BRI countries agree to step up emergency management cooperation
By China Daily | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2023-11-17 17:04
Senior officials from the emergency management departments of various countries and international organizations have agreed to carry out cooperative programs on training and capacity building in the face of more severe natural disasters and global crises, they said in a joint statement on Thursday.
It was released at the first council meeting of the Belt and Road International Cooperation Framework for Risk Reduction and Emergency Management in Beijing.
It also proposed developing textbooks on risk reduction designed for teenagers, conducting scientific inspections for earthquake risks, implementing fire and rescue personnel exchange programs, holding regular emergency rescue exercises and jointly preventing and controlling forest and grassland fires.
"China put forward 14 practical cooperation measures in four areas, including emergency skill improvement, emergency rescue drills, science popularization activities and exchanges and mutual learning programs," China's emergency management minister, Wang Xiangxi, said. "We call for the active participation of different bodies."
The council meeting announced the framework, a mechanism for sharing experiences and technical communication that includes 31 countries and international organizations, with Wang serving as council chairman.
"Promoting international cooperation and enhancing the disaster and risk management ability of developing countries are crucial for economic development and social progress," the statement said. "Multilateral and regional cooperation has gradually become a booster in effectively improving risk management ability."
Olga Dzhumaeva, head of the East Asia delegation at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, described the framework as an important factor in strengthening disaster risk management capacities.
She said the IFRC looked forward to further deepening collaboration with China and other countries participating in the BRI in terms of early warning and early action, preparedness for large-scale disasters, evidence-based disaster risk reduction and emergency management through applied research initiatives.
