With a view to establish socially responsible healthy, safe and resilient communities and for establishment of Volunteer Management System (VMS) for community emergency response teams for execution of community based disaster risk management programme, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) and Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) International.
The MoU was signed by head of community safety wing of Rescue 1122 Roqiya Bano Javed and VSO Program Manager Shehryar Ahsan Khan and endorsed by DG Rescue Punjab Dr Rizwan Naseer and VSO Country Director Ms Neva Khan at Rescue 1122 Headquarters on Friday.
While addressing the participants, DG Rescue Punjab Dr Rizwan Naseer said after establishing an integrated emergency service infrastructure essential for saving lives and providing citizens with the right to timely emergency response and care without any discrimination; now Rescue 1122 is working to changing minds of the people to establish socially responsible, healthy, safe and more resilient community.
The Punjab Emergency Service is the leading organisation for management of accidents; emergencies and disasters in Pakistan, established under the Punjab Emergency Service Act, 2006, whereas VSO International is registered charity in the United Kingdom and working in Pakistan since 1995, which aims to bring people together; especially women, youth and girls to promote a culture of safety and security that reduces vulnerabilities and builds capacities and great resilience to natural and man-made disasters.
The VSO's efforts are focused towards capacity building of communities and partners to develop resilience of marginalized communities prone to and affected by disasters and achieve social cohesion and community resilience to social, economic and climate change shocks through a rights-based and people centred resilience building approach.