Bangladesh 'global leader' in dealing Disaster Risk Reduction

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Bangladesh has secured itself the recognition of being a global leader in dealing with disasters and climate change through the extension of the Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) for another five years.
The new phase of the CDMP-a joint initiative of the Bangladesh government and UNDP supported by the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), the European Union (EU) and Sweden - is an expansion and scaling up of the first phase, which institutionalised risk reduction approaches through pilot initiatives.
According to the UNDP, the second phase will follow a multi-hazard approach to disasters - including climate change risk management -, which also sustains the paradigm shift from a focus on post-disaster response to a stronger emphasis on prevention and reducing risks and vulnerabilities.
The partners launched the five-year Programme Thursday through the signing of US$50.75 million agreement by Secretary of the Economic Relations Division Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management Ahmed Hossain Khan and Country Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bangladesh Stefan Priesner, reports UNB.
"It has been demonstrated time and again, most recently by Cyclone Sidr and Cyclone Aila, that years of economic progress can be wiped out overnight if people are not adequately prepared. It is often the poorest who suffer the most from natural disasters. They are also the people who find it hardest to recover. The UK has, therefore, identified disaster risk reduction and reducing vulnerability to climate change as a major priority within its Country Assistance Plan," said Country Representative of the Department for International Development of the UK Chris Austin.