Natural disasters are hurdles on the road to achieving MDGs

On the shores of Lake Victoria two years ago, Commonwealth leaders agreed a comprehensive action plan on climate change, which reaffirmed the collective vision of member countries.

One of the six areas outlined by Heads of Government for the Commonwealth Secretariat to pursue is in supporting the effective management of natural disasters throughout the 53 countries in the association.

Since this mandate, the Secretariat has organised programmes focused on helping countries reduce risks associated with disasters - including cyclones, floods, landslides and tsunamis.

The latest such programme on ‘Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in Commonwealth Africa’ is taking place this week in Uganda’s capital, Kampala.

At the opening of the conference, Uganda’s State Minister for Disaster Preparedness and Refugees, Musa Ecweru, placed blame for the recent increase in disasters firmly with global warming.

In a heartfelt message, he called natural and man-made disasters “big impediments to our desire to get our people out of poverty”, adding that they are “hurdles on the road to attaining the Millennium Development Goals”.

Mr Ecweru outlined gaps in the management of disasters in Uganda and across the continent, including an absence of robust early warning systems, poor infrastructure, and a lack of co-ordination between academics, policy-makers and legislators when formulating and implementing policies.

He then called on all participants – of which there are over 70 - to share experiences with each other so that when they return to their respective countries, they will be better equipped at dealing with disasters.

Experiences were not confined to African countries. Jeremy Collymore, the Executive Co-ordinator from the Caribbean Disaster Management Agency, discussed some of the strategies that have been adopted throughout the Caribbean and how they might effectively be implemented in Africa. Another participant was Heng Chai Liang, from Singapore’s Civil Defence Force, who outlined effective policies and legislative frameworks for fire and ambulance services.

Speaking at the conference, Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Ransford Smith welcomed the timely discussions, stressing that the Commonwealth has a deep interest in addressing climate change and its consequences in member states.

“We believe that exchanging information, building knowledge and exchanging best practices among our member countries is fundamental to confronting climate change and its consequences,” he said.

Key Links:

• Lake Victoria Climate Change Action Plan
• MDGs