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Monday, 14 October 2013

We have a resilient society coping with disasters: PM - Pakistan

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has stressed on integration of persons with disabilities in the formulation of policies meant for disaster risk reduction. The Prime Minister, in a message in connection with International Day for Disaster Reduction “Living with Disability and Disasters” falling (today) October 13, said with such policies only then “we can have a resilient society to better cope with disasters.”


He said,” theme for the international day reminded us of the importance of persons with disabilities and vulnerable citizens, who were crippled during disaster situations.” The Prime Minister observed that disaster and risk management plans and policies would remain inconclusive till the element of disability was included in disaster risk reduction processes. “Pakistan is committed to ensuring the rights of vulnerable segments of society so that people with disabilities are protected during disasters and emergencies. We believe that such persons can also greatly contribute towards sustainable development and I hope that observance of this day would further illuminate the potential of people with disabilities,” he added.


He said this year’s International Day for Disaster Reduction was aimed at highlighting the abilities, needs and roles of people with disabilities. The Prime Minister said as per WHO report on disability (2011), 10% of Pakistan’s population was living with some form of disability. People with disabilities could play the same important role in the development of a country as common people did, provided an inclusive approach was adopted for mainstreaming them, he added.


Meanwhile, marking the International Day for Disaster Reduction, the United Nations called on countries to ensure the safety of persons with disabilities by including them in their prevention planning. “Early warning systems, public awareness campaigns and other responses often fail to consider the needs of persons with disabilities, putting them at an unnecessarily elevated risk and sending a harmful message of inequality,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message for the Day. “We can change this situation by including persons with disabilities in disaster resilience initiatives and policy planning.”


The General Assembly designated 13 October as the International Day for Disaster Reduction in 2009, replacing an earlier version of the Day. Its objective is to raise awareness of how people are taking action to reduce their risk to disasters.



Source : Pakistan Observer , 13th October 2013

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