The Government of India is hosting the Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) next month in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). The hosting of the Conference re-affirms India’s commitment to the cause of Disaster Risk Reduction.
This is the first AMCDRR after the advent of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRRR), adopted at the third UN World Conference in Sendai, Japan in March, 2015. It will set the direction of Sendai Framework implementation in the region.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, will inaugurate the Conference that will be held in New Delhi from November 3-5, 2016. The Conference will aim at transforming the commitments of governments and stakeholders during the Sendai Conference into national and local action.
Established in 2005, AMCDRR is a biennial conference jointly organized by different Asian countries and the UNISDR. So far, six AMCDRR conferences have been organised. India had also hosted the second AMCDRR in New Delhi in 2007.
India’s commitment to Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is evident from the fact that it became one of the first countries to align its National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) with SFDRRR. AMCDRR 2016 will focus on collaboration, consultation and partnership with governments and stakeholders to mainstream DRR in the region’s development narrative.
The Conference will adopt the ‘Asian Regional Plan for Implementation of the Sendai Framework’ endorsed by the Asian countries. It will also consolidate the political commitment of governments towards preventing and reducing risk as well as strengthening resilience in the form of a political declaration. Voluntary statements of action of stakeholder groups towards a ‘shared responsibility’ approach in implementation of the SFDRR would also be adopted.
The Conference will discuss issues related to DRR in six technical, 22 thematic and three featured sessions during the Conference. The technical events will be broadly based on themes related to Risk Sensitive Development for Community Resilience. The thematic and featured events will centre around themes related to inclusive development such as Risk Resilient Infrastructure for Sustainable Development; Application of Science and Technology for prevention of new risks; Strengthening Community Resilience; Gender sensitive DRR; Child-centred DRR; and Risk financing – Disaster Risk: Identification and Financing Solutions.
Various DRR-centric activities will be organised during the Conference to spread awareness about disaster risk reduction and its role in safeguarding lives, livelihoods and infrastructure. These activities include a national-level painting competition for school children aged 10-14 years, a short films competition and an exhibition to showcase best practices in DRR.
The commemoration of the first World Tsunami Awareness Day, to spread awareness about the dangers of tsunami and the importance of Early Warning Systems in mitigating its impact, will also be held on the closing day of the Conference.
Senior-level delegations from Asian countries, representatives of UN bodies and Disaster Management experts will participate in the Conference.