Miscellaneous
Govt committed to gender responsive DRR policy: DPM
Deputy Prime Minister Bimalendra Nidhi has stated that women leadership, voice and agency should be at the forefront of actions to reduce and respond to disaster risks.Deputy Prime Minister Bimalendra Nidhi has stated that women leadership, voice and agency should be at the forefront of actions to reduce and respond to disaster risks.
“We must harness the potential of women and girls for sustainable development. The Government of Nepal is committed to implementing the normative frameworks for gender responsive disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the days ahead, and taking forward the action points from this workshop,” said Nidhi while inaugurating “South Asia Peer Learning Regional Consultation on Disaster Preparedness for an Effective Response for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment”.
Representatives from all South Asian nations, barring India, are participating in the three-day conference to share their experiences and also discuss possible ways to prepare for future disaster and develop gender responsive response mechanism.
Bishnu Prasad Lamsal, secretary at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, explained how disasters in South Asia have been found to reinforce, perpetuate and exacerbate pre-existing gender inequalities.
“Women and children are 14 times more likely to die or be injured in disasters than men. The increasing effects of climate change exacerbate disaster risks and dis-proportionately affect the most vulnerable. Women’s contributions to disaster risk reduction are often overlooked and women’s leadership in building community resilience disregarded,” he said.
Ingri Dahl-Madsen, the Danish charge d’affaires, emphasised the need to include women at the centre of disaster preparedness and recognise their roles as agents of change in future disaster risk reduction action.
Valerie Julliand, the UN resident coordinator, said the government of Nepal was committed to ensuring disaggregation of data and women’s representation and leaderships at all levels.
The workshop will conclude on 30th November with learnings from South Asia region and a series of country-specific action points for gender-responsive disaster preparedness and response.