ADPC and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (PDMA-KP) in Pakistan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that sets forth a framework for a collaborative alliance between the two parties.

The cooperation would be based on the Road Map for Disaster Risk Management 2014–2019, a comprehensive framework designed by the PDMA-KP to build a disaster resilient province.

The scope of collaboration would cover the strengthening of legal and institutional arrangements in support of disaster risk reduction initiatives in the province, capacity development of District Disaster Management Units (DDMUs), and enhancing the resilience of local communities through participatory community-based disaster risk reduction initiatives.

“We must build disaster risk management capacities at the district level, and link DDMUs with the communities to make them resilient”, states Muhammad Tahir Orakzai, Director General of the PDMA-KP.

ADPC and the PDMA-KP would strive to mainstream disaster risk reduction into development policies, plans and programs in the province as well as to enhance the national information management systems, visibility of disaster preparedness in the media, and awareness of disaster risk reduction among people of the province.

Schools, housing and health infrastructure at risk

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is at risk of a number of natural hazards including landslides, floods, earthquakes, drought, avalanches and glacial lake outbursts. The most vulnerable entities include schools, housing and health infrastructure.

“The severity of the hazards is increased by climate change. To invest in disaster risk management costs much less than disaster response and it is very important for the stability of the province”, says Engineer Shah Nasir Khan, Advisor to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority of the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Head of the newly established strategic unit on disaster risk management and climate change adaption.

He further added that any approach to bring in development to the province and any efforts for stabilization and governance will be unsuccessful without a holistic approach to disaster risk management.



Muhammad Tahir Orakzai, Director General of the Provincial Disaster Management
Authority of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Shane Wright, Executive Director of ADPC
signed a Memorandum of Understanding to set forth a framework for a collaborative
alliance.