particular

occasion. Let us come forward. Make SAARC ambition alive, develop it further.

Opening Remarks by Ms. M.S. Mohemed, Secretary Ministry of Disaster

Management, Government of Sri Lanka:

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to emphasize that the disaster resilience is no

longer one countrys mandate, as the actions of one country can impact negatively to

the neighbouring countries. Continuous consultation processes backed by strong

commitment from each country should be assisted in facing the challenges of disasters.Therefore, we need to help each other by sharing resources, technologies and skills to

assist and develop each others capacities to achieve disaster resilience. She further

said:

There are few major aspects of disaster resilience in South Asia that we must address

i.e. to improve our understanding of hazards, vulnerabilities, and potential disaster risk;


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to address underlying risk factors in each country and with our strong traditions, to

emphasise the role of women and children in disaster resilience. This could be achieved

through short and medium term socio economic development and planning processes.

We must view gender issues, governance, sustainable development and the

maintenance of socio-political stability inter-linked and cross-cutting. We should

recognize the value of affording men and women of all backgrounds and cultural

affinities to contribute in DRR, governance and peace building for a better and safer

future.

To my mind, information sharing and fostering necessary attitudinal changes to

complement and enrich government-led initiatives in relation to disaster resilience of

SAARC countries is important. It is a matter of pleasure that NDMA of Pakistan and

Oxfam correctly identified the importance of engaging SAARC for Regional Disaster

Resilience. Since SAARC leaders have already endorsed SAARC Action Plan on

Climate Change at the 5th SAARC Summit on 2008 (Colombo), it is quite possible to

move ahead now. The SAARC Disaster Management Centre (SDMC), correctlyidentified the importance of mainstreaming DRR and included "mainstreaming disaster

reduction and "urban risk management as major thematic areas in their roadmap of

development. Since its inception, SDMC has successfully conducted a number of

regional workshops and training programs on these themes. SDMC can play a lead role

for a proactive, holistic and comprehensive approach in disaster management and

enabling member countries to mainstream disaster risk management.

The main issue that SAARC countries face is the low attention given to disaster

preparedness as opposed to disaster response. Decision-makers as well as general

public are not aware of the importance of disaster risk reduction as opposed to disasterresponse because it is visible and tangible. Les tangible nature of DRR acts as

hindrance in obtaining budgetary provisions for disaster risk reduction. South Asian

vulnerability atlas and the South Asian disaster knowledge management web portal are

good initiatives to obtain and share information on climate change and disasters. Such

initiatives pave the way to disaster resilience in the Region. Concludeding, she said that

with strong Governmental commitments SAARC could be used as a platform to

enhance our capacities and develop South Asian Regional Disaster Resilience

Program to be adapted by each country in the Region. These two days would allow us

to identify common challenges and the ways out to materialize. Let us look forward for

closer collaboration and bilateral cooperation arrangements. Thank you very much.Know Disaster - No Disaster

Opening Remarks by Abdul Muhsin, Director Maldives Meteorological Services:


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Welcoming all, he thanked NDMA and Oxfam for arranging a pleasant stay and fruitful

discussion. He added: This regional meeting is really important to bring and share

experiences together. Maldives is a small country and 80% of its land is below sea

level. We have adaptability plans and developing adaptability. We believe if we commit

to develop resilience, we can develop resilience by working on early warning systems.

We can develop human capacity and prepare people for any such incidences. Evolving

legal authorities in this regard are important.

We are jointly working with some universities in the region and in the world to

understand and develop resilience. We are incorporating resilience in the curriculum.

We have initiated awareness programmes for the people to respond quickly. Once the

commitment for self reliance is there, we can install scientific, technological and political

authorities to work for safety and security of ourselves and our people. People also

need to work for themselves in addition to depending on governments alone.

Communities should also extend their hands for the safety and securities of themselves.

We are thinking of bringing economic technical resources together. Reclaiming islands,land and rehabilitating people is the largest problem in Maldives. I am sure, we shall

benefit from other countries experiences here and learn for our country as well.

II Peoples Vulnerabilities and Commonalities in South Asian Countries with

respect to Disaster and Climatic Change

Bangladesh: Peoples Vulnerabilities to Disaster in Bangladesh by Professor

Alimullah Miyan, Chairperson, South Asian Disaster Management Centre:

Delineating the state of disaster risks and management Professor Alimullah said:

Bangladesh is home to 165 million people. Like other countries in South Asia its

urbanization remains unplanned and population rises rapidly. Broadly its economy is

agro-based and its environment, waters and mountainous are shared with other

countries in the region. Culture is diverse but people are mostly poor. Peoples

vulnerabilities in an already poor and vulnerable territory are augmenting due to climatic

change, sea-rise and global warming. Droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis, erratic rainfalls,

cloud outbursts, increased salinity, heat-and-cold waves and tidal surges as well as

floods are getting more and more frequent while anthropogenic disasters like fires andepidemics are increasing due to overcrowding and haphazard urbanization. Since 1991

cyclones have caused 3256 live with the material loss approaching USD 552 million.

Recent cyclones, such as Sidr (2007), Nargis (2009) and Aila (2009) have consecutively

killed 3500, 13 and 26 people and displaced 7 million, 200,000 and several thousand

people in addition to causing heavy cropping and infrastructure loss. Floods in 1998 and


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1999 affected 11 and 20 million people. Only diahharria gripped 5300 people in 2007

and killed 500 people. Chittagong is particularly vulnerable to heavy rainfall and

landslides damaging properties and displacing hundreds. Homestead forest a natural

protection to landslide and erosion is being cleared to promote fault-land agriculture.

Urban developments, dams and road constructions are narrowing down water courses

and obstructing natural routes of rivers.

