DHAKA, Oct 12, 2023 (BSS) - The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2023 will be observed in the country tomorrow like elsewhere in the world.

 The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is being observed since 1989, after a call by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) for a day to promote a global culture of risk awareness and disaster reduction. In 2009, the UNGA officially designated October 13 as the date to commemorate the day.

 The 2023 edition focuses on "Fighting inequality for a resilient future".

The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief has chalked out different programmes in observance of the day in a befitting manner.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today issued separate messages marking the day.
 
In his message, President Mohammed Shahabuddin said the intensity of natural disaster has increased due to influence of global warming and climate change.

Bangladesh as a disaster prone-country has been facing big natural disaster every year due mainly to climate change and geographical location, he added.
 
The President said the government has already included disaster risk reduction strategy in its policy and plan to save the life and property of the people.
 
He said immediately after the independence Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman launched a forestation programme first across the country's coastal belts to reduce the disaster risks.

Construction cyclone shelters and 'Mujib Killa' was launched at that time to save people's life and property, Shahabuddin added.

The present government has taken various programmes to reduce the risks of disaster, he said, adding that the government's different activities in managing disaster have established Bangladesh as a role model in the world. The number of volunteers for cyclone preparedness is 76, 000 and of them, 50 percent is women, the President said.

 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, said the theme of this year's International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is a time-befitting one and the present government following the path of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has been implementing various programmes to reduce disaster-related losses.

The government has introduced mobile service 1090 (toll free) as Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to give people early warning about disaster and daily weather forecast, she said, adding that public and private employees, people's representatives, volunteers, teachers and media persons have been given training to increase their capacity to face the disaster situation.

She said Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman launched Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) in 1973 to give people early warning about disaster in the coastal area. Bangabandhu also established 172 'Matir Killa" which were known as "Mujib Kella" in the coastal area to save life and property of the people from cyclone, Sheikh Hasina added.

The premier said there are 76,140 trained volunteers under CPP and the number of casualties in disaster has drastically come down recently.

Disaster management gets special priority in the Delta Plan 2100, she added.

"I hope, we will be able to establish a disaster-resilient, poverty-hungry free developed Smart Bangladesh by 2041 in cooperation and involvement of all," she added.