India taking part in global disaster risk reduction meet in Mexico

India is participating in a five-day long Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) summit being held in Mexico from Tuesday.

An Indian delegation led by Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju left for the summit on Saturday.

The summit, held at Mexico's Cancun between May 22 and 26, is expected to be attended by over 5,000 delegates comprising heads of state, ministers, CEOs, disaster experts, volunteers, representatives from science and technology sectors and academia.

The GPDRR is a global forum for strategic advice, coordination, partnership development and review of progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030 which was adopted at the 3rd UN World conference on disaster risk reduction held in March 2015 in Sendai, Japan.

The summit will mark the first opportunity since 2015 to review global progress in the implementation of SFDRR, a Home Ministry statement said.

It will also provide a platform for all stakeholders to galvanise their efforts in sustainable development and climate change adaptation, sharing of experiences, discussing innovative solutions, and charting out the course for an integrated approach at the international, regional, national and local levels.

Apart from presenting India's statement on May 24, Rijiju, the UN designated disaster risk reduction champion for Asia region, will co-chair the plenary session on national and local disaster risk reduction strategies to "pave the way for action by all" on May 25.

Rijiju will also participate in leaders forum, besides leading various bilateral meetings, and release the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines on protection of museums.

During various sessions, the Indian delegation will highlight initiatives taken by its government in disaster risk reduction including the outcomes of the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) held at New Delhi in November 2016 and national platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) organised in New Delhi on May 15-16.

Additional Principal Secretary to the PM P.K. Mishra and NDMA member Kamal Kishore will be the speakers for the working sessions "Ensuring Risk-Resilient Critical Infrastructure" and "Sendai Framework Prototype Consultation" on May 24 respectively.

Other members of Indian delegation are Joint Secretary, NDMA, V. Thiruppugazh, Joint Secretary, Home, Sanjeev Jindal and Executive Director of National Institute of Disaster Management Santosh Kumar.

--IANS

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