Thrust on local level capacity building to cut risks
FE Report | Monday, 7 July 2008
Building a better capacity for reducing risks at the local government level and especially at the Union Parishads (UPs) in the event of natural calamities is a prerequisite for better disaster management in the country.
The above view came at a workshop organised by the World Bank on 'Strengthening the Role of Local Governments in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) which was inaugurated in the city Sunday.
Secretary to the Ministry of LGRD & C Sheikh Khurshid Alam inaugurated the two-day workshop as the chief guest. Director General of Local Government Division (LGD) Swapan Kumar Sarkar, Director of Disaster Management Bureau (DMB) Abu Sadeq and Operations Advisor of the World Bank Dhaka Office Mohammed Alhousseyni Toure were also present on the occasion.
Sheikh Khurshid Alam in his speech said, "The government is committed towards proper integration of its DRR programmes with various schemes of the development partners' including the World Bank-funded ongoing Local Government Support Project".
He also emphasised the need for proper channeling and linkage between the highest level of the government and the local government through upazilla and district administration for all disaster management issues.
Lauding Bangladesh's better disaster management capability compared to many underdeveloped countries, Mohammed Alhousseyni Toure in his speech called for collaboration and partnership between the local government and the NGOs as well as the development partners for capacity building.
Speakers at the workshop also specified and pointed to the core emergency aspects that are to be addressed by the local government prior to and immediately after a natural disaster strikes.
The two-day long workshop will focus on strengthening the Union Parishad for undertaking the DRR initiatives as well as to integrate those initiatives within the World Bank's LGSP framework and other government development schemes.
The suggestions from the workshop are to be included in the final version of the Handbook on Local Governments and Disaster Risk Reduction in Bangladesh which would then be disseminated to all UPs that are part of LGSP and beyond.
The above view came at a workshop organised by the World Bank on 'Strengthening the Role of Local Governments in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) which was inaugurated in the city Sunday.
Secretary to the Ministry of LGRD & C Sheikh Khurshid Alam inaugurated the two-day workshop as the chief guest. Director General of Local Government Division (LGD) Swapan Kumar Sarkar, Director of Disaster Management Bureau (DMB) Abu Sadeq and Operations Advisor of the World Bank Dhaka Office Mohammed Alhousseyni Toure were also present on the occasion.
Sheikh Khurshid Alam in his speech said, "The government is committed towards proper integration of its DRR programmes with various schemes of the development partners' including the World Bank-funded ongoing Local Government Support Project".
He also emphasised the need for proper channeling and linkage between the highest level of the government and the local government through upazilla and district administration for all disaster management issues.
Lauding Bangladesh's better disaster management capability compared to many underdeveloped countries, Mohammed Alhousseyni Toure in his speech called for collaboration and partnership between the local government and the NGOs as well as the development partners for capacity building.
Speakers at the workshop also specified and pointed to the core emergency aspects that are to be addressed by the local government prior to and immediately after a natural disaster strikes.
The two-day long workshop will focus on strengthening the Union Parishad for undertaking the DRR initiatives as well as to integrate those initiatives within the World Bank's LGSP framework and other government development schemes.
The suggestions from the workshop are to be included in the final version of the Handbook on Local Governments and Disaster Risk Reduction in Bangladesh which would then be disseminated to all UPs that are part of LGSP and beyond.