We live in an age of profound challenges in terms of increasing complexity of major crises and their impact on affected people throughout the globe, as well as climate related disaster, which are increasing both in terms of numbers and intensity.
As we in Nepal face the challenges of responding to the monsoon related disasters, yesterday also observed World Humanitarian Day. This is a day to recognize humanitarian action and the humanitarians who work to support the individuals, families, and communities affected by a diverse range of conflicts, war and disasters worldwide.
We must recognize the progress here in Nepal with regard to disaster management – and also how much more we must do to address the risk that is growing every year.
Over this monsoon season the Government of Nepal has been active in, among other issues, evacuation, providing assistance, search and rescue, and management of dam excavation preventing additional flooding. Lives have been saved but we can always aim to improve and do more for those affected.
Right now we are focusing on the needs of those suffering from the landslides and flooding of the past few weeks and the work the Government is doing to further develop search and rescue capacity. But Nepal must also ensure we prevent future suffering by scaling up work on comprehensive early warning systems and building code implementation, both of which will save thousands of lives in Nepal in the years to come.
In Nepal, as elsewhere, it is always the case that the first responders are members of the community. As we build our national disaster management framework we must ensure that preparedness and awareness is connected from these community first responders to the top of Government. The Government is working on its preparedness; capacity is being built, however, the scale of vulnerability requires that Nepal continue to commit to increase capacity year on year. For Nepal to mitigate, prepare for and respond to disaster, it is imperative that disaster risk management become a cross-government priority that is central to all aspects of development.This risk management ethos must be embedded within every public and private sector investment if Nepal is to achieve its development goals.
We must also focus on the root causes for people being vulnerable and the coping strategies they have. So when the unexpected happens, it doesn’t cancel out development gains. Those most vulnerable are often those hardest hit by unforeseen events. We need to increase resilience and ensure that the humanitarian responses do not reinforce already existing inequities.
There are both positive and negative lessons that we can take from other Asian countries that have already adopted such approaches in the wake of experiencing major disasters. Experience shows that disaster management will only be effective if it is comprehensive, inclusive and with a recognition of the need for investment in both response and risk reduction.
World Humanitarian Day is a reminder to all of us on the need to work together in strengthening the ability to cope and resilience of communities. Floods and landslides will continue to occur in Nepal, but there is much more we can do before, during and after such events to ensure these natural hazards do not become natural disasters.
Globally, new questions are now being raised about the relevance and achievements of humanitarian action and how this may have to change for the century ahead. It is expected that by 2025 the humanitarian system will be supporting nearly double the number of people they were helping at the end of the last century. Such support may not be possible for a world in economic crisis and, at the very least, how this support is provided must change.
For countries such as Nepal, achieving resilience will require a stronger bridge between humanitarian assistance, risk reduction and development assistance.
This issue will be a focus of the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016. I look forward to working with the Government as we prepare for the Summit to demonstrate how we show global leadership by scaling up current efforts to mitigate risk and better prepare to respond to disaster.
We also commemorate and thank the humanitarians who have lost their lives in the course of their work. On World Humanitarian Day we are asked to reflect what the world needs.
My personal thought is: The world needs more inclusion.