Government is serious on disaster risk management: PM Oli

Kathmandu – Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the government has been working on preparedness regarding the disaster risk management along with national policy, learning from the devastating 2015 earthquake. 

Inaugurating the 14th meeting of the Asia Pacific Regional Consultative Committee on Disaster Management here today, he said works on post-earthquake relief and rehabilitation as well as reconstruction is ongoing since the earthquake. 

He said the government was pursuing the reconstruction works seriously with support from the community and the international sector by also taking in mind the experience of other countries. 

“The Government of Nepal is committed to implement the disaster risk management policy. Every disaster teaches regarding humanitarian preparedness for protection from natural disaster and the crisis of physical materials as well as how to make life adaptable for the future,” the Prime Minister said. 

He stressed on preparedness, information and decision based on science and technology since the natural disaster is not confined to any border or is predictable, saying the government has put in place the emergency management and relief management policy as a part of the preparedness while taking into account the varied disasters based on the country’s geography. 

Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa said that three people on average die daily in Nepal due to various disasters. He added that disasters also breed poverty due to the humanitarian, physical and environmental damage. 

The Home Minister further said that snow-melting in the Himalayas and heavy rainfall also increased the chances of disasters. 

Home Secretary Prem Kumar Rai said the disasters caused a GDP decrease of around two per cent. 
Representatives of various bodies and partner organizations related to disaster management from 26 countries in the Asia and Pacific region are participating in the meeting that will discuss on sustainable development and disaster management issues. 

RCC president Mohammad Idre handed over the RCC chairmanship to Nepal in the meeting. 
The 14th meeting of RCC is hosted y the Ministry of Home Affairs. One hundred and fifty delegates from 30 countries including the member countries of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center are attending the three-day meeting. 

The overarching theme of the 14th RCC meeting is “Policies and Practices for Coherence between Global Frameworks.” It is stated that the meeting will offer an opportunity to member countries to devise collective actions for coherence between Sen dai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SDRR), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other relevant frameworks at the national and local level. 

Member countries will also discuss strategies for the implementation of te global frameworks in line with national policies and priorities. In a bid to save people’s lives and properties from climate change-related disasters and to protect development gains of national economies in the region, delegates will share best practices and lessons. 

Before this, the RCC meetings were held in Thailand in 2000 and 2001, in India in 2002, in Bangladesh in 2004, in Vietnam in 2005, in China in 2006, in Sri Lanka in 2007, in the Philippines in 2010, in Cambodia in 2011, in Mongolia in 2013, in Myanmar in 2014, in Bhutan in 2015 and in Pakistan in 2016. 
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