In partnership with government, national and international donors and humanitarians

agencies, Bangladesh made some serious efforts to minimize disasters and their

effects. Cyclone forecasting system has considerably improved. Number of volunteers

to assist during disasters has become two fold since 1991. For instance 3 million people

were evacuated safely in 2008 during the Cyclone Sidr. Its capacity for vulnerability

assessment, land-zoning, mitigation and support measures in disaster prone coastal

areas has improved. By incorporating DRR into the textbooks, official trainings,

awareness programmes and generating literature on risks and mitigation measures,Bangladesh has sizably reduced the death toll and other losses. Developed by Disaster

Mitigation Bureau in 1997 and revised in 2010, a Standing Order on Disaster (SOD)

ensures every possible measure for preparedness and DRR. SOD also outlines

responsibilities of ministries, other agencies and organizations to cope with any

disaster. Adopted in 2005, a National Adaptation Programme (NAP) is also operational

now. It has also created a Climate Change Fund with an amount of 100 million USD to

function under Ministry of Environment. Seaport signal system is installed and

modernized Flood Forecasting & Warning Center (FFWC) is there to work. Seismic

hazard maps for major cities & procurement of equipment for emergency search &

rescue operation are done more efficiently. For emergency, information exchange andrelief management, Bangladesh Government has set up Emergency Operations Center

(EOC) under the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management (MoFDM). Bangladesh

Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) is another similar initiative to

combat climatic change. Comprehensive Disaster Management Programmes (CPDM) is

part of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). Urban disaster management

plans, cyclone preparedness, regional centers of expertise and several large and small

public and private initiatives are contributing to resist disaster and create resilience of

the vulnerable communities.

Sri Lanka, by Ms. M.S. Mohamed, Secretary Disaster Management Authority:

Unpacking DRR, mitigation and preparedness measures in Sri Lanka Ms. S.M.

Mohamed said: Floods and cyclones are major threats in Sri Lanka, particularly in the

east, south and western provinces while the mountainous heartlands are prone to

landslides of which 3 to 15 range from moderate to high risks. The risk of floods is pretty


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serious to 7 out of 21 potentially threatened districts. Parts of it, say north, northern

central and western territories are highly vulnerable to drought whose number touches

four decimals. 3 to 23 paddy sectors stand at moderate to high risks. Around 1.7 million

hectares of agriculture lands are highly vulnerable to droughts. Areas exposed to sea-

encroachment, is another challenge that Lanka has to deal with. It even includes

important cities like Colombo, Hambantota, Jaffna and Puttalam. Roughly 6.3 million

populations is exposed to one or another type of disaster. Except the few, its 10 year

development policy framework mainly focuses on the areas, not prone to disasters as

such.

Ministry of Disaster Management governs National Council for Disaster Management

(NCDM). Environment, water, costal management, rehabilitations and recovery

managed by other ministers are considered as areas cross cutting. At the sub-national

level disaster management is coordinated by Disaster Management Committee, Ministry

of Disaster Management and a couple of other Ministries. The cycle of disastermanagement needs to be addressed through a complete institutional and coordination

mechanism. Comprising on hazard and vulnerability assessment, early warning, policy

and institutional mandate, integrated risk assessment and community based disaster

management a road map provides official guideline to create resilience and resist

disasters. In conjunction, cyclone, drought, landslide and inundation maps are drawn as

preparatory measures for probable disasters. Integrated strategic environmental

assessment (ISEA) is conducted for all districts under risk. To inform about tsunami or

other similar disasters in the making, Sri Lanka has established early warning towers in

the coastal areas and conduct mock exercises. Despite its meager resources, the

Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Services, is spending reasonable budgeton preparedness, mitigation and relief. SAARC Disaster Management Centre and

disaster information websites are quite active.

Providing opportunities to undergraduate and post graduate students to involve in

research on disaster risk reduction and climatic adaptabilities is important. Likewise

incorporating DRR into national & sectoral development planning, encouraging

universities and academia to conduct subject specific and applied research on DRR &

CCA all over South Asia and provide scholarships must be the part of our planning.

Structural as well as non-structural measures to build strong partnership with the

regional countries must be given a solemn thought. Building Knowledge about DRR andCCA is a must to coordinate and build a safer future.

Nepals Risk Profile by Bipeen Acharya, Ministry of Environment, Science and

Technology, Government of Nepal:


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Explaining risks and vulnerabilities in Nepal Mr. Acharya deliberated that: Nepal ranks

4th in climatic change variables in the world, 11th in earthquake risk, 20th in being

disaster prone and Kathmandu ranks higher to earthquake risk in 20 mega cities at risk

in the world. Nepal is one of the hotspots of natural disasters around the globe. Floods,

earthquake, epidemics, landslides, fires, windstorms and cold waves engulf hundreds of

thousands of lives, injure thousands and render millions homeless, as recorded since

1971. Glacial meltdowns and tectonic movements have already hurt thousands and can

harm many more, if safety measures are not adopted. Vulnerability map places more

than one third of Nepalese districts from moderate to highly vulnerable scales. Tied to

the same terrain, spillover effects in the Hindu Kush Himalayan range affect all its

neighboring countries.

Cabinet in general is responsible for policy, budget, and emergency declaration. Central

Natural Disaster Relief Committee responds and coordinates for relief and rescue while

Regional Disaster Relief Committee and District Disaster Relief Committees executerescue and relief activities and collect data. Also, there are district and regional

subcommittees to manage disasters. Assessing a disaster situation, NEOC and CNDRS

debrief the Government with its scope and the scale. Once the government declares

emergency and issues flash appeal, UN humanitarian coordinators activate clusters and

engage with INGOs and others. National and international NGOs then initiate

emergency response. Realizing impending threats of natural calamities, several legal

and administrative measures have been put up in the last half a decade.

