Govt and UNDP push for our children to learn of disaster risk reduction
BY BEN BILUA
Solomon Islands communities are vulnerable to disasters.
This has prompted government to push for our new generation to be taught on disasters and how to mitigate risks.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is helping government achieve this.
UNDP is working closely with the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development to introduce Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction (IDRR) to the school curriculum.
Speaking during the launching of IDRR in the Western Province earlier this month Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRM) Project Deputy Project Manager Deltina Solomon Mamu said UNDP and the Ministry of Education are currently reviewing the guidelines and IDRR handbook.
She said the collaboration is paramount as Solomon Islands is vulnerable to natural disasters.
“In one of the workshops that I’ve attended, NDMO highlight that Solomon Islands is ranked as the second highest country vulnerable to impacts of disaster or emergencies in the world.
“This is evident in more than 80 percent of our population living in low vulnerable coastal rural areas and are heavily reliant on subsistence economy.
“Should disaster occur our shelter and livelihood will be easily destroyed,” Mamu said.
She said the IDRR handbook will provide broader awareness beginning with children at schools to communities to improve resilience.
“Despite a number of island communities have developed disaster preparedness and response capacity through Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction programs (CBDRR) and certain level of institutional preparedness and strengthening, the recent review of National Disaster Management Plan 2018 (N-DMP18), states there is ‘limited awareness of the NDMP18 and disaster management responsibilities, lack of communication, coordinated strategic planning and cross-agency engagement, particularly at operational and middle-management levels and no common disaster management communication system for disaster management agencies(IMP,2020),” Mamu said.
