The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDR) 2020 in Ghana
October 13 every year is observed worldwide as the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction 2020, a day set aside to promote a global culture of disaster risk reduction. The day serves as an opportunity to acknowledge the progress being made toward reducing disaster risk and losses to lives, livelihoods and health in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 adopted at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Japan in March 2015.
In 2016, the UN Secretary-General launched “The Sendai Seven Campaign” to promote each of the seven targets over seven years. The 2020 target is Target E: “Substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020” which lays the foundation for the implementation of the Sendai Framework and is closely linked with have Priority for Action 2: “Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk.”
In keeping with the day’s focus on the impact that disasters have on people’s lives and well-being, this year’s celebration is under the theme “Disaster risk governance”. Good disaster risk governance can be measured in the lives saved, reduction in the number of disaster-affected people, and reduced economic losses.
In achieving good disaster risk governance, the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), together with its key partners has implemented disaster risk reduction strategies to manage and reduce existing levels of risk and to avoid the creation of new risk. In addition to the establishment of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DDR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA), another significant progress made is the creation of Regional and District Platforms for DDR and CCR headed by all Regional Ministers and District Chief Executives in their respective Regions and Districts.
The objective of the Regional and District Platforms is to promote effective community participation and ownership in disaster management at the community level. Through these platforms, the capacities of community members are built on policies relating to the prevention, mitigation and response to disasters.
As the world marks the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, it is critical that the Regional Ministers who function as chairmen of the regional platforms, supervise and support the District Platforms to implement the Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation to make their communities more resilient to disasters.
A major progress of decentralizing the concept of disaster risk reduction is the introduction of the new NADMO Act, 2016 (Act 927). The Act has helped to decentralize and strengthen the operations of the Organization in order to manage disasters more efficiently at the local level through the creation of national, regional and district committees on national disaster management. We would like acknowledge the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defense and Interior for playing a critical role in drafting the regulation for the implementation of the Act.
As part of this year’s celebration, NADMO in partnership with the Africa Youth Advisory Board on Disaster Risk Reduction and Green Africa Youth Organization is organizing a quiz competition to equip and test young people’s knowledge on disaster risk reduction and its linkages to sustainable development. The quiz seeks to inculcate disaster risk reduction in children to serve as change agents in their communities.