Realizing potential risks the government of Nepal has come up with several legal and

administrative measures such as National Calamity Relief Act 1982, National Strategyfor Disaster Risk Management (2009), National Adaptation Programme of Action

(2010), Local Adaptation Plan of Action (2012), Climatic Change Policy (2011) and of

course periodical development plans are also there. Nepal has launched several

flagship programmes such as school and hospital safety, emergency preparedness and

response capacity, flood management of Koshi River Basin, integrated community

based disaster risk reduction and policy & institutional support for disaster risk

management. All such initiatives are striving to improve the quality and efficiency of

rescue, relief, recovery and rehabilitation.

Yet there is a long way to go. National Disaster Bill, National Disaster Management

Authority, National Disaster Management Planning Guideline, Pilot Project on Climate

Resilience and developing Urban Search and Rescue Team are in process. Advocacy

and campaigning, emergency preparedness and community based disaster risk

reduction are in process with the assistance and support of Oxfam. Civil society

networking around emergency response is also picking up.


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However disaster management planning, constituting resilient community,

mainstreaming DRR, enforcement of building codes, risk sensitive land use, planning

evacuation site, warehouses and stockpiling for relief Items and debris management are

still a challenge. Emergency fire services, urban search and rescue, emergency health

services, supplying public utilities, efficient communication, transportation, information

dissemination and coordination still lack. Early warning systems, climate risk reduction,

river basin management, research and knowledge management are the areas where

countries in the region need to collaborate.

Maldives - the State of Disaster Vulnerabilities, Presentation by Mr. Abdul Mohsin:

Studded with 300 islands and spreading across 9000 square miles only, Maldives is a

small country. Maximum swell of an island hardly supersedes 2 Km and most islands

perch 1 meter below sea level. Despite an urgent compulsion, only 200 islands havehad a risk mapping so far. One can hardly find a high ground to seek shelter in case of

a massive flood or rain-hit inundation. Its tiny size itself is a genera of vulnerability and

that too is shrinking. Beech erosion is a powerful enemy to combat against. Dense

population is another giant to fight with. Low degree of drought as well as dry spells

prevails over the country. Food insecurity is another tragedy to this land strangled land.

Fisheries and tourism are lifeline of its economy. Peoples livelihood highly depends on

tourism industry. A serious dialogue with the government is required to minimize

vulnerabilities and work for the welfare of common masses. We are also struggling to

mainstream DRR in the curriculum. Some of the DRR, CC and development projectsare in process. The trend of 2 to 3 stories and even higher buildings is picking up but

SOPs and building code are not followed. Disaster management bill, though presented

to the parliament, has yet not been endorsed. School buildings particularly need to

follow the code. We need to have safe buildings, clinics, hospitals and shelter houses in

case a tsunami hits the country. Maldives is threatened to receive a server blow from

the furious forces of nature.

Looking into the challenges ahead, we need sea-protection walls and other technical

measures and strengths. New school buildings and mosques to seek refuge in case of

emergency are required. Effective response mechanisms, disaster resisting infra

structure and capability building are still a challenge. Keeping in view the above

mentioned challenges, we must take collective action for collective safety.

Pakistan: Vulnerabilities and the Impact of Climatic Change in Pakistan:

Presentation by Mr. Idrees Mahsude:


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We live at the heart of vulnerabilities. Our risks and disasters in the region are common.

The situation, therefore, naturally demands integration to fight with challenges. Unruly

winds, waters and gigantic glaciers pose too many challenges for us that we do not

posses capabilities to deal with. Uneven distribution of water and erratic rainfalls are

also becoming increased concern.

Pakistan is a large country of 180 million people with rapid urbanization. Its diverse

topography, huge mountains, expansive plains and floods cast serious threats of

droughts and disasters. Triggering avalanches and earthquakes, north is particularly

vulnerable to natural incidences. The country has already witnessed a devastating

earthquake in 2005. Having a poor drainage, Indus river system can cause uninformed

havoc any time. In Sindh and parts of Baluchistan, we have seen unprecedented rains

where water stagnated for months triggering an outbreak of epidemics. Our large

coastline is vulnerable to tsunami and Karachi, the largest metropolis of Pakistan with apopulation of 20 million stands against several threats. The city has hardly got a system

of 18 minutes early warning. Attabadad Lake outburst and Ziarat Earthquake also

caused severe damages. Similarly Floods 2009, 2010 and heavy rains in 2011 posed

unmanagemeable problems for Pakistan. Although we did not have tsunami so far but

it can hit us out of the blue. Baluchistan province is quite vulnerable to drought.

Monsoon has shifted 80 km in the west and its span of time has increased.

Having common borders, our neighbors vulnerabilities harm us too quite naturally. In

lieu of the situation, we have to further develop disaster management, preparatory,

mitigation, recovery and rehabilitation systems. Soon after the Earthquake 2005, wecame up with an ordinance for disaster management adopted later as an Act of

parliament. National and Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (NDMA and

PDMAs) are there to effectively respond to natural incidences. Risk mapping,

monitoring & coordination with national and international donors are part of the

Authoritys mandate. The cabinet has approved a national plan of action to deal with

the climatic change.

Pakistan is commencing its 10 years National Disaster Management Plan and

Capability Building. Early warning system, provincial and national contingency plans

and multi-hazard risk atlas is in process. Disaster response force and volunteers

recruitment is on its way. Comprising on structural and strategic components, school

safety programmes and prioritizing women and childrens need in the wake of disaster

are also being thought of. Number of training programmes is therefore, in process. 9

warehouses are already built and 9 others are in process. District risk insurances,

including agriculture, livestock and small business, are also part of the plan.


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Pakistan is keen in building bilateral partnership with Bangladesh, Korea, Sri Lanka and

other countries. It is quite active in SAARC and OIC. In addition to that Turkey, Pakistan

and Afghanistan are considering developing a joint disaster response programme. We

all agree here to have a systematic coordinating mechanism to address the impending

natural risks and disasters. Let us expedite the process at SAARC level.

