Bangladesh’s progress commendable
Praising Dhaka's initiative to reduce disaster risks for people with disabilities, speakers yesterday said reducing risks for all is easy to talk about but difficult to implement, but Bangladesh is showing the world how to do so.
They said the declaration that was adopted in Dhaka in 2018, under the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), is the first declaration that talks about reducing such risks for people with disabilities.
The speakers said this in a side event of Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) 2022, held at the International Conference Center in Nusa Dua, Bali.
The seminar, titled "Inclusive Local Actions towards Effective Disaster Risk Reduction and Leave No One Behind: Dhaka Declaration and Other Inspiring Initiatives" was moderated by Saima Wazed, chief advisor of Bangladesh National Taskforce on Disability and Disaster Risk Management.
State Minister for Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Enamur Rahman made the keynote presentation, in which he talked about the progress of the Dhaka declaration and key actions that Bangladesh has taken to reduce disaster risks for people with disabilities.
Kamrul Hasan, the ministry's secretary, said during disasters, people with disabilities are more in danger.
Carlos Kaiser, executive director of ONG Inclusiva/Latin America DiDRR Network, Chile, said, "In 2015, when I went to Bangladesh, speakers said what needed to be done, and when I went back in 2018, I found -- all those marvellous things, Bangladesh was doing for people with disabilities."
Saima Wazed said it is important to include people with disabilities while making public policies of reducing disaster risks.
Earlier in the morning, Indonesian President Joko Widodo delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of GPDRR at Nusa Dua Convention Center.
Indonesia is hosting a series of meetings of GPDRR's seventh session in Bali, scheduled to run from May 23 to 28.
Saber Hossain Chowdhury, chair of the parliamentary standing committee on environment, forest and climate change ministry, and other Bangladeshi delegates were present at the session.
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