Jordan launches national strategy for disaster risk reduction

AMMAN — Prime Minister Omar Razzaz on Tuesday launched the National Strategy for Natural Disaster Risk Reduction for 2019-2022 at the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management (NCSCM).

The launch ceremony was attended by 52 official, civil and international bodies which took part in the strategy’s development. The national strategy aims to tackle issues caused by climate change and natural disasters, which have become a challenge for planning and development, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The strategy, a national priority developed after two years of consultations, is also meant to assess Jordan’s current disaster risk reduction system, identify basic legal and institutional disaster risk reduction arrangements, implement disaster risk reduction programmes and develop early-warning systems, as well as increase awareness and knowledge of disaster risk reduction techniques. 

Razzaz, who is also chairman of the NCSCM’s board of directors, said that the strategy is the culmination of His Majesty King Abdullah’s directives to enhance the concept of coordination, consultation and cooperation between various official and civil bodies to mitigate disasters.

He added that the strategy was prepared by local specialists and international partners, and can be used as a national reference for facing disaster risks. Razzaz called on the NCSCM and other concerned bodies to raise awareness on disaster response mechanisms, and during the strategy’s next phase focus on early warning systems, as well as establishing periodic coordination among organisations concerned with implementing it.

He stressed the importance of learning from previous lessons and identifying any shortcomings, in addition to benefitting from the experiences of successful countries in the field of disaster response, using exercises and developing scenarios to apply them on the ground.

The NCSCM is responsible for overseeing the National Strategy for Natural Disaster Risk Reduction and following up on its implementation by the concerned bodies in accordance with the internationally recognised “Sendai” Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, according to Petra.