ISLAMABAD: To foster disaster resilience, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) on Tuesday formalised their commitment for enhancing resilience in Pakistan by signing a Letter of Understanding (LOU) here at IRC Pakistan office.

Chairman NDMA Lt-Gen Inam Haider Malik graced the signing ceremony. Ms Shabnam Baloch, Country Director, IRC-Pakistan and Mr Raza Iqbal signed the LoU on behalf of their respective organisations.

This initiative marks a significant collaboration between NDMA Pakistan, a leading disaster management authority and IRC, a global humanitarian organisation.

The NDMA chairmaninformed that his organisation’s National Emergencies Operation Centre (NEOC) shared a comprehensive outlook on potential hazards and emergencies expected in next six months. This crucial information serves as a foundation for these organisations to strategise and outline their response plans effectively, ensuring readiness and swift action in the face of adversity.

He called for incorporation of anticipatory actions for resilient interventions in humanitarian organisation’s annual plans.

The scope of this collaboration encompasses joint efforts in strengthening Community-Based Disaster Risk Management/Reduction models, creating toolkit of best practices and the outlook for anticipatory actions. This includes consultations on innovative programmes and stakeholder engagement for strengthening resilience in communities, civil society organisations (CSOs), and other local institutions.

The partnership involves extending technical assistance for the development of a Multi-Sectoral Resilience Building initiatives, through capacity-building sessions for stakeholders and technical support for the robust functioning of National Emergencies Operation Center.

In the realm of policy advocacy, NDMA and IRC will collaborate on providing technical support to academic working groups focusing on disaster management, preparedness and resilience building upon evidence-based research analysing existing policy frameworks and alignment with ongoing multi-sectoral climate adaptive efforts. Both entities will also jointly host engagements for dissemination of findings and learnings with relevant stakeholders nationally and provincially.

Ms. Shabnam Baloch, Country Director, IRC-Pakistan conveyed their resolve to the newly formed partnership. They stressed upon the critical significance of collaborative initiatives, tackling the multifaceted challenges presented by climate change and natural disasters specifically within the context of Pakistan.

Chairman NDMA and Country Director IRC, Pakistan expressed their resolve to advancing the resilience agenda through tri-party partnerships involving relevant state institutions, civil society, and community voices into decision-making processes.

Through this partnership, NDMA and IRC are committed to sharing learning resources, technical expertise, and efforts to address the impacts of climate change and disasters. Their collaborative endeavors aim to foster a more resilient society in Pakistan, ensuring better preparedness and response mechanisms for future challenges.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2024