The Kuwaiti Society for Environmental Protection organized the virtual conference \u201cAnnual Forum for the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction\u201d in cooperation with the Gulf Network of Environmental NGOs, the General Secretariat for Environment and Sustainable Development of the General Union of Arab Producers, and with the participation of the Arab Network for Environment and Development (RAED) and the Global Network of Civil Society Organizations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR). The conference featured Kuwaiti, Arab, and international participation from civil society organizations and a distinguished group of academics and experts in the field.<\/p>\n
Dr. Wajdan Al-Aqab, President of the Association, who also serves as the Arab Regional Advisor to the Global Network of Civil Society Organizations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR), explained.
\nThe forum comes within the framework of the world\u2019s participation in celebrating the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction by promoting and spreading community awareness towards it, adding: \u201cAt the local level, the forum addressed the participation of scientific personnel from civil society organizations represented by the Kuwaiti Society for Environmental Protection and the Kuwaiti Geographical Society, in addition to presenting the civil relief aspect represented by the Kuwaiti Red Crescent Society, as well as the participation of government agencies such as the Civil Defense Committee and the National Guard.\u201d .<\/p>\n
Hence, the participation of the GCC Emergency Management Center to represent the Gulf dimension as well as the Arab dimension, represented by the Raed Network, which represents the global GNDR network within it.\u201d
\nThe head of the Environment Association and the forum affirmed that \u201cthe forum is part of the collaborative efforts of numerous entities to commemorate this International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, as outlined in a message from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.\u201d She noted that the Sendai 7 campaign comprises seven goals over seven years, from 2016 to 2022, and aims to highlight key objectives that ultimately have a direct impact on the quality of disaster risk reduction globally, encompassing prevention, mitigation, and preparedness. She further stated that the Sendai campaign provides an opportunity for everyone\u2014governments, local authorities, community groups, civil society organizations, the private sector, international institutions, and UN agencies\u2014to support best practices at the international, regional, and local levels across all sectors to reduce disaster risks and the resulting losses. The association is therefore organizing the forum to broaden the participation of civil society organizations in community awareness initiatives, working alongside relevant government bodies and strengthening their mandated roles.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cWe recall the goal of this year\u2019s celebration, 2020, which is to have a greater number of countries that have prepared strategies to reduce disaster risks. These tasks remain in the sights of countries around the world, and the importance of their governance is so that we reach a level of preparedness to avoid damage caused by disasters and reduce loss of life, which is the core of the Sendai Framework.<\/p>\n
The head of the association stated that the forum focused in its local presentation on the efforts of some state agencies in confronting flash floods. Colonel Mohammed Al-Matrouk from the Disaster Management Department of the Civil Defense Committee reviewed the committee\u2019s disaster and crisis planning and management strategy, including the axes of \u201cpreparedness, response, recovery and mitigation,\u201d and the executive action plan for the floods and heavy rains in November 2018, led by the Civil Defense Committee, the confrontation phase, summoning members of the Civil Defense Committee, activating the plans and putting them into effect, assessing the current situation, and inventorying all available resources and placing them under the command of the committee.<\/p>\n
In addition, a short film documenting the National Guard\u2019s efforts in dealing with floods and coordinating efforts to support various state agencies was presented by Colonel Engineer Butti Jassim Al-Bati to demonstrate the National Guard\u2019s role in managing the Kuwait rain crisis.<\/p>\n
She pointed out that the academic discussion at the forum reviewed many scientific facts. Dr. Raafat Misak and Engineer Ahmed Othman from the Environment Society presented a lecture on "Reducing Flood Risks in the State of Kuwait." The lecture included an environmental, topographical, and hydrological overview, highlighting the areas most vulnerable to floods in Kuwait and the components of sustainable plans to mitigate these risks. It also showcased models of flood risk mitigation systems and featured a virtual field tour of Wadi Al-Ahmadi and Sabah Al-Ahmad Residential City during the November 2018 floods. The lecture addressed both urban and desert areas threatened by floods, classifying wadis (drainage basins) in Kuwait based on their risk level, identifying the most affected areas, and outlining the design and requirements for successful flood risk mitigation plans. The lecture emphasized the need for the design and operation of an early warning and monitoring system in Kuwait and discussed the implications of unsustainable flood management. Dr. Ahmed Al-Qasabi presented a lecture on behalf of the Kuwait Geographical Society, focusing on field observations of the November 2018 floods. The Society's presentation stressed the importance of incorporating geological studies into its work. Geomorphology plays a crucial role in decision-making when planning and constructing modern residential cities to mitigate the problems of soil erosion and flooding caused by flash floods that traverse their natural paths. This involves anticipating the problem and implementing precautionary measures and planning before a natural disaster occurs. The presentation highlighted the risks facing proposed residential cities such as South Sabah Al-Ahmad City and Al-Mutlaa Residential City, and suggested solutions that could be adopted, such as building water collection basins and avoiding dams, which have negative impacts on both people and the environment.
