Four-day World Congress on Disaster Management concluded on Sunday with the unanimous adoption of ‘Visakhapatnam Declaration’ calling for a comprehensive action plan for a disaster-resilient society.
The declaration drafted after deliberations by over 1,000 delegates from 40 countries and 20 States in 25 sessions recommended effective funding mechanism by creating national disaster mitigation fund for resource implementation of local plans and building a platform of knowledge management / good practices / innovations at local level.
It mooted setting up of an independent experts’ group with statutory powers like a State Disaster Management Authority for formulating policies on disaster management.
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Describing the declaration as ‘most comprehensive documentation’ listing out priorities and strategies for disaster management and preventive measures, retired IAS officer and Bihar Disaster Management Authority Vice-Chairman A.K. Sinha told The Hindu that the second WCDM also referred to the experiences gained after Cyclones Phailin and Hudhud which hit Odisha and Andhra Pradesh in a span of one year.
Earlier, Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister N. Chinarajappa said the government would consider the recommendations to adopt better disaster management practices in A.P.
The Visakhapatnam Declaration called for global linkages to undertake cooperative studies among communities and local governance on evidencing climate change understanding and local commitments and promote private sector participation to strengthen humanitarian commitments.
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The declaration asked the authorities concerned to adopt proactive strategies such as comprehensive school safety, which includes children out of school (so that none is left behind) could be piloted as a regional cooperation among nations.
It sought use of modern and innovative technologies in all their forms and manifestations in space, telecom, earth sciences, cyber and geo-spatial mapping as drivers for early warning systems applicable for multi-hazard contexts, disaster surveillance and efficient use for dissemination to vulnerable communities / masses.
It mooted holding WCDM every two years, formation of WCDM secretariat to help negotiate / advise for substantial outcomes and promote and nurture partnerships among the stakeholders.