Hanoi to host int’l seminar on disaster mitigation

More than 300 delegates from Vietnamese ministries and agencies, localities, foreign embassies, international organisations, NGOs, civil-society organisations and universities will attend an international seminar on natural disaster mitigation in Hanoi on October 13.

The seminar will be jointly held by the National Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control, the Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Centre , the General Department for Irrigation, the Mission of the UN in Vietnam, the Joint Advocacy Network Initiative (JANI),  and the city’s communication association.
Nguyen Van Gia from JANI, said through the seminar, themed “Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready”, JANI wants to cooperate with Hanoi to raise public awareness of ways to mitigate natural disasters and climate change.
We want to introduce community-based disaster management to Vietnam’s state management agencies and people, he said, adding that the Government and international organisation teach people how to mitigate the impact of natural disasters, contributing to the nation’s sustainable development.
The seminar will help Hanoi prepare to deal with climate change and mobilise assistance for disaster victims, said Tran Thi Thuy Ngoc, Vice Chairwoman of the city’s communication association.
A recent UN report shows that the number of natural calamities around the world has tripled over the past three decades and the number of victims has increased tenfold every ten years.
Vietnam is among the countries most affected by climate change and this is putting cities like Hanoi at high risk, according to the report.