will ensure that actionable climate risk data informs preparedness actions at the country level. ⢠UNICEF to ensure th
Working Session Preparedness for Response (HFA Priority 5) Monday 16 March 2015, Main Hall
Summary Report In Priority Five; strengthening preparedness for response at all levels, the HFA highlighted the essential role that disaster preparedness can play in saving lives and livelihoods. Recognising achievements made against HFA Priority 5, panelists highlighted innovative, scalable good practice at community, national, regional and international levels. Mozambique demonstrated how institutionalising a national coordination structure replicated to the provincial level has improved response, saving lives and infrastructure in recurring floods. The International Search and Rescue Advisory Group and its efforts to ensure quality standards through a peer to peer certification process provided a good model as to how national capacity can be strengthened through the institution of international standards and practice. The European Region has adopted the HFA at the regional level, fostering regional collaboration for response preparedness. India presented a national system for ensuring funds are available, including from the private sector, for national response. In most disasters, the first responders are from the affected community itself. Japan demonstrated how it was getting the youth ready to lead the response at the community level. In conclusion, the need to ensure all voices are heard, including from women, disabled, indigenous groups was well noted. Risk-informed preparedness is important as well as the participation of communities. Commitments: •
Germany to improve response preparedness by implementing a Plan of Action that will ensure that actionable climate risk data informs preparedness actions at the country level.
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UNICEF to ensure that the business case for preparedness is well known through disseminating results of its return on investment study, which provided concrete data on how spending on preparedness not only saves lives, it also saves time and money.
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Philippines to take forward a hazard-specific manual at the national level and to share this with other interested countries. 1
Speakers List Moderator:
Ms. Kyung-Wha Kang, Assistant Secretary-General, OCHA
Chair:
Ms. Corazon Soliman , Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare, Philippines
Panelists:
Mr. Casmiro Abreu, Deputy Director, National Institute for Disaster Risk Management (INGC), Mozambique Lt. Col. Zineddine Ammoumou, Director Emergency Planning, General Directorate of Civil Protection, Ministry of Interior, Morocco Mr. Shigeru Sugawara, Mayor of Kesennuma, Japan Mr. Claus Haugaard Sørensen, Director-General, European Commission Humanitarian and Civil Protection Department (ECHO)
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