Resilient local government Units Kelantan, Malaysia
Based on the 2014 major flood disaster, it became apparent that preparing the local population to better face disaster threats is imperative in mitigating the effects of future floods as well as other disasters.
Local Government Units (LGUs) training enhances coordination planning of the local government as they play a central role in a community. Participants of the training were the main stakeholders and they shared their experiences working with community members as well as dealing with limited resources and facilities during the disaster. The empowerment of local government units is a key priority in order to encourage efficient implementation of this program.
Major roles of local governments in implementing disaster risk reduction in building resilient communities are particularly highlighted in our program. This include, but are not limited to:
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To play a central role in coordinating and sustaining a multi-level, multi-stakeholder platform to promote disaster risk reduction in the region or for a specific hazard;
- To effectively engage local communities and citizens with disaster risk reduction activities and link their concerns with government priorities;
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To strengthen their own institutional capacities and implement practical disaster risk reduction actions by themselves; and
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To devise and implement innovative tools and techniques for disaster risk reduction, which can be replicated elsewhere or scaled up nationwide.
The empowerment of local governments must be a key priority in order to encourage efficient implementation of the program. The objectives of the training are:
- Increase LGU’s knowledge of the DRR concepts and skills on disaster preparedness.
- Improve the LGU’s disaster preparedness and response through the implementation of action plan.
- Enhance LGU’s emergency response preparedness coordination plan with the community, schools, hospitals and the private sector.
The focus on localizing concepts, frameworks and learning experiences was instrumental in disseminating DRR understanding and best practices to the local level.
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