III Technical Session:

Analyzing SAARC Comprehensive Framework on Disaster Management & SAARC

Agreement on Rapid Response to Natural Disasters, Challenges, Bottlenecks and

Opportunities for Regional Cooperation:

Regional Cooperation in Disaster Management within the SAARC Framework -

Presentation by Dr. Alimullah Miyan (Bangladesh): SAARC countries amass

approximately one and half billion people. It is one of the regions that is highly exposed

to natural and human induced hazards in the world. Around half a million people have

lost their lives to disasters just in the last one and half decade. Along with human lives

disasters destroy economies too. Precisely high-risk environment, unplanned

urbanization, rapid technological shift and demographic conditions could be identified as

the drives of big or small disaster.

Some of the regional frameworks such as SAARC Centre for Disaster Management and

Preparedness (India), SAARC Coastal Zone Management Centre (Maldives), SAARC

Meteorological Research Centre (Bangladesh) are already there catering to one orother dimension of the disaster. Hyogo Framework of Action (HFA 2005-15) as a Global

Framework is around to guide the respective countries. Elements of a comprehensive

DRR Framework are defined in HFA as risk assessment, putting governance and

institutional framework in place, having early warning, preparedness, prevention and

mitigation measures around and risk financing and risk transfers to compensate ex-ante

and ex-post losses. Information, knowledge sharing, education and training could be

built upon that.

Proposed objectives of Comprehensive SAAR DM Framework could include a regional

level platform to establish and strengthen regional disaster management system toreduce risks and improve response and recover at all levels. Dealing with multiple types

of challenges and disaster for overall economic development could be one of the large

goals of disaster response initiatives at South Asian level. Risks reduction also requires

development of equitable societies and investment for reducing drivers of vulnerability.

Despite constrains some improvement in response and recovery management is,

however, emerging. System-wise thought process at policy is also under way.


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Considering urbanization, environmental and technological risks regional plans need to

be evolved. Best practices and lessons learned from disaster risk reduction need to be

mutually shared. Specific hazard case studies are being shared. Information exchange

is already improving. South Asian countries need to establish a regional system to

develop and implement regional programme and projects for early warning. Under the

WMO framework with RMC and National Meteorological Services, this is well

developed. On prevention and preparedness a regional system of exchanging

information is also important.

To ensure immediate response, creating a regional response mechanism is necessary.

Likewise creating a regional mechanism to facilitate monitoring and evaluation of

achievements is also in line. The outcomes, we expect are: an efficient Disaster

Management System; Systemic thought on DM and efficiency; mainstreaming disaster

risk reduction into the development policies and practices; policy decision, as already

done by most of the countries but integrating these into the rules of business;

development of disaster resilient communities with sufficient coping capacities and so

on. Intensified regional cooperation and joint response to disaster emergencies through

concerted efforts is essential. Standing operating procedures and standby

arrangements for relief and emergency response need to be instituted. Emergency

stores, funds and personnel for emergency response are required. Ensuring collective

financial arrangement to respond to disaster can ensure success.

Our action priorities could be developing and implementing risk reduction strategies.

Somewhat progress has been made in developing frameworks for risk reduction

strategy but more needs to be done. Country level focal points, already installed, areimportant but they need to be strengthened to develop regional institutions. Establishing

a Regional Information Sharing and Develop Network of Institutions and Organizations

needs to be made pervasive.

South Asian Countries also need to professionalize the disaster management system. A

gradual start can be seen through introduction of certificate, diploma and degree

programs in education institutions. Involvement of academic community through

research and action oriented field work is also getting increasingly visible, which is

good. By and large, risk reduction is poorly understood in the region and we need to

overcome conceptual and practical barriers to integrate it in major decision makingprocesses. Strengthening community institutional mechanism is also one of the

expected outcomes. We have seen that countries with decentralized governance, like

Pakistan, have achieved more success in developing community institutional

mechanisms than centralized one like Bangladesh. Traditional community institutions

for DM need special attention which is under threat. Non-government organizations


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have taken on significant roles in DM, more particularly in response and rehabilitation.

Therefore national and regional coordination with them is also important.

SAARC Agreement on Rapid Response to Natural Disasters as an outcome of SAARC

Comprehensive Framework on Disaster Management is a welcome initiative. Put

succinctly, documenting lessons and sharing experiences of good practices, increase

public awareness, enhance political will for regional welfare through risk reduction,

cooperating to generate knowledge, assisting vulnerable sections of societies across

the region and understanding the effects of climate change are the areas of thrust.

SAARC Disaster Management Framework and Pakistan Presentation by

Professor Aamir Nawaz, Centre for Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation (CDPM),

Peshawar:

In the context of SAARC, we need to keep in mind 0.5 million people losing their livesjust in one decade. In a way, it is sacrificing lives from certain perspectives. CPDM

envisions a national integration and consolidation and overcome the sense of

forlornness and alienation in vulnerable communities and its mission is to equip people

with knowledge and skills to minimize damages and miseries caused by disasters.

Cyclones and natural catastrophes cause irrecoverable losses to the South Asian

countries. Developing disaster consciousness into our national psychology is essential.

Information exchange at SAARC level has improved but a lot more is to be done.

Secrecy mindset still operates around and needs to be removed. A regular programme

and system for early warning and information sharing is required to be put in place. It isrelatively convenient now as the meteorological centers are functioning better. A shared

mechanism for disaster preparedness is yet to evolve. Summits and ministerial

meetings at the regional level need to be organized. M & E system in general is poor

and almost missing at the regional level. DRR, we need to realize, is a peacetime

activity, not something to be done while facing a disaster. Working on DRR is more

important than relief services. Governments prove lethargic for operating under the

rules of business that takes time. In-fact, a paradigm shift is required in our national

thinking around disaster response. CDPM is one such effort.

