Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq has called for increased global partnerships and cooperation to reduce disaster risks and losses.
Farouq stated this during the commemoration of the 2021 International Day for Disaster Reduction in Abuja, the nation’s capital
According to her, the partnership will accelerate efforts to build back better in the most affected areas especially in Nigeria.
“As such, there is need for partnership towards disaster risk reduction analyses, program planning, design and implementation, investments in early warning mechanisms and building sustainable infrastructure to enhance operational service delivery.”
She said there was the need to also support attaining the seven targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, in line with the African Union Regional Strategy and the national agenda and policy direction of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030.
The Minister noted that in Nigeria, the scope, dynamics and complexity of disaster risks is on the increase, considering the recurrence of extreme hydro-meteorological events, land use conflict trends, insurgency and banditry amongst others.
She further stated that these are occurring within the global context of a climate change and economic downturn of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, through its disaster risk reduction operations agency, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is working on reducing vulnerabilities and building the resilience of the country’s most vulnerable, using disaster risk reduction tools and strategies to strengthen governance and social protection systems. Thus so far, we have implemented and adopted the following best practices.
“The development of a decentralized institutional framework at the local, state (sub-national) and federal (national) level.
“The creation of multi-hazard contingency and operational plans and policies, such as the 2019 National Disaster Risk Reduction Policy.
“The application of a humanitarian, peace, development approach with emphasis on disaster risk reduction, reducing vulnerabilities and addressing exposure and mainstreaming climate change adaptation in Disaster Risk Reduction.“
PIAK
