Mbabane: The government does recognize the several initiatives achieved by collaboration of the government and humanitarian partners, for reducing health risks and consequences of emergencies.
This recognition was made by the Deputy Prime Minister Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku during the commemoration of the international day for disaster reduction held on October 13, 2020. The event was held at the Hilton Garden Inn hotel.
This year’s commemoration was themed ‘Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance to Effectively Manage Risk.’
Masuku said strengthening Disaster Risk Governance is one of the areas that need to be addressed to create a robust framework and system for managing hazards such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in the losses of lives & livelihoods & the disruption of socio-economic systems in Eswatini.”
DPM added that there is need for government to establish a mechanism for assessing the performance and effectiveness of disaster risk management policies and programmes by measuring the outputs and outcomes of these policies, funding arrangements, strategies & programmes and to measure the resilience of economic and social systems to disaster risk.
“We acknowledge the numerous risk governance initiatives that are established to improve financial capacity of managing the residual impacts of the climate change phenomenon. Government recognises the contribution of such initiatives in improving humanitarian hazard preparedness, prevention and emergency response actions. Masuku said.
National Disaster Management Agency CEO Russell Dlamini said it is necessary to continue to strengthen good governance in disaster risk reduction at national and regional levels as nations and regions are intertwined. Good Disaster Risk governance must be improved to guarantee a prosperous and safe future.
The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction was started in 1989, after a call by the United Nations General Assembly for a day to promote a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction. Held every 13 October, the day celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of reining in the risks that they face.
In 2015 at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan, the international community was reminded that disasters hit hardest at the local level with the potential to cause loss of life and great social and economic upheaval. Sudden onset disasters displace millions of people every year. Disasters, many of which are exacerbated by climate change, have a negative impact on investment in sustainable development and the desired outcomes.
It is also at the local level that capacities need to be strengthened urgently. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction is people-focussed and action-oriented in its approach to disaster risk reduction and applies to the risk of small-scale and large-scale disasters caused by man-made, or natural hazards, as well as related environmental, technological and biological hazards and risks.
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