Kathmandu, June 7: Chief
executive officer of the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) Tuesday said
that Nepal
needed a national disaster management agency responsible for preparedness,
response and recovery for disaster preparedness planning.
Delivering a keynote speech on
‘Early lessons from post-earthquake recovery in Nepal ’
at the third edition of the World Reconstruction Conference (WRC3) in Brussels , he stressed the
importance of a vibrant civil society and private sector and the need to
consciously involve them in preparedness planning and recovery.
“Moreover, Dr. Pokharel pointed
out that commitment to meeting the needs of the most vulnerable couldn’t be
just rhetorical or remain at the theoretical level in planning, and that it has
to be articulated clearly in project activities and expected results,” the NRA
quoted him in a press statement.
He acknowledged that the
predominant focus on housing has overshadowed broader community needs, for
example livelihoods and employment regeneration – especially for women-headed
households and disadvantaged groups – or encouragement to small and medium
enterprises.
In the keynote presentation, Dr.
Pokharel highlighted the strengths and shortcomings of the response and
recovery in the last two years and on the way forward – what Nepal needs to do for sustainable
and resilient recovery.
“There are many lessons to be
learned from Nepal’s post-earthquake reconstruction, the most important is that
we need to plan as rigorously as possible, but also leave room to be flexible,
open to mind-course corrections, adaptable and responsive to unforeseen
problems, to reach the unreached , to continuously learn from our own
experience and that of other countries’ recovery operations and to be open to
innovative approaches,” he said.
The WRC3 is jointly organised by
the World’ Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, European
Union, United Nations Development Programme and the African, Caribbean and
Pacific Group of States.
It aims to promote resilience
through post-crisis recovery.
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