NDMA, UNICEF sign joint working plan for 2018-19

ISLAMABAD: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Monday signed a joint working plan for the year 2018-19 under a programme, titled Continued Collaboration in Child Centered Disaster Risk Reduction Interventions.

The document was signed by NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Omar Mahmood Hayat and UNICEF acting representative Cris Munduate, according to a press release.

The plan is in line with the agenda to implement a child-centered disaster risk reduction approach in preparing and responding to disasters as well as engaging in early disaster recovery operations.

Since 2015, the NDMA-UNICEF partnership is aimed at enhancing the authority’s capacity and delivery of services to minimise risks for children and ensure their well-being and protection in disaster preparedness, response and recovery. Several national level policy documents have been developed and implemented under the partnership.

One of the key achievements was the formulation of the Pakistan School Safety Framework and its pilot projects in all provinces of Pakistan, including Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The current multi-year plan of 2017-18 was continuing its focus on the priority areas like child-centered disaster risk reduction through child-inclusive risk assessment, school safety and education in emergencies to ensure sustainability of education at all times, children participation through advocacy and communication, knowledge management, capacity building and institutional strengthening for child inclusive climate change adaptation (CCA), capacity building and engagement of relevant stakeholders for disaster preparedness, mitigation and prevention and initiating water sanitation and hygiene events in schools.

The NDMA chairman said that the 2018-19 plan would serve as another milestone in NDMA’s efforts to ensure that children were protected and prepared for emergencies, adding that their voices would be included in decision-making process and policy formulation at all levels of disaster management.

Cris Munduate said collaborative efforts of both the organisation had led to outstanding achievements during the last few years.

“The UNICEF advocates that the survival, protection and development of children are  universal development imperatives, which are integral to human progress,” she said, while that her organisation looked forward to supporting the NDMA to further the rights of children in all phases in disasters.