Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Sardar Aseff Ahmed Ali has said that Planning Commission is on the verge of resumption of the five-year plans after a time span of seventeen years to address issues of Disaster Management as a sub-chapter.
The Centre for Disaster Preparedness and Management University of Peshawar organised an international conference on "Integrating Disaster management and Climate Change Adaption in to Policy Making" at Bara Gali Summer Campus. This international conference was inaugurated by Sardar Aseff Ahmad Ali, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, says a statement issued by the Commission here on Wednesday.
During the inaugural session, Sardar Aseff Ahmed Ali said that Planning Commission is on the verge of resumption of the five years plans after a time span of seventeen years. These plans, he said would be addressing Disaster Management, as a sub-chapter for the first time in the history of Pakistan. The conference was attended by participants from seven countries, ie Afghanistan, Austria, Britain, Germany, Nepal, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Delegates from various local, national and international development organisation also actively participated in the conference namely, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP),District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) - Mansehra, Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra), State Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Serra), UNDP, Oxfam GB, Ibn Sina Afghanistan, Norwegian Refugees Council (NRC), SKAT, Rural Development Project (RDP), Concern World-wide, Doaba Foundation, SPARC, Al-Khidmat Foundation and Shirkat Gah's Women Resource Centre.
The academic sector was also an integral part of the conference and a number of universities also contributed to the conference, eg University of Peshawar, University of Sargodha, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), NWFP University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Peshawar, Federal Urdu University, Karachi and Gomal Medical College, D.I. Khan.
Among the participants were also various reputed colleges of NWFP. The conference continued for three days in which twenty four research papers were presented and a simulation exercise was demonstrated by the Search and Rescue Team of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Mansehra.
The director of the CDPM, Professor Dr Amir Nawaz Khan told the audience to fulfil their due role in the disaster management by taking positive interest in the development and establishment of the new born CDPM as it is currently the only of its kind in the region.
The conference's concluding session was presided by Senator Mohammad Azam Swati, Federal Minister for Science and Technology. The chief guest urged the audience to be dedicated and honest not only to their profession but also to their country as well. The federal minister ensured the new Centre of his support in future. It merits a mention that CDPM is the first centre of its kind in all the Public Sector universities in the country.
The Centre aims at the continuation of its academic activities in the shape of it's currently run postgraduate diploma (which is not offered anywhere else in the country), future plans of M.Phil. and Ph.D. programmes and short tailor-made courses and training workshops in the field. CDPM will also impart training to the employees of the Norwegian Refugees Council (NRC) in disaster management via a demand oriented certificate course.
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