IDDR 2015 in Nepal

"Knowledge for Life" Workshop

On 2 November 2015, at 08:30, at Union House in Kathmandu earthquake-affected communities from 14 districts of Nepal will mark the International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR 2015). The event is organized by the National Network of Community Disaster Management Committees (NCDMC) and the Government of Nepal with the technical and financial support of the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Deutschland e.V. (ASB) Nepal Country Office (ADH funds) and the SABAL program (USAID funds).

The International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) is a day to celebrate how people and communities are reducing their risk to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of DRR. It is also a day to encourage every citizen and government to take part in building more disaster resilient communities and nations. IDDR started in 1989 with the approval by the United Nations General Assembly as a way to promote a global culture of disaster reduction, including disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness.

This year's observance of the IDDR is dedicated to the power of traditional, indigenous and local knowledge, which is the indispensable information base for many societies seeking to live in harmony with nature and adapt to disruptive weather events, a warming globe and rising seas.

On this International Day, the workshop in Kathmandu will recognize the efforts of communities from all over the country, large and small, who put their wisdom to use in reducing disaster risks and sharing their precious "knowledge for life".

The workshop has the following two major objectives:

• raise awareness of the use of traditional, indigenous and local knowledge and practices in disaster risk reduction (DRR); and
• promote inclusion of indigenous people/ local communities in planning and implementation of national DRR programs.

The workshop objectives are also in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, which recognizes the importance of community-level engagement in disaster risk reduction and underlines how traditional knowledge can complement scientific knowledge in disaster risk management.

The workshop participants will be the local communities from the 14 earthquake affected districts, as well as the representatives of the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Affairs (MoFALD), Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), Ministry of Education (MoE) and Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (MoSTE) and other key national and international DRR stakeholders.

For additional information, please contact:

• Jagannath Pd. Kurmi, National President, NCDMC. E-mail: cdmc.network@gmail.com; Phone: 9815476865; 9747039649
• Nino Gvetadze, Country Director, ASB Nepal. E-mail: nino.gvetadze@asbnepal.org; Phone: 9810120969
• Krishna Karkee, DRR and CCA Manager, SABAL program. E-mail: Krishna.Karkee@care.org; Phone: 9851017926