National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik has stressed the need to make the global climate goals a benchmark like the sustainable development goals and said that the international community needs to take urgent steps to help countries like Pakistan face the challenge of climate emergency.
The NDMA chairman represented Pakistan in the 17th Regional Advisory Committee meeting of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in the Philippines. The three-day regional advisory committee meeting was organized in collaboration with the Office of Civil Defense, Department of National Defense, Philippines and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center.
The theme of the meeting was ‘Sustainable Resilience through Collective Governance, Finance and Local Action’. The meeting was held from December 5 to 7 in Manila. Representatives from 18 countries and more than 20 institutions participated in the meeting. Lt Gen Malik represented Pakistan in the 17th session of the Regional Advisory Committee meeting at the invitation of ADPC and the Philippine government.
The NDMA chairman apprised the forum of the catastrophic situation of floods in Pakistan. He stressed that unless the ‘global climate goals’ are benchmarked against the sustainable development goals, climate events will continue to affect all regions. He further said that for a country like Pakistan, which is already trying to meet the challenge of recovery due to an ongoing crisis, it would be disastrous for it to face more than one climate emergency, in this regard the international community should take immediate steps.
He also stressed the need for sharing the latest technology with developing countries to help develop scenario-based early warning systems in countries like Pakistan that are severely affected by climate change. The NDMA chairman also emphasized the exchange of ideas between global and regional bodies working on disaster preparedness and management.
He proposed global academia connectivity through institutions like the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) Pakistan to enable research exchange on disaster management and climate change for the collective benefit of all regions and experts. A collection of research and experiences can be built up along with constant engagement.
During the session, the chairman emphasized enabling forecasted financing through global cooperation frameworks to address poverty and disaster needs. He also suggested that the ADPC develop a more action-oriented strategy to attract and sustain aid to the most vulnerable countries like Pakistan. The chairman also highlighted the important role of mass media in creating awareness about climate change and guiding communities to avoid natural disasters.
Lt Gen Malik praised the organizers for providing a platform to member countries while highlighting the importance of promoting risk management in the Asia-Pacific region.