In 2007 it signed an MOU with GTZ. The assessment was conducted by two of the

renowned professors from UK and Germany, and series of public workshops on DRM

was initiated from February 2008. A joint curricula workshop was organized at the Bara

Gali Campus in July 2008 and it formally started functioning as an academic Excellency.

CPDM in linked to Asian Universities Network for Environment & Disaster Management and


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Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC). Its first Diploma Course began in July

2009.

DRR Education, research promotion in DRR and policy advice to the Government is its

key mandate. Developing qualified human resource base in the subject, producing

knowledge base on disasters in Pakistan, helping in reducing the impacts of disasterson people and their properties, providing policy guidelines for line agencies in the field

of disaster preparedness and management are its main objectives and outcomes.

Graduation, masters, M.Phil and Ph.D programme are part of its future programmes.

By organizing various workshops, training programmes and seminars it is building the

capacity of various groups and individuals. So far it has published various research

papers on DRR, preparation and mitigation. In future it plans to have an advanced GIS

and remote sensing lab, a cartographic lab, a seismology lab, a disaster studio, a radar

station, satellite based weather lab, a meteorological station, a geomorphologic lab and

environmental lab as well.

Civil Society Engagement with ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management &

Emergency Response (AADMER) Presented by Lilian M. Carreon (ASEAN

Advisor on Partnership & Resource Mobilization, Oxfam/APG Programme Manager):

Comprising on 10 countries and 584 million population of East Asia, ASEAN is a

people-oriented forum in which all societal sections are encouraged to participate and

benefit from the process of integration and community building. By 2015, ASEAN

envisions to narrow their development gaps by political and economic development,

free trade, social, cultural and humanitarian support to one another. Affecting 17 million

population and damaging the infrastructure of USD10 billion, 8 out of 10 countries wentthrough one or another type of disaster in the last seven years. Around 500,000 people

were left dead and several went missing.

ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER)

has outlined its objectives as: reducing disaster losses; joint response and having

legally-binding agreements ratified by all member states. Its institutional arrangement

consists on policy oversight and leadership for the implementation of AADMER Work

Programme, governing board of ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance (AHA) Centre and

reports to the Conference of Parties.

ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) comprises on the national

disaster management of 10 countries whose chair keeps revolving periodically. Thailand

is current chair. ACDM, AHA and ASEAN Secretariat make up the institutional

paraphernalia of ASEAN disaster response. The AHA Centre co-operates with the

parties and with relevant UN and other international bodies. AHA Centre works on the

principles that the affected acts first to manage and respond to disasters. If the party


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requires assistance to cope with the situation, in addition to direct request to any

assisting entity, it may request AHA to facilitate. Constructed with the generous support

of Malaysia, AHA Central Secretariat stands at Jakarta. Soon the AHA Centre is going

to be connected to all ASEAN NDMOs and other partner facilities. Risk assessment,

information management, joint emergency response and knowledge management are

the key roles of AHA. By 2015 it foresees to make all its components fully functional.

Some of its flagship projects are: preparedness and response, establishment of

Disaster & Emergency Response Logistics System, establishment of an Emergency

Rapid Assessment Team (ERAT), finalization and Institutionalization of SOPs,

prevention and mitigation, building Disaster-Resilient ASEAN Cities, capacity-building

for Community-Based DRR, setting up mechanisms for risk financing, recovery,

producing Disaster Recovery Toolkit, outreach and mainstreaming and building a

culture of disaster-resilience. AADMER Partnership Group (APG) facilitates

partnerships between ASEAN and Civil Society to Support implementation.

Civil Society Organizations, including Oxfam, are struggling to support ASEAN

Secretariat for people-centered implementation of AADMER, raising awareness of

AADMER and engagement of civil society and community-based organizations in

discussions and implementation processes at national and regional levels. In

partnership with NDMOs, ACDM, Working Groups and ASEAN Secretariat, CSOs are

implementing disaster response projects since 2009. Facilitating partnership of member

states, using AADMER as cooperative framework and collaboration are PGA highlights.

Its priorities are set as outreach and promotion of AADMER, institutionalization at

national level, facilitating multi-stakeholder engagement, supporting implementation of

work programmes, partnership with CSOs, resource mobilization, knowledge

management and mainstreaming.

The key results are seen as: improved awareness of AADMER and national policies,

improved awareness and capacity-building of vulnerable groups, increased capacity of

civil society to utilise AADMER, increased resilience of vulnerable groups, partnership

between ASEAN member states, and support ACDM, member states, AHA Centre and

the ASEAN Secretariat in AADMER implementation. CSOs are also working for CBDRR

practices and developing women DRR leaders and developing the ASEAN-CSO

partnership framework.

ASEAN and CSOs partnership building institutionalizes rules and expectations between

ASEAN-Civil Society engagement in AADMER implementation and identification of

specific and practical areas for ASEAN-CSO cooperation. Its next strategic plan is

strategic engagement with AHA Centre, engagement in working groups on prevention

mitigation and recovery, connecting DRR and climate change adaptation, supporting


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gender mainstreaming, capturing creative process, learning from and sharing the

process with others, building capacity of national NGOs etc.

Out of many the key challenges AEAN faces are strategic engagement with AHA

Centre, working groups engagements on prevention, mitigation and recovery, gender

mainstreaming, building the capacity of national NGOs and M&E where vulnerablegroups can provide input and participate, co-relating regional response vis-a-vis the

sovereignty principle and identifying practical areas of engagement with CSOs and

several other similar areas of engagements.

