Gangtok, Dec 18 (IPR)
Chief Secretary A.K. Shrivastava inaugurated the second day of the Regional Consultation on Child Centred Emergency Preparedness for Response for North Eastern States being held in the capital. The Workshop is being organized by Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority (SSDMA) in collaboration with UNICEF, NDMA and OXFAM, India.
Disaster Risk Reduction, UNICEF Chief Mr Lars Bernd as guest of honor, Vice Chairman of SSDMA, Prof. V.K. Sharma and Special Secretary of Land Revenue Disaster Management Department, Shri Rinzing Chewang.
Addressing the inaugural session of the day, Chief Guest A.K. Shrivastava said that natural disaster cannot be stopped but there is a need to learn and understand how to manage the disaster as North Eastern states are vulnerable to disaster situations. He lauded the effort of the organizing Department and partner agencies and stated that these types of Regional Consultation workshops help in taking the stakeholders a step ahead in disaster preparedness. “I am sure that this type of dialogue will help us to understand what is needed to bring more focus on need and vulnerabilities of children and women and also to prepare complete comprehensive report for future references. This consultation will aid the government to build capacities of line departments, particularly the social sectors to reduce vulnerability of children and women to disasters,” stated the Chief Secretary. He called for the need to take effective steps to mainstream child-women centered disaster risk approach and plan for ensuring continuity of services during disasters. He also mentioned the challenges posed by forest fires in the State in recent times.
Earlier, Vice Chairman SSDMA, Prof. V.K. Sharma, informed about various steps and processes taken by the State Government for Emergency Preparedness Planning. He emphasized more regular Regional Consultation workshop on Child Centered Emergency Preparedness for Response in other Northeastern States. He recorded his appreciation for the support extended by UNICEF and other agencies.
Chief, Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr Lars Bernd assured that UNICEF is ready for a long term commitment and will support the state government to ensure disaster resilience. He said that disasters impact all the sections of society but other vulnerable sections including children and women are more likely to get impacted during tragedy. Speaking about the importance of such workshops, he said that different plans will be prepared to institutionalize child-women centered disaster risk reduction in the state and nation at large.
In his welcome address, Special Secretary, Land Revenue & Disaster Management Department, Shri RinzingChewang said that the Regional Consultation Workshop will assist every stakeholder to outline their strategy and plans to respond during emergencies (disasters) mostly affecting children and women.
The second day workshop witnessed the participation of UNICEF officials, UNDP officials, and participants from North East states along with host state Sikkim and resources persons.
The second day of the workshop was divided into six sessions in which various officials and resource persons from UNICEF, OXFAM India, and SSDMA shared their knowledge and experiences about disaster management