EALA roots for disaster experts in the region

The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) says policymakers should fully involve scientific experts and technocrats in disaster management in a bid to reduce and build resilience against catastrophes.

Mr Abdirahin Haithar Abdi, speaker at a UN disaster conference in Geneva early this week lamented that although the drought in the Horn of Africa has been predicted long time ago, nothing has been done to stem its effects. He urged scientists and legislators to build new working relationships in order to make meaningful advances in disaster risk reduction and disaster management.

Zephania Ubwani, the Citizen Bureau Chief, writes: "Parliaments, [Mr Abdi] noted, must carry out their functions of legislation, oversight, budgeting and representation with more diligence but must be true ambassadors who are accountable on disaster matters."

An MP from Bangladesh Mr. Saber Chowdhury, "called for a change of mindset by identifying modalities that build resilience and capacities to handle disasters as opposed to relief and reconstruction which, he said, were reactionary and defeatist.
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The Parliamentarians called for the enactment of legislation on Disaster Management, increase in resources and scale-up of networking and information to shore up DRR in the local, regional and global communities."