Gandhinagar: A Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group meeting was held in Gandhinagar, it saw deliberations on better management of natural calamities. This meeting will be held in Gandhinagar from March 30 to April 1 with about 100 participating delegates. The three-day meeting was inaugurated by Dr. PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The first meeting of the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRRWG) began on 30th March, Thursday, in Gujarat’s capital Gandhinagar. The meeting was Inaugurated by the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dr. P.K. Mishra, and the India Government’s Minister of State for Communications, Dev Singh Chauhan. The three-day program G20 saw participation from member states, invitees, nine international organizations, and 100 delegates.
This meeting will take place from 30 March to 1 April. During the meeting, participating member states were encouraged to take measures to prevent natural calamities, and save life and property, and better management was discussed. The potential of the Global South and the need to work on construction was also reiterated.
This meeting is about disasters to bring the global community together to tackle the devastating impact and it is an important step towards preparing the way for the future. The three-day Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group meeting covers five priority areas for all early warning, resilient infrastructure, and disaster risk reduction This also includes reforming the national system for financing.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. P.K. Mishra said that Indian Presidency has accorded high priority to disaster risk reduction. The ‘Commemorative Earthquake Memorial’ was built after the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat, referring to the Smritivan Earthquake Museum' which has been built to pay tribute to the people killed in this disaster. Minister Dev Singh Chauhan said that disasters adversely affect development goals and hinder progress. Given this, disaster risk reduction is essential. During the meeting, Director General of GIDM PK Taneja said that the main objective behind this meeting is to provide a platform for sharing and to encourage all participating countries to share their experiences and lessons learned during disasters.
In the first Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group meeting, Brazil presented gave the opening speech. Meanwhile, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Mami Mizutori, head of the United Nations Office gave an exhortation.
After the meeting, the delegates will be taken to Smritivan Earthquake Memorial in Bhuj along with a museum visit to have a glimpse of the Cultural heritage and cuisine of Gujarat. Significantly, after assuming the G20 presidency, India has taken a crucial step by forging a consensus for a new methodology for disaster risk reduction.
