Arab League Emphasizes Importance of Strengthening Member States' Disaster Preparedness
صورة: وكالة الأنباء الكويتية (كونا)
The Arab League stressed the importance of developing disaster data systems to enhance the preparedness of Arab states, during the opening of a regional workshop with participation from the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Translated by Qiyas from كونا — Original source
Cairo -- The Arab League emphasized on Tuesday the importance of developing disaster data systems and related statistics to enhance the capacity of Arab countries to prepare for disasters and mitigate their impacts. Ali Al-Maliki, the Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Affairs of the Arab League, stated at the opening of the regional workshop on disaster-related statistics that providing accurate and reliable data on disasters contributes to directing development plans and investments toward building more resilient communities, strengthening preparedness and early warning, and improving crisis response. He clarified that the workshop aims to enhance cooperation and coordination among national disaster management authorities and national statistical offices in Arab countries, as well as to exchange expertise and best practices in data collection, analysis, and utilization, thereby supporting the achievement of the Arab Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He added that discussions cover disaster data governance, institutional coordination, and assessment of the readiness of national systems, alongside leveraging modern technologies and diverse data sources to understand risks and monitor losses and damages. He pointed out the particular attention given to the challenges facing countries and regions affected by conflict and occupation, and to ways of strengthening the resilience of their statistical systems during crises. He expressed hope that the workshop’s outcomes would help identify national and regional priorities for capacity building and institutional arrangements, and enhance technical cooperation, ensuring the use of data and statistics in practical measures that support proactive action and reduce disaster risks in the Arab region. The Arab League is organizing the three-day workshop in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) to explore ways of developing disaster data systems and utilizing them in evidence-based policy-making and enhancing proactive action. (End) M.M. / N.S. A.
