The Kuwait Environment Protection Society, through its Chairperson and member of the Regional Advisory Group for Disaster Risk Reduction in West Asia, Dr. Wijdan Aloqab, confirmed that the celebration of the “International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction” will be held under the patronage of Major General Talal Mohammed Al-Roumi, Head of the General Fire Force, under the slogan “Financing Resilience, Not Disasters,” on Monday, October 20. She noted that the event will be hosted at the headquarters of the General Fire Force with the participation of a group of entities and experts, and pointed out the warm welcome that Major General Talal Mohammed Al-Roumi, Head of the General Fire Force, gave her in his office, accompanied by the Vice President of the Society’s Environmental Engineers Team, Engineer Yousef Alramzi.
Dr. Aloqab, on behalf of herself and her colleagues, the Board of Directors and members of the General Assembly of the Kuwait Environment Protection Society, expressed “great appreciation to His Excellency Major General Talal Al-Roumi for sponsoring the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction event, which reflects the cooperation between governments and civil society institutions in the field of crisis management according to the Sendai Framework,” praising “the role of the General Fire Force in hosting the event and performing its community role in addition to its international role as a key point of contact in the United Nations program for disaster risk reduction.”.
She noted that “the celebration promotes building the resilience of local communities to disasters and encourages a holistic approach to disaster risk management that encompasses the entire community and fosters synergies among different groups as needed.” She added that “the event’s program includes workshops with the participation of experts and representatives from participating government agencies and civil society organizations, as well as specialized regional entities.” She further stated that the “International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction” event enjoys broad participation and falls within the framework of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.
She stated that “the event includes several themes, perhaps the most prominent of which is highlighting the national efforts made in this field by reviewing the participating entities” programs related to their participation in reducing disaster risks, in addition to presenting the efforts of the National Committee for Disaster Risk Reduction, which includes Kuwaiti civil society institutions that are members of the Global Network of Civil Society Organizations for Disaster Risk Reduction (GNDR), to demonstrate its role in raising awareness of multiple concepts and themes, including the concept of disaster risk reduction, ways to acquire that knowledge, active participation in disaster risk reduction, and the type of that participation, in addition to the impact of climate change on disaster risks in the geographical region, and the type of participation, whether courses, training, or workshops, as well as themes related to introducing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the role of international cooperation in this regard, and the challenges facing its implementation.”.
Dr. Aloqab concluded by saying that “the strength of civil society participation in implementing the provisions of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in Article 5 comes specifically in paragraph (a) of the role of stakeholders, which states: (that civil society, volunteers, organized volunteer organizations and community organizations should participate and cooperate with public institutions in working to provide specific knowledge and practical guidance in the context, develop and implement regulatory frameworks, standards and plans for disaster risk reduction, in addition to engaging in the implementation of local, national, regional and global plans and strategies, and contributing to raising people’s awareness and culture of prevention and education about disaster risks and providing support for them.”.