The Role of Media Presentation by Mr. Adnan Rehmat from Intermedia:

Diving straight to the essentials he said: I am struck by how well organized ASEAN is. It

is a good in-house coordination and equally struck by the conspicuous absence of with

the communities and affectees representation. A rough calculation tells us that around

900 disasters took place in the last 40 years, 220 in the last 5 years and 40 just in lastmonth around the world. Now the question is how quickly we need to institute a two way

information system. How to improve our disaster response. Media reports, from north to

south, circle around disasters and not on disaster response and what causes it. That

aspect is distinctively missing from the world of media. However the challenge is how

media can contribute in assisting disaster affectees and mainstreaming media at the

SAARC level. Precisely, I would like to share 6 key strategies:

1. Develop a SAARC Charter on Emergency Communications and humanitarian

information identify systems, actors and roles and desired networks;

2. Create national multi-sectoral platform with disaster communications protocols and

integrate national bodies into a SAARC platform on emergency communications

rapid activation among SAARC countries in times of disasters at state level;

3. Create a SAAC disaster communication cell comprising heads of media houses

and/or information officers of national disaster management authorities in the region

for swift and tragetted exchange of information and alerts to governments,

humanitarian actors and media;

4. Develop advocacy tools and build capacity of media in disaster prone regions of

SAARC on reporting about disasters themaitc expertise will then improve reporting

around disaster response rather than just disasters;5. Establish a SAARC Disaster Media Platform comprising state and private media to

create a distinct capacity within media to respond to humanitarian information needs

that will ensure readily available capacity to respond to emergency communications

needs;

6. Develop an institutional interface between media, CSOs and other institutions that

goes beyond PR both at the national and SAARC levels for improved access to


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information, understanding and resources on communication and promote

transparency and accountability.

Concluding Remarks by Shafqat Tanveer, Manager RIC: When we met Dr. Zafar

Qadir, we were surprised to know that the government was also thinking in similar lines.

The good thing that we came to know is that Civil Society and the Government in other

countries are also discerning in the similar dimensions. Almost, the same state of mind

is emerging all over South Asia. Together can move ahead and make a difference.

ASEAN is a wonderful example but we have our own models as well. For, instance risk

insurance is quite an innovative idea. The major steps, nevertheless, are to be taken by

the government. If things work, Civil Society is there to provide the platform. We need to

move quickly before the next SAARC Conference is organized. We can plug into

several ideas suggested around.

Concluding Remarks by Ch Mathews: Some of my points are similar to the ones Ialready made this morning. Main challenges are the lack of DRR awareness,

disconnect between government, people and CSOs.

One is about knowledge management. We all know that a huge know how about DRR

is available around. What we need to do is to materialize and package it for better

practices. We need to know, how the academic institutions can help and play an active

role in making SAARC framework to serve the affected communities. We need to adopt

both top down and bottom up approaches. I am literally struck by ASEANs disaster

management, its structure and competencies and efforts in making communities

resilient. As said by professor Alimullah, it is important to invest in softer aspects ofDRR. Make disaster every ones business. Tomorrow morning we shall work on how

best to move forward.

Concluding Remarks by Arif Jabbar Khan: We need a stern commitment to work

together. The first and foremost thing for an adequate regional framework is awareness

about the significance of the regional disaster management framework. Inter-

governmental agreement is the next step. Knowing, where we differ is also important.

Two of the South Asian Countries are nuclear and having a fair assessment of how to

eliminate bottlenecks between them is also important. We need to make the proposed

disaster framework relevant for the people of South Asia. What is crucial is to build

resilience of the vulnerable communities. Whatever we develop, we must remember

girls and boys, vulnerable women and vulnerable groups. Each of us operates in a

cycle. We need to unchain ourselves from cycles and stereotypes, if we are sincere in

working together. There are challenges and opportunities in regional cooperation. With

this, I would like to thank you all.


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DAY TWO:

Recap by Cherian Mathew: Since it is a consultative meeting, it is important to recap.

Yesterday we heard opening remarks from minister and country representatives. It

reflects that one core thing is the increased frequency of disasters around South Asia

and the governments are compelled to respond. They all, we have seen, emphasize the

need for more regional cooperation. The causes and the impact of disasters are

common in all the South Asian countries. Making disaster response and climatic change

adaptabilities as a legal binding, however, is one of the serious problems in South Asian

countries. Lack of resources and limited capacity is also a problem. Analyzing, where

we stand and developing rapid response mechanism, as suggested by Professor

Alimullah is an a-priori activity. Comprehensive disaster framework is something new for

South Asia but extremely important.

The beauty of ASEAN is that it reflects HFA 2005. We need to learn, how it has been

made legally binding and how does it encourage civil society participation. Engaging

civil society and other stakeholders is once again a challenge for the S.A. states. Ideas

and challenges both have been shared regarding how we can push SAARC agenda to

come up with a comprehensive disaster response framework. Bringing multiple

stakeholders in the loop is a precondition to make it happen. By the end of the day, it is

the governmental process that must be carried forward before we ask for something

bigger. Once it is done, we can be done in addition. Once again, I hope a fruitful

discussion today.

Rescue 1122 (Pakistan): Presentation by Rizwan Naseer, Director 1122:

Based on its experience of two decades, disaster response is quickly improving in

Pakistan. The success of Rescue 1122 is that the number has become its identity. It is

easy to recognize and remember and could be dialed conveniently, even in the dark.

Small children can also know it and dial in. It has become so familiar now that

sometimes people address me as 1122. Firmly rooted in ground, the government might

come and go, it is there to stay. Prone to floods and natural disaster the force is has

become a vital need of the country. Lahore is known as the heart of Pakistan. It is a

dynamic city, quite important as the resolution of Pakistan was passed here. Fire,

accidents, terror attacks and other natural disasters are getting commoner in the

country.

Management of disaster is the real problem. Management decisions, level of

preparation make a difference. Timely access of transport is extremely important in


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case of an accident. When the gigantic earthquake 2005 hit Pakistan it was the

transport that was the biggest challenge. Under the similar circumstances, we reviewed

the existing system and strove to evolve a system of rapid response.

