Minister of Municipality and Environment H E Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi at the third preparatory Arab conference on disaster risk reduction.
Minister of Municipality and Environment H E Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi stressed yesterday the importance of understanding the threats of disasters and factors that could increase their likelihood.
The Minister added that understanding such threats is possible by evaluating the current condition in the Arab world and reviewing the experiences of Arab countries in the field.
He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the third preparatory Arab conference on disaster risk reduction. The event is hosted by the State of Qatar and organised by the Arab League in cooperation with United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) Regional Office for Arab States.
The conference is an important platform for Arab countries to hold a dialogue and reach a unified Arab position they can present during the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, which will take place at Cancun in Mexico.
The Minister noted that holding the conference reflected the commitment of Arab countries to the field of disaster-risk reduction. This year's meeting builds on the previous two which saw Arab countries adopt the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. The previous two meetings also yielded the Aqaba and Sharm el Sheikh declarations on disaster risk reduction.
The Minister highlighted that adopting the Sendai Framework was one of the key outcomes of the previous meetings, as it helped merge international frameworks with regional and national strategies in the Arab World.
He also noted that the adoption of Paris Agreement on climate change, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Sendai Framework, must all be linked when developing a disaster risk-reduction plan. The Minister said that the main pillar for enhancing Arab efforts in that field will be by enhancing governance through the placement of national strategies. The setup of early warning system and swift response to disasters is also an important factor, His Excellency added.
The head of the Arab League delegation Ambassador Shahira Hassan Wahbi reviewed the disasters that the Arab world is subjected to and focused in her speech on the efforts of Arab countries to face that challenge.
She noted that there was a political will to limit the threat of disasters in the region, but maintained that it requires activation by establishing the necessary institutions and national system.
The ambassador highlighted that drought was the biggest disaster facing the Arab world. She noted that drought could have severe implications on food and water security of Arab countries, which requires placing comprehensive strategies to deal with such a danger. She added that Arab countries suffer from weak investment in scientific research, particularly in the field of risk reduction. She stressed on the importance of enhancing scientific research in the field by improving the technologies used and by updating databases to help scientists and decision makers in their efforts of reducing disaster risk.
Another challenge Wahby alluded to was the population and urban growth in the Arab world. She noted that much of that growth was not planned and so carries a risk with it. She said that one of the solutions to this problem would be to establish strong partnerships between the public sector, private sector, and civil society.
Speaking to QNA, Wahby praised the State of Qatar's hosting of the event. She added that the conference was an important step in dealing with disaster risks. She stressed that Qatar took a brave step in hosting the event as it will allow Arab countries to have a unified position in the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Cancun.
This year's conference will discuss the efforts in limiting disaster risks ahead of the international conference in Cancun.
