Event held to mark International Day for Disaster Reduction
Quang Ninh (VNA) – The National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, in coordination with the Australian Embassy in Vietnam and related partners, held a ceremony in
response to the International Day for Disaster Reduction and ASEAN Day for Disaster
Management at Bai Chay Primary and Secondary School in the northern
province of Quang Ninh’s Ha Long city on October 13.
The event drew the participation of officials
from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), representatives
of natural disaster prevention and control agencies of ASEAN member states, ASEAN dialogue partners, United Nations agencies, international organisations and
more than 300 students and teachers of the school.
The International Day for Disaster Risk
Reduction is observed by the United Nations every year on October 13. It is
dedicated to fostering awareness about disasters and their impact on living beings
as well as to praising individuals and groups working in the field of natural
disaster prevention and control.
The day is also chosen as ASEAN Day for Disaster Management, aiming to attract the attention of the ASEAN community in this regard and call for international cooperation to join hands to build safe communities and areas that are resilient to natural disasters.
In
his remarks at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Agriculture
and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep emphasised that Vietnam has achieved remarkable results
in natural disaster prevention and control work.
He
attributed the achievement to the efforts of the Government, ministries, agencies,
localities and Vietnamese people as well as valuable assistance from international
friends, including the Australian Embassy in Vietnam which has provided much
support to the MARD during its term as chair of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster
Management in the past year.
Hiep held that Vietnam has shown itself as an active and highly reputable member of the bloc, in which ASEAN cooperation on natural disaster management is an important content in the bloc’s socio-cultural community pillar.
The deputy
minister said 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the ASEAN
Committee on Natural Disaster Management. This is an opportunity to
congratulate the success of the 11th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster
Management and "Ha Long Declaration in Early Action in ASEAN Disaster Management”, he added.
Shantanu Chakraborty, Asian Development Bank (ADB) Country Director for Vietnam and Co-Chair of the
Disaster Risk Reduction Partnership, said that disaster prevention and combating
requires the engagement of all countries, not only ASEAN member states but also
every person around the world.
He went on to say that ADB
always stands side by side with the Government and people of Vietnam to join
hands in efforts to manage, reduce risks, and overcome consequences caused by
natural disasters./.