The first study was done in1991. Not getting an ambulance immediately after an

accident took place, was found to be one of the biggest problem. It was mostly the poor

and lower class who almost always failed to a timely service. There were only 50

ambulances all over Lahore, a city of 7 million souls. Even if small accidents took place,

unavailability of services turned it into a big disaster. When a building collapses people

crowed in and you cannot work. Pakistan Red Crescent Society is there since 1974 but

it was never well prepared to handle accidents. Capacity turned out to be another

stumbling block. Even police is not well prepared. 3 months back we signed an

agreement with Eidhi Foundation for training but they backed out. They do support

people in times of accidents but they are not prepared to handle bigger disasters. I wish

the reforms would have been implemented earlier.

No additional incentive was there and very few were willing to come forward for support.

Even the top management dragged its feet. Things like these cannot be done without

motivation. Intended reforms did not fail for the lack of responsibility, or the lack or

capacity alone it was the lack of respect for human life. No that is missing. Not to let a

person die on road is the actually a challenge. It is the will that comes first, capacity

comes later. We began with this conviction and obviously we were not expecting a

miracle over night. We began with only 2 rescue vehicles. Within 2 months we got some

land too and construction began. With in-depth planning we got trained technicians and

medics. In case an accident happens now, information is communicated within a veryshort span of time. When we reach somewhere now, people listen to us.

We are trying to improve it to the international standard. Giving right job to the right

person is important for that. We recruited new staff. We decided to bring about change

and we did it. Searching for trained trainers was also a challenge. We started our own

training course. We did simulation exercises. Firs bag of the trained staff was produced

in September 2004. All calls are recorded in the control room for quality assurance. Now

we have got satellite monitoring system. Being cost effective is also an objective always

ahead of us. Say we cannot have one ambulance for 1000 people as a stated

requirement. It is no more an ambulance system only. From accident Rescue we moved

to firefighting. Now we are planning to develop Community Based Disaster

Management System. Our new academy is now under construction. We are actually

striving to change the mindset. We collect, analyze and learn from. Say a train accident

happened in 2002, the first person got help in 3 hours. Now we only take 15 minutes to

reach the place of an accident even if it happens in the middle of the night. Now we


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have got plans to deal with the small, medium and big accidents. We are expanding our

services to many cities of Punjab. We have got injury prevention and school safety

programmes. Other provinces are planning to replicate the model of Rescue 1122.

Group Work and Plenary Suggetions: Ms. Lilian Mercado Carreon explained the

group tasks and respective themes as under:

1 Awareness Raising, to be reported back by Abdul Mohsion;

2. Knowledge Management and Knowledge Sharing to be reported back by Ms. M.S

Mohamed;

3. Academic Research, Training and Networking of Various Institutions and SAARC

Framework of Disaster Management, to be reported back by Dr. Alimullah;

4. How to Integrate the Work of Civil Society in SAARC Framework of Disaster

Response, to be reported by Pardip Koirala.

1. Awareness Raising, Groups Presentation: The groups came up with various

suggestions to increase awareness and motivate citizens of the respective states:

There are places all over South Asia where people have no access to television

and at times radio too, although radio covers much larger a population than

television. In that case alternative mediums and institution such as schools,

mosques, health centers and other similar institutes and administrative staff

could be used to spread information. Especially tailored information could be

designed for them;

A couple of TV channels could be initiated across South Asia where disaster

information could be sprinkled through. Radios already broadcast SAARC

bulletin and a time slot could be specified for the purpose. Media trainings need

to be conducted to improve its role in providing awareness on DRR and CCA to

the general public. Beyond national media, regional media needs to be

encouraged.

Print, electronic, as well as social media that is far more popular and penetrating

these days, can throw out information and generate awareness. Manuals and

guidelines also need to be developed.

To raise awareness amongst citizens, some sort of competition among students

or general masses could be developed, before, during and after disasters, for

motivation to know and learn DRR activities;


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Training and training materials can also help. NGos and CBOs could also work

as information collection and disseminations hubs. Conduct advocacy programs

in all the areas of disaster management and climate change adaptation.

There should be a disaster day and disaster week and exchange visits to share

knowledge. Communities and religious leaders need to be involved in

disseminating information about DRR and CCA. Places need to be allocated to

provide and demonstrate emergency preparedness and response procedures to

community. Regional briefs, at least once a year, are also a workable idea;

Last but not least, it is also important to mainstreaming DRR & CCA into national

education curriculum of all the countries.

2. Knowledge Management, Groups Presentation: The reporteer shared

following suggestions on behalf of the group:

National knowledge management focus centers need to be established in all

respective countries. There should be focal point and knowledge management

focus centers. Knowledge working groups need to be constituted to share and

disseminate existing as well as new ideas for effective disaster response and

mitigation. Knowledge management funds is also importantto realize the plans.

Finally, to take information to the communities, we suggest a mechanism. A lot of

knowledge and research floats at the regional level and for one country it is

difficult to collaborate. National and regional level agencies need to be developedand knowledge sharing fora need to be set up at regional levels. There should be

learning and sharing process. Research and development fund need to be

allocated to improve existing knowledge. A regional level working group should

be set up to be assigned certain responsibilities. There should be a regional M&E

systems as well.

Disseminations of knowledge is quite essential and documentaries could be one

of the also important source. The idea has been very successful in Nepal.

Developing national and national disaster oriented networks is also important to

assist larger cooperation and support. National networks have proven success in

some of the countries.

3. Networking, Groups Presentation by Prof. Alimullah: Here are the key points

suggested by the group:


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From identifying volunteers and capability building, we need to move towards

legitimacy. We need to initiate actions for innovative research, training, and

academic excellence. If there are research institutions that can work individually

together, we need not to have a network. Say the DM centre at Bangladesh can

collaborate with the CDPM, Pakistan and similarly other national institutes and

centers can collaborate in the areas of their interest and preferences. We can

even develop and academic inventory at the regional level. Graduate

programmes could be placed in different countries semester to semester.

