Online Khabar
Kathmandu, November 30. The United Nations Development Programme in China, as part of the Sharing and Learning on Community Based Disaster Management in Asia Project (CBDM Asia Phase II), co-hosted a Multi-stakeholder Partnership in CBDRR Workshop in Chengdu, China, on Monday.
Organised in partnership with the Department for International Development of the UK and the National Disaster Eduction Centre of China (NDRCC), the workshop brought together governments, enterprises, academia, civil society organisations from China, Bangladesh, Nepal and the UK to share ideas and good practices of multi-stakeholder engagement in CBDRR and of building effective multi-stakeholder partnership to strengthen disaster management.
Catastrophic events have become more common in recent years causing heavy losses in Asian countries. China is affected by almost all types of natural disaster and its experience has great relevance to other developing countries in Asia, given their shared context:
Geographical diversity, pressure from a rising population and increasing public expectation of government action to mitigate risk and provide post-disaster support. Being part of the UK-China Global Development Partnership Programme, the CBDM Asia Project strives to support resilience building via knowledge sharing and mutual learning between China and other Asian countries threatened by natural disasters, particularly Bangladesh and Nepal.
Through the first phase — over the past 2.5 years — with support from DFID and the government of China, the project has made sound achievements in establishing partnership among partner countries, facilitating experience sharing through demonstration communities and exchange activities, establishing research and communication platforms for sharing and learning among different CBDM cohorts.
Based on experience and lessons from the first phase, CBDM Asia Phase II aims to further strengthen regional south-south cooperation with an applicable CBDRR focus in the evolving global context. The increasing demands for more innovative, adaptive and affordable technologies call for interactive and transformative ways of mutual learning and sharing among countries, with the engagement of both developing and developed countries.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, UNDP China Deputy Country Director Patrick Haverman welcomed the continued mutual learning and exchange mechanism between partner countries.
Deepak Subedi from the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development (Nepal) stressed the strategic importance of south-south cooperation, highlighting the positive impact such multi-stakeholder engagement will bring to local, regional and global disaster risk reduction.
Zakir Hossain Akanda from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (Bangladesh) endorsed mutual learning and stronger partnership to improve disaster risk management among partner countries.
The workshop will continue with a useful exchange of knowledge and expertise and field visits to Wenchuan earthquake reconstruction communities in Sichuan.
