10 Aug 2017 | News

Tripartite Consultation on Gilgit Baltistan Disaster Management Plan

A tripartite meeting to appraise the existing Gilgit Baltistan Disaster Risk Managemnt Plan (DRMP) was held in Islamabad, Pakistan on 10 August 2017. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) took part in the process at the invitation of the Gilgit Baltistan Disaster Management Authority (GB-DMA), Pakistan through the Agha Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH).

During the consultation, participants discussed the outline of a future process to determine the roles and responsibilities of partner institutions working on a new disaster management plan for Gilgit Baltistan. Nawab Ali Khan, Chief Executive Officer of AKAH, chaired the meeting. He lauded ICIMOD’s efforts in supporting government and non-government organizations in disaster risk management related activities in Pakistan.

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Arun Shrestha from ICIMOD leading the discussion session

Zaheer Uddin Babar, Deputy Director of GB-DMA, said that the existing plan was developed in 2008 with the help of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Pakistan Meteorological Department. However, the plan is only related to disaster response. In the context of a changing climate, an approach that is more proactive than the one forseen by the 2008 DRMP is necessary.

During the consultation, Arun Bhakta Shrestha of ICIMOD highlighted the findings of the ongoing Indus Basin Initiative activities in the Upper Indus Basin.

The group decided that the visible capacity gaps of GB-DMA are to be included as an integarl part of the new version of DRMP. Moreover, over the course of the day-long consultation, a new DRMP outline was agreed upon and the roles and responsibilities of each partner defined. All three partners agreed that a sharp focus on the DRMP appraisal process and its schedule is necessary.

Group photograph of participants of the tripartite meeting