Juba – Natural disasters are devastating, especially when communities are not prepared for them. South Sudan is vulnerable to flooding, drought, heat waves and disease outbreaks—but fortunately, adequate preparation can significantly reduce or completely mitigate the worst effects of these disasters.

As such, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) last week supported the National Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Working Group within the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management to hold a consultative workshop on the development of a national Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy for South Sudan.

This workshop brought together high-level government officials, relevant UN agencies, and technical experts to discuss the development of a five-year plan. Participants are expected to utilize the current DRR strategy to identify gaps and potential interventions for inclusion into this strategy, which will act as the cornerstone of action for reducing natural hazard-related disaster risk and set strategic direction until 2024.

Dr. Mahmudul Islam, Senior Policy Adviser in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, said of the workshop, “the spirit of the participatory process to develop disaster risk reduction strategies allows communities and national stakeholders to work together. The result is that the work gets done. With this ownership, one can get good outputs in implementation of the strategy."

The gathering served as a platform for government officials to brainstorm about potential interventions and share best practices on disaster reduction activities, and provided the opportunity for officials to identify the key government offices, agencies, and national actors responsible for implementation of the finalized strategy.

Asar Ul-Haq, Manager of IOM’s Shelter and Settlements Unit, explained why dedication to DRR initiatives is important for IOM: “Supporting community resilience is the main objective of our resilient settlement work, and we are eager to see the government expand its capacity to sustain efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response and recovery at all levels, from local to national.”

For more information, kindly contact Nabie Loyce at IOM South Sudan. Tel: +211912380115, Email: nloyce@iom.int