\nShe added that the Director of the Disaster and Emergency Management Department, Yousef Al-Miraj, at the Kuwait Red Crescent Society, spoke about its role in confronting the risks of the floods that hit Kuwait in 2018 and the mechanism of coordination and cooperation with the Civil Defense Committee, addressing a presentation of the efforts of the Red Crescent emergency team during it and reviewing what was done afterward by raising the level of preparedness to deal with crises and disasters related to the weather, enhancing and developing the team\u2019s capabilities and training them, as well as coordinating a workshop with the Meteorological Department, maintaining rescue equipment and devices and providing relief materials.<\/p>\n
At the Gulf level, Dalal Al-Ateeqi, Head of the Risk Mitigation Department at the GCC Emergency Management Center, presented an overview of the center, its regional objectives, and its tasks. She highlighted the regional risk register for the GCC countries as one of its most important achievements. She also discussed the center's role in identifying these risks according to a specific scientific methodology and the importance of updating the register every two years to select the risks requiring action and develop comprehensive preparedness, response, and recovery plans. This ensures that the Gulf countries are well-prepared to meet the challenges posed by such risks.<\/p>\n
Dr. Wajdan Al-Aqab pointed out the importance of the participation of Dr. Emad El-Din Adly from Cairo, who holds the position of General Coordinator of the Arab Network for Environment and Development \u201cRaed\u201d, to present an overview of it, its goals and roles in the Arab region, and the extent of its cooperation and strategic integration with the Global Network of Civil Society Organizations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR), as well as addressing its strategy in terms of thought leadership, mobilization, and motivation, discussing its projects in cooperation with the Arab Raed Network. She expressed thanks to the Kuwaiti Society for Environmental Protection, which paved the way for public benefit associations in the State of Kuwait to join such an international organization that provides the information base for these associations to help them support their countries during disasters according to a global methodology that does not deviate from the Sendai Framework in its application and awareness.<\/p>\n
The forum concluded its lectures with a presentation by Yemen, represented by the "Creativity Foundation for Environment and Sustainable Development." Dr. Yasser Ba'azab, the foundation's president, addressed the impact of the floods on Yemen, highlighting the high number of victims, the diverse and widespread damage, the loss of homes, the impact on infrastructure, the displacement of families, and the resulting human and material losses. He also discussed the multifaceted environmental, health, social, and community impacts. He then presented a contrasting view on the importance of preparedness, noting that in Kuwait, preparedness is at its peak. This underscores the importance of preparedness and collaboration among relevant governmental, municipal, and private sector entities.<\/p>\n
Dr. Wajdan Al-Aqab concluded by saying that the \u201cAnnual Forum for the International Day for Disaster Reduction\u201d recommended several recommendations that emerged from the lectures, perhaps the most prominent of which is the role of concerned parties to obtain a higher level of cooperation, as well as paying attention to training and meetings to raise the efficiency of national cadres and accelerating the establishment of a national center for crisis management and a national forum for concerned civil society organizations to coordinate efforts among them, in addition to strengthening the role of environmental media and developing a clear definition of disaster risks, as well as calling for the establishment of an early warning system for floods, noting that she addressed the role of civil society organizations and institutions in crisis management.<\/p>\n
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