Mr. hans Guttman meets the Chairman of NDMA of Pakistan, Lieutenant General Omar Mahmood Hayat

Mr. Hans Guttman, the Executive Director of Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), met with Lt. Gen. Omar Mahmood Hayat, the Chairman of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Pakistan. They discussed the prospects of further co-operation between the two organizations for strengthening the disaster management system in Pakistan at local and national level.

Gen. Omar Mahmood Hayat apprised the delegation that NDMA is gearing up for establishing a model District Disaster Management Authority for the country’s capital – Islamabad. The National Disaster Management Commission (NDMC) headed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan has also directed the NDMA to establish a National Disaster Response Force and a National Emergency Operation Centre. Mr. Hans Guttman assured APDC’s full technical support to NDMA in strengthening the capacity of government officials through training and knowledge exchange.

ADPC and NDMA of Pakistan discussing future initiatives and further co-operation between the two organizations

Mr. Hans Guttman along with Mr. Sisira Kumara, Director of ADPC's Preparedness and
Resilient Recovery Department, were in Pakistan to review ADPC’s several initiatives being implemented in partnership with NDMA and other stakeholders.

In 2018, ADPC launched the Pakistan Resilience Partnership (PRP) as a platform to engage with public, private and humanitarian sectors in Pakistan to strengthen disaster preparedness and response. PRP was established under the Asian Preparedness Partnership (APP), an initiative supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

ADPC has also collaborated with NDMA Pakistan on various capacity building initiatives. Training and learning exchanges with senior Pakistani government officials have been facilitated by ADPC and funded by the World Bank. Through the USAID-OFDA funded Strengthening Hospital Preparedness for Emergency in South Asian Countries (HOPE-SA) program, ADPC works to strengthen the emergency response of select public hospitals in Pakistan and the region.