National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) has said, the objective of the National Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management was fully achieved during the past two days.
The first National Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management was held in Bandos Maldives from October 29 to 30. The two day forum, organised by National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), supported by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Japan, was titled, “Sustainable Development for a Resilient Future”.
The forum boasted 75 participants from atoll councils, island councils, along with senior and technical representatives from government institutions, companies, independent authorities and non-governmental organisations. Participants highlighted the importance of such a forum to minimise disaster risks and to prepare island level authorities for disasters.
During the forum, Minister of Defence and National Security Adam Shareef Umar urged government authorities to conduct projects with regard to the adverse alterations that has occurred on the climate of Maldives. In this regard, the Defence Minister Shareef stated that importance should be given to achieve sustainable development and attaining disaster risk reduction in Maldives.
National platforms for disaster risk reduction work as a coordination mechanism which need to be built through a nationally-owned and led participatory process that includes perspectives and actions of different sectors, and a multi-stakeholder composition, in order to be effective and sustainable. It advocates for national platforms to be embedded in the broader national systems for disaster reduction and development, as their influence on national development and resource mobilisation depends on their effective integration into the existing governance, decision-making and institutional frameworks.