PM Oli stresses on cooperation among countries to combat with COVID-19

 Kathmandu, Oct. 13

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has stressed on cooperation among the countries and international organisations, and common work modality to combat with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The threats posed by the pandemic has forced us to think and act together,” he said while addressing a webinar organised by Disaster Risk Reduction National Working Forum on the occasion of International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on Tuesday.

He said that the present health crisis has nudged one and all to move to a new world system and collective humanitarian world. It has forced us to realise that the human relation is beyond the society, country and state, he remarked.

According to him, the pandemic has terrorised people with its profound impact on economy, health, equality and modernization. “It has severely affected our journey to the modernity and prosperity, process of social justice, equality and happiness. We have been forced to resize our aspirations,” he said.

He said that the global strategy to combat with the disaster created in 2015 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were closely related. To meet those goals, Nepal had formulated a national policy for disaster risk reduction and created a national strategy 2030.

While we are working to mainstream the policy and strategies formulated by the governments of all levels and forged effective working collaborations with other government institutions as well as non-government organisations, we expect cooperation and initiation from the international organisations, he said.

PM Oli said that Nepal wanted to collaborate with the United Nations and other agencies and organisations working in the disaster risk reduction. “Although earthquake, fire, hurricane, volcano and storm manifest in different forms and size, they are common problems across the world,” he said.

He said that despite much progress in science and technology in terms of forecasting disasters, countries should work extensively on risk reduction. “We have to preserve our ecosystem. The water recharge system has been greatly affected due to global warming. The Himalaya and sea that are the major sources of clean environment are at the risk. Himalayan nations and small island nations are at greater risk,” he said.

PM Oli suggested to find the root cause of the disasters rather than just offering reliefs to the affected people. Remembering the devastating earthquake that hit Nepal in 2015, he said that Nepal had successfully implemented the post-quake reconstruction work. “Now, the government’s priority is to create all structure henceforth quake resistant,” he said.

He also suggested to include the topics like environment, nature and disasters in the school curriculum.

Speaking at the same programme, Minister for Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa said that the disaster-affected people’s rehabilitation would be initiated soon.

“Settlements in 49 districts were pushed to risk and thousands of houses were damaged. The government wants to construct all the damaged houses before the coming winter,” he said.

According to him, the local governments must be well equipped with better, policies, instruments and resources in order to manage the disaster risk.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 14 October 2020.