KAMPALA, UGANDA-Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Abdirahin Abdi has attributed the current drought in the Horn of Africa to lack of closer working relationships between Parliamentarians and scientists.
"It is unfortunate that the drought we are experiencing in the Great Horn of Africa, which is the worst in over six decades, had long been predicted before it occurred, but nothing was done," he said.
"This is a sign of clear disparity between the scientists and legislators and we urgently need to close ranks and begin working together for the betterment of the communities", he said at two day consultative workshop for parliamentarians on disaster risk reduction (DRR) that was held in Geneva, Switzerland recently.
However participants at the meeting hailed Senegal and Uganda for the positive progress on disaster risk and reduction.
According to Mr Alex Byarugaba, Uganda had developed and refined its policy on DRR and was headed towards instituting an Act of Parliament - a first in the EAC region in its quest to meet the Millennium Development Goals.
The objective of the meeting organized by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) was to review progress with regards to UNISDR's initiative on Parliamentarians in disaster risk reduction, exchange views on challenges that Parliamentarians encountered in promoting disaster risk and reduction and identify priorities for the 2012-2013 Action Plan.
It was attended by Parliamentarians from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Uganda, Senegal and the East African Legislative Assembly.
He therefore called for building of new bridges between scientists, technocrats and Parliamentarians if meaningful advances in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and disaster management were to be realized.
He said that EALA is planning to hold a continental conference on disaster risk and reduction aimed at sharing information and map out new strategies.
"It is time EALA called together regional parliaments to discuss these critical issues, share experiences," he said adding that disasters were hindering development and it was time for action.
He argued parliaments to carry out their functions of legislation, oversight, budgetary and representation with more diligence and also be ambassadors who are accountable on matters of disasters.
He revealed that the EAC Transboundary Ecosystems Bill, 2010 was scheduled for presentation for the second reading when the Assembly convenes in Kampala, Uganda for the second meeting of the fifth session in January 2012.
The bill aims at providing a legal framework to streamline management of trans-boundary ecosystems with a view to enhancing quality of environment and ensuring sustainable utilization of shared natural resources.
"EALA shall look into the possibility and way forward towards finalization of the model legislation on disaster risk and reduction for the EAC region," he added.
A statement issued by EALA publicist Bobi Odiko said that the participants recommended that the legislators should re-double their efforts in building global resilience of nations and communities to disasters.
They also called for an increase in resources and scale-up of networking and information to shore up disasters in the local, regional and global communities.
Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Disaster Reduction Margareta Wahlstrom, reiterated the UN's support for DRR as key in sustainable and equitable development.
"We are pursuing this important subject on the multilateral agenda of the UN. Business as usual is not an option adding that it was time for re-definition of development to be sensitive to disasters and climate risks" she said.
She further revealed that the UN was to hold the next World Conference on Disaster Reduction in 2015 and the UN Conference on Sustainable Development where disaster risk was set to take centre stage in the discussions in line with the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA).
The Hyogo Framework is a blueprint adopted by Member States of the UN in 2005 at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction and it aims at building resilience of nations to disasters.
Hon Abdou Sane of the Parliament of Senegal said it was time legislators formed networks consisting of Parliamentarians, media, NGOs, citizens and other stakeholders to champion DRR.
"We in the ECOWAS region are contemplating forming networks in each of the 16 Member States of the bloc (ECOWAS)", Sane stated. Hon Saber Chowdhury of the Parliament of Bangladesh termed mapping of disaster prone areas as essential in the universal bid to contain disasters.
He called for a change of mindset by identifying modalities that build resilience and capacities to handle disasters as opposed to relief and reconstruction, which he said were reactionary and defeatist.
Subscribe to this comment's feed
