Daily Times

Responding to the fact that Pakistan is the eighth most vulnerable country to climate change in the world, Community Resilience Activity North (CRA-N), dedicated to fostering community resilience, organized an event as part of their efforts on International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The event had a dedicated panel discussion on flood recovery strategies. The workshop brought together key stakeholders, experts, and community leaders. The workshop was attended by the representatives of UN agencies, Community Resilience Activity North (CRA-N), District administration, Government authorities, Civil Society Organizations and others.

Chief of Party, IOM, Michael J. F Mahony welcomed the audience and described that CRA-N covers range of community resilience programs within KP, Sindh and Balochistan. He reiterated CRA-N’s commitment to strengthening collaboration between communities and government bodies. By providing a platform for dialogue and idea exchange, CRA-N seeks to contribute to the development of sustainable and resilient strategies that can withstand the challenges posed by natural disasters.

He further said that “We envision to have a partnership with our government counterparts within National Disaster Management Authority, Provincial Disaster Management Authorities, District Disaster Management Units, Regional & Govt institutions, communities, Civil Society Organizations and other relevant stakeholders to determine the best and most effective ways to support vulnerable communities.

The event had insightful panel discussions on topics such as “Disasters and Inequality,” “Urban Flooding – The Karachi Experience,” “Flood Waters – Experience of Rural Sindh,” and “Coastal Resilience – Barriers to Flooding.”

Qadeer Ansari, Additional Secretary, School Education Department Sindh shared that as of 2023, poverty is projected to reach 37.2 percent, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive disaster risk reduction strategies. Dr Sarfaraz, Chief MET Office, PMD emphasized on the need of fostering community resilience through collaborations and new initiatives.

Dr. Nuzrat Khan, CEO – Bluenet stressed on the need of strengthening communities resilience with the insurance of environmental sustainability. Raheela Saad, Trainer, talked about the need of creation of project designs for flood management & resilience in Sindh. She said that Disaster Risk Reduction goes beyond floods, and our ultimate target is poverty reduction.

The event also shed light on the global impact of disasters, emphasizing the importance of inclusive disaster management, where the voices of youth and people with disabilities are actively heard and integrated into decision-making processes. The event was not only a platform for dialogue but a call to action. It invites participants to join hands in fostering a culture of resilience.

To ensure that the CRA-North’s Flood Recovery programming activities are aligned with Provincial and District Government Stakeholder strategies; the Project recognizes the benefit of hosting such events for the CRA-N Project Stakeholders’ on regular basis.