Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan establish joint Center for Disaster Response and Risk Reduction

On World Humanitarian Day, Aug. 19, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan signed an agreement on the establishment of a Central Asian Center for Disaster Response and Risk Reduction in order to strengthen regional cooperation and coordination in disaster risk reduction and increase population safety in the Central Asian region, the UN Astana office reported.

The Center is established thanks to long-term activities of the ministries and departments responsible for prevention and mitigation of natural and man-made disasters in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, and their international partners - the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN Development Program (UNDP ), the Department of the European Commission for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO), UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and other organizations.