Some legitimacy to the collective disaster management framework at the regional

level is provided by the Article 4 of the SAARC Charter. South Asian Association

for Disaster Management is still a viable non-government institute that can still

work and be made efficient. It has got its headquarter and the staff. A vision like

that could be evolved at the governmental level too. A secretarial support needs

to be placed there. Recalling the experience of 1988 and 1990 we drafted a sortof constitution and strove to evolve a regional level networks at official level. We

can further build upon.

Developing inventory of the organizations at regional level is important. We can

then think of how to build a network. Minimum possible agreement needs to be

evolved at first to improve upon later. Most of S.A. Countries are the members of

Commowealth and we can generate resources for the cause.

4. The Role Civil Society, Groups Presentation by Pardeep Koirala: Building

coalition between civil society and the government is always tough as potential tensionsbetween them exist in all south Asian countries but somehow we came up with certain

suggestions:

More and more consultations and meetings need to be organized between

government and civil society to evolve consensus. Advocacy organizations can

facilitate in this regard. Both Civil Society and the government need capacity

building to come closer. Sharing mutual experiences and good practices can

build trust.

Civil society can play a role in building bridge between the two specifically around

DRR practices. Creating a South Asian humanitarian network could be prove an

instrument to achieve that goal. Some initiatives are already there. Both Civil

Society and government however must work together. Say organizing a regional

conference is another suitable initiative and we have got capacity for that and are

connected with stakeholders too.


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SAARC already has had an action plan and Civil Society can pick up one or

another theme and engage around. It will help minimizing trust deficit in-between.

In certain areas, government and civil society can pool resources. Civil Society,

government and academia can further collaborate in research and

implementation. This conference is one such example.

Concluding Statements from Country Delegates:

Abdul Mohsin, Maldives: Thanks for inviting us in this fruitful forum for sharing and

know building and for engaging SAARC for disaster resilience. In my country Maldives, I

will surely be able to translate this information into the official circles and would

communicate things that we discussed here around SAARC disaster management

framework. I got maximum benefit here from. Now I have clear idea about the

vulnerabilities of different countries and how we can learn from each other. I hope wecan have opportunity in future to discuss the same issue.

M.S. Mohamed, Sri Lanka: My sincere thanks to NDMA and Oxfam GB for bringing us

together to discuss common concerns. It was fruitful two days consultation by SAARC

countries. I have learnt a lot and take it back to Sri Lanka. the knowledge and

experiences, I got here, has a lot for my country as well.

Prof Alimullah, Bangladesh: It is a great honour and pleasure to come to Islamabad.

More important is the learning and energy I got from other countries. For long time, I

have been talking about networking now I see it happening. We can start, no matterhow slow but it must not stop. Do not be afraid to call a spade a spade. We also raised

many questions that was intellectually satisfying and motivating We shall benefit from

the insight we gained from thins consultation.

Pardeep Koirala, Nepal: It was a great opportunity. We learnt a lot especially from the

ASEAN model. It gives us a new way forward. I learnt that for responding disasters,

separate force and separate agency can do better. We can demand that in Nepal. Civil

Society and SAARC coordinations need and proposed mechanism is also learning. We

can replicate rescue 1122 model in Nepal. Even Kathmandu is remote area in Nepal, if

one bridge collapses no one can reach it. So, rapid responding force is important. We

are happy to learn and replicate things in Nepal.

Presidential Address by Dr. Zafar Qadir, Pakistan: I am here to pay tribute and thank

Oxfam to move ahead form where we were now and i.e. to have a network of

professionals at SAARC level. I appreciate the leadership of Mathews, Arif Jabbar and


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Shafqat Munir and also thank our visiting delegates who travelled all the way long. I also

thank participants from Islamabad, Peshawar an Lahore.

Starting with country presentation and moving towards knowledge sharing and plenary

session, all was good that we did in one and half day. This is how we got to know other

players in the field. We have a good market and we need to move ahead. There are few

highlights, I cannot resist repeating. Knowledge helps us planning in advance and

knowledge sharing helps us anticipate what might come. It prepares us for effective

humanitarian response, stock piling and of course issue early warning. Pakistan is going

to have a new set up in near future but obviously it is before time what will it look like.

Individual and Institutional research strengths need to be documented and recognized.

If something good is good in Bangladesh or Nepal we need to learn from and for

additional strengths. Later on we can link up things further. I personally think, efficacy is

more important than technicalities. The quality of delivery is more important, one canforego processes. For building resilience we need to go extra miles. Knowledge and

awareness of various countries need to be gathered to disseminate in the states and

regions. Vulnerabilities attached to each country also need to be mutually shared.

Information about building codes earthquake resilient structures exchanged. Say, how

to build sea-tide resilient structures could be learnt from Maldives. Resisting bridges and

airports can be learnt from other countries. There is no need to reinvent wheel. Model

towns, airports and other structures need not to be built without following building

codes.

Pakistan is considering insuring peoples life and properties even crops, destroyedduring a disaster. But someone has to pay the premium. Crop loss, business loss and

infra-structure loss need to be compensated. Obviously the affluent people will have to

pay for those living below poverty line. Not individual but the whole communities shall

be insured for such losses. We are planning to pilot it by 2013. The idea will generate

thousands of jobs. Once succeeded, we can transport the idea to other countries as

well. Most importantly, we need to move away from dependency syndrome. As far as

the delivery of services is concerned we are planning to reach affectees within 24 hours.

In the next meeting we are planning to share our plans with the SAARC delegates.

Pakistan is ready to facilitate all processes at all levels. NDMA is going to suggest

concerned policy quarters to constitute a governing based on NGOs, Civil Society and

donors.

At the end, once again, I appreciate all the participants of having made valuable and

workable contribution at this forum. Its report, I am sure, is going to pave the way for

future and empower us for taking many steps. Thank you all.

oxfam ndma regional conference report

Documents