DHAKA, Jan 24, 2019 (BSS) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today put
emphasis on cooperation among the Asia-Pacific nations, especially among
neighbours, to combat natural calamities, describing it as very important to
face damage of greater magnitude.
“Collaboration among the nations of Asia and the Pacific region,
especially among neighbours, is very important in facing damage of greater
magnitude from any natural calamity,” she told the inaugural ceremony of the
4th session of the Regional Consultative Group (RCG) on Humanitarian Civil-
Military Coordination for Asia and the Pacific at Hotel InterContinental here
this morning.
The premier added:”We would not be able to prevent natural disasters, but
we can reduce the extent of damage through our prudent works. In Bangladesh,
we are also putting emphasis on mitigation programmes.”
The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief has organised the three-day
event.
Sheikh Hasina also laid stress on undertaking appropriate measures to
fight manmade disasters.
“We can’t ignore the manmade disasters like traffic accidents, building
fire, building and bridge collapse, terrorist attacks etc. We have to
undertake appropriate measures to arrest these disasters,” she said.
The prime minister said the mother earth is facing increased intensity of
disaster possibly due to the impacts of climate change.
“The Global Climate Risk Index 2017 published by GERMANWATCH says, from
1998 to 2017, over 0.526 million people died as a direct result of more than
11,500 extreme weather events,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said the losses incurred between 1998 and 2017 amounted to
around USD 3.47 trillion in PPP.
According to the Index, she said, Bangladesh is at the 9th position among
10 most affected counties. In the index of 2014 and 2015, Bangladesh was at
the 6th position, she said.
The premier said although Bangladesh has very nominal contribution to the
climate change but it is one of the most affected countries by the impacts of
global climate change owing to its geographical location.
Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh’s territory experienced many devastated
disasters over the period. The most dreadful cyclone in the recent memories
happened in 1970 that killed around one million people in the country’s
coastal districts, she said.
The premier said with undertaking of various measures, including
improvement of early warning generation and dissemination, establishment of
cyclone shelters and active engagement of dedicated CPP volunteers in the
preparedness and response activities, the mortality from disasters has
drastically been reduced in the recent times.
“Now we’re replicating the CPP model for other disasters. This paradigm
shift has helped us adapt to the changes of global policy instruments such as
Sendai Framework, Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement on
Climate Change in 2015,” she said.
As a result, Sheikh Hasina said, Bangladesh is now known as a role model of
disaster management and now moving towards building resilience.
The premier said relevancy of Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination is
ever increasing in the face of increased number of large scale emergencies in
the region.
“Regarding disaster response, civil and military actors have been working
together, especially on search and rescue operation, dead body and debris
management or the restoration of bridge and roads,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said apart from Armed Forces Division, Bangladesh Fire
Service and Civil Defence, Bangladesh Police, Border Guard Bangladesh, Ansar
and VDP, Bangladesh Scout, Bangladesh National Cadet Corps have also been
playing vital roles in disaster risk management as part of the government’s
overall national strategy.
“We are thankful to the member states of RCG for electing Bangladesh as the
chair of the group in 2017,” she said.
The premier said Bangladesh is advancing towards national resiliency
guided by its vision 2021 and 2041 to contribute to global commitments and
targets.
“Our national humanitarian architecture is quite supportive for Civil-
Military Coordination. Within the scope of the Disaster Management Act 2012,
a unified coordination mechanism has been established,” she said.
“As the country’s Prime Minister, I am leading the National Disaster
Management Council. Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief is actively
contributing to resilience building process of the nation,” she added.
Sheikh Hasina said giving humanitarian assistance, construction of
infrastructure and maintaining law and order for the 1.1 million forcibly
displaced Myanmar citizens are an exemplary work through Civil Military
coordinated response.
Pointing out that sustainable development is directly linked to climate
change, the premier said: “Recently, we have adopted Delta Plan 2100, which
will provide us sustainable development pathway for the next 100 years.”
The prime minister said the plan, to be implemented in phases, will enable
Bangladesh to face the risks of climate change and disasters as well as
ensure food security.
Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh is working on institutional improvement of
humanitarian response mechanism. “We’re establishing the Emergency Operation
Centre (EOC) for effective and timely response as well as smooth coordination
of any emergency operation,” she said.
The premier said the Ministry of Disaster Management procured equipment
worth about Taka 2.36 billion during the last few years for search and rescue
operations and these equipment have already been handed over to Armed Forces
Division and other relevant government organizations.
Mentioning that infrastructural support is very much critical during any
crisis, she said Bangladesh always tries to build upon the learning.
“The May-2015 Nepal earthquake learning taught us to prepare for the next
big jolt in the region. We are prioritizing infrastructural investment for
readiness to support the emergencies like 2015 Nepal earthquake,” she said.
The prime minister said that the government has already undertaken a plan
to expand and rebuild Saidpur Airport in northern Bangladesh to serve the
adjacent regional demand in similar emergency.
“Our road, rail and river connectivity is improving and expanding. All
these investments will benefit the neighborhood providing alternative routes
of communication during emergencies within the region,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh is emphasizing inclusivity on all Disaster
Risk Management initiatives, particularly Emergency Preparedness and
Response.
In addition, she said, Dhaka Declaration from International Conferences on
Disability inclusive DRR in 2015 and 2018 is playing an important role as
practical guideline for inclusive implementation of Sendai Framework for
Disaster Risk Reduction.
“Being inspired by the spirit of the whole of society approach, we always
promote volunteers and civil society engagement in the humanitarian
response,” she said.
The premier said there are about 2.4 million Ansar-VDP members, 1.7
million Scouts, 0.4 million Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) and 0.4
million girls guide volunteers who are always ready to act as volunteers
during any disaster.
“Besides, some 32 thousand urban volunteers and 56 thousand Cyclone
Preparedness Programme (CPP) volunteers are also active across the country to
respond any emergency,” she said.
Wishing success of the 4th session of the Regional Consultative Group
(RCG), the premier hoped that this session will create an opportunity for the
participants of the member countries to exchange knowledge and ideas to face
any future disaster more efficiently.
State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Mohammad Enamur Rahman
addressed the inaugural session of the RCG as the special guest, while
secretary of the ministry Mohammad Shah Kamal presided over the function.
Chief of Army Staff General Aziz Ahmed, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP
Resident Representative in Bangladesh Mia Seppo, Director of the Center for
Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-
DMHA),Hawaii, USA Joseph Martin and Deputy Head of Office UN Office for the
Coordination of the Humanitarian Affairs Sebastian Rhodes Stampa also spoke
at the function.
A video presentation on Civil-Military Coordination on Disaster Management
was made at the function.
As many as 150 representatives from different countries of Asia and the
Pacific region are participating in the three-day event.