Afghanistan creates a new national consultative mechanism to reduce disaster impacts

More than 50 organizations, including governmental organizations, United Nations agencies, academic institutions, NGOs and private corporations, are gathering in Kabul today to create the first Afghan National Platform for disaster risk reduction.

Adopted by 168 countries in Kobe in 2005, the Hyogo Framework for Action recommends the creation of National Platforms to coordinate national disaster risk reduction policies and activities to substantially reduce disaster losses around the world. More than 57 countries have now adopted this multi-national stakeholder mechanism to facilitate the integration of disaster risk reduction into national development and planning policies.

The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is regularly affected by droughts, earthquakes, avalanches, floods and landslides, and is among the most disaster-prone countries in South Central Asia. According to the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), over four million people were affected by drought between 1900 and 2009, more than a million by floods and another 600,000 by earthquake impacts.

The platform was created after a series of national consultative workshops and meetings at the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) between April and September 2009 and is intended to serve as a national coordination and collaboration mechanism to promote a more disaster-resilient Afghanistan.

“Decades of war and civil conflict as well as environmental degradation have aggravated Afghanistan’s vulnerability to disasters,” said Margareta Wahlstr?m, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction. “It is impressive and promising that so many organisations from government, civil society and the UN are cooperating to establish a formal mechanism that will reduce disaster risks for the benefit of the Afghan people.”

As a top priority, the new Afghan National Platform will discuss the implementation of a Strategic National Action Plan (SNAP) that will integrate disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in national policies. The SNAP development process will be led by the Afghanistan National Disaster management Authority (ANDMA), in close collaboration with all the key stakeholders. The SNAP will be the “road map” for reducing losses from natural hazards and climate change, including the loss of human lives and property, economic assets as well as natural resources. This road map is expected to be the guide to reducing disaster risks, managing natural resources, developing and using sustainable energy resources, coping with the impacts of environmental emergencies and fostering sustainable development.

“On behalf of ANDMA and the Afghan government, I would like to thank all the disaster risk reduction stakeholders, including NGOs, UN organizations, key line ministries and others, for supporting the smooth implementation of this new platform in our hazard-prone country. I would also like to express my gratitude to the Church World Service for facilitating the whole process” said the General Director of ANDMA, Dr. Adrak Matin, who will be the main focal point for the National Platform. “As one joint initiative, we hope to achieve the ultimate goal - to build together a safer and more resilient Afghanistan.”