The National Disaster Management Authority or NDMA organized a parliamentarian caucus in collaboration with the ministries of national food security and climate change on disaster risk management.

Participants
from across the political divide, including senators, members of the National
Assembly and provincial assemblies, officials of international agencies,
humanitarian networks and directors-general of Provincial Disaster Management
Authorities or PDMAs participated in the caucus.

The
caucus was aimed at highlighting the role of parliamentarians in disaster
management. It also sought to promote dialogue on various aspects of disaster
risk management, international frameworks, gender equality and child
protection. It also emphasized upon the need for capacity-building of
parliamentarians in supporting, promoting and implementing national agenda to
build resilience.

Chairman
NDMA Lt-Gen Akhtar Nawaz Satti welcomed the participants and in his opening
remarks underscored the role of parliamentarians for disaster risk management.

“People
of Pakistan have always faced disasters with courage and resilience. We need
national resolve, political commitment and institutional determination to make
the country resilient, build the capacity of departments such as NDMA and make
Pakistan a disaster-resilient country,” APP quoted him as saying.

Appreciating
NDMA’s efforts, Minister of National Food Security Syed Fakher Imam said that
the authority was providing parliamentarians a platform to initiate dialogue in
this regard.

The federal minister said, “Climate change and natural calamities result in disasters and their impact becomes acute threat to sustainable development and peaceful co-existence, if we fail to respond to these challenges with an understanding and collectively as a mission”.

He
further added elected representatives are key to strengthening disaster risk
governance by voicing needs and concerns of the land and people of respective
areas.

Minister Energy Hammad Azhar on the occasion said that, “Over the past two decades, Pakistan has been facing various disasters. It is vital to have structured organizations like NDMA which could respond immediately”.

Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul praised the NDMA initiative, saying that, climate change was one of the most critical threats to global development and, “we must focus on long-term goals”.

She
said that the ministry of climate change had successfully initiated several
initiatives for adapting and mitigating the impact of climate change.

“I am
confident after seeing this gathering here today, aiming to be aware and
cautious for safe and resilient future of Pakistan that will enable the country
to prepare in the face of any catastrophe,” she maintained.

Parliamentarians
actively participated in the caucus, suggesting ways and means to deal with
disasters in an effective manner. This was the second parliamentarian caucus on
the subject, the first was held in 2019, an APP report said.