Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Wednesday arranged a dialogue in collaboration with the UN OCHA and the Turkish Embassy as a prelude to the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit (WHS), which would be held in Istanbul this month under the aegis of the United Nations.

Renowned personalities in the field of humanitarian affairs from government departments, UN agencies, foreign missions, donor agencies, civil society and philanthropist organisations participated in the dialogue. The World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) is an initiative of the United Nations secretary-general to forge new partnerships and find better ways to meet humanitarian needs. The summit aims to re-inspire and reinvigorate the commitment to humanity, initiate a set of concrete actions and commitments for better preparation and response and share innovations and best practices that can help save lives around the world. Pakistan, as a member state with a credible standing in humanitarian crisis management, is actively participating in the summit to explore the opportunities to showcase achievements for global viewers and share best practices in the domain of disaster management/humanitarian response. The NDMA will be hosting a side event in the form of a seminar with the theme “Reaching People in Need; Pakistan’s Experience”, an exhibition fair and an innovative marketplace during the summit in Turkey. The consultations on the summit were based on actionable areas identified in UN secretary general’s reports a) Role of Political Leadership to Prevent & End Conflicts, b) Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity, c) Leaving No One Behind: A Commitment to Address Forced Displacement, d) Women & Girls: Catalysing Action to Achieve Gender Equality, e) Natural Disasters & Climate Change: Managing Risks & Crises, f) Changing People’s Life: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need and g) Humanitarian Financing: Investing in Humanity.