India chosen co-chair of consultative group of global forum on disaster reduction

India has been unanimously chosen as co-chair of the consultative group for Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery for the 2020 fiscal, the Home Ministry said in a statement issued Tuesday.

The decision was taken during the group's meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday on the margins of the 6th session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GFDRR)-2019, it said.

The consultative group's meeting was co-chaired by the Africa Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of states, the European Union (EU) and the World Bank.

GFDRR is a global partnership that helps developing countries better understand and reduce their vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change.

It is a grant-funding mechanism, managed by the World Bank, which supports disaster risk management projects globally. It is presently working on the ground with over 400 local, national, regional, and international partners and provides knowledge, funding, and technical assistance.

India became a member of the GFDRR's consultative group in 2015 and had expressed its interest to co-chair its meeting in October 2018.

India's candidature was backed by its consistent progress in disaster risk reduction in the country and its initiative to form a coalition on disaster resilient infrastructure, the statement said.

This will give the country an opportunity to work with member countries and organisations of GFDRR with a focused contribution towards advancing the disaster risk reduction agenda during the course of the year.

This is the first time that the country has been given the opportunity of co-chairing the consultative group's meeting, it said.

India would like to pursue a focused agenda and develop synergies with ongoing work streams of GFDRR, the Home Ministry said.

Disaster resilient infrastructure will be a central theme of engagement with GFDRR partners and stakeholders.