‘Knowledge saves lives,’ United Nations stresses on worldwide Day for Disaster Reduction

An awareness rally by students on disaster reduction was flagged off by Collector Sajjansingh R. Chavan here on Tuesday.To mark the global Day for Disaster Reduction, the rally was flagged off from SLB Government Higher School. To address this, the UNISDR led the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 adopted earlier this year which the CoR, European Commission, European Parliament and Council of the EU all contributed to.

“Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM)-The Road to Resilience” is expected to be the theme of an interactive edition of Prime Talk on ZIZ on Thursday night from 8-10pm.

CDMP National Project Director Massachusetts Qayyum said emphasised skill development to fight disaster. It is a day to raise awareness about the importance of disaster risk reduction and to celebrate how people and communities are reducing their exposure to disasters.

According to the United Nations chief, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction underlines how traditional knowledge can complement scientific knowledge in disaster risk management.

China ranks among the top 10 countries suffering from frequent, intense and unpredictable disasters, both in terms of the total number of fatalities and the economic cost. “But we do not know what measures need to be taken [to tackle possible earthquake’s aftermath] as the country had never experienced [strong] quake”, he said. “Disaster management requires clearer roles, responsibilities, functions and lines of accountability”. Even if such houses break, they do not usually result in the loss of lives.

Speaking at the celebration marking the worldwide Day for Disaster Risk Reduction in Kerewan, North Bank Region, ED Sanneh described this year’s theme as very relevant and timely, saying the United Nations and other important players in global governance have collectively concluded that using traditional, indigenous and local knowledge in preparedness, response, recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction will save resources and time in their work. For example, the construction of specialised buildings in earthquake-prone areas can greatly reduce damage. As the UN’s development network, the UNDP has drawn on worldwide experiences for over three decades to assist China in disaster risk management, building community resilience, and information and knowledge sharing.