Children-oriented disaster risk mitigation strategy to be built

Ninh Thuan (VNA) – A strategy and programme on children-oriented disaster risk mitigation for 2017-2021 with a vision until 2030 will be built, as heard a national conference held in the central province of Ninh Thuan on December 15.

The strategy will develop mechanisms to better coordinate units concerned in mitigating impacts on children and enhance the capacity of children, families and community.

More than 160 officials and experts from Vietnam, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and international partners attended the event, the first of its kind co-organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the UNICEF Vietnam.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Van Thang said disasters have left 171 dead and 30 missing since early 2016, causing a loss of more than 37 trillion VND (1.6 billion USD).

In the central region alone, 27 were killed, including 10 children from November 28 – December 12.

The UNICEF pledged to work closely with Vietnam and domestic partners to outline effective plans for disaster adaptation, prevent child schooling disruption and protect children in case of crises and pressures.

Participants suggested orientations to children-oriented disaster mitigation activities within the framework of the Law on Disaster Risk Management and the government’s global and regional commitments on emergency relief and disaster management.

They summed up lessons drawn from emergency relief programmes, shared experience and mapped out orientations to future cooperation in the field.

Since August 2016, the UNICEF and the Vietnamese Government have provided emergency aid for children and women hit by drought and saline intrusion in 10 provinces of the Central Highlands, the coastal south central region and the Mekong Delta sourcing from 2.5 million USD funded by the Japanese government.

Nearly 140,000 Vietnamese people have benefited from the effort./.