As communities around the world begin to experience the impacts of climate change and face recurrent disasters, there has been increasing awareness of the importance of disaster risk reduction (DRR) – taking action to reduce vulnerabilities and exposure and developing more resilient communities. Moreover, since climate change and disasters affect every aspect of life, there is growing understanding that building resilience requires participation from all members of society, including individuals, private and public organizations, civil society and government.
Building resilience is an investment in the future, but is severely challenged by inadequate investment. This is a serious concern in Pakistan, which is amongst the top 10 countries considered to be most at risk of climate change. However, a recent consultative workshop in Peshawar offered a first step towards increasing private investment in DRR.
Private investment offers an important opportunity for DRR in Pakistan. There are 43,965 registered private enterprises in Pakistan, including 687 foreign companies, all of which are obliged by law to fulfil their corporate social responsibility (CSR) as stated in Gazette of Pakistan (Extra-ordinary) 983(I) 2009: “…every company shall provide descriptive and monetary disclosures of the CSR activities undertaken during each financial year”. Thus, the possibility of directing CSR initiatives and investment towards DRR may help to build more resilient communities.
Recognizing the importance for investment and broad participation in building community resilience, public and private sector officials came together at a workshop organized by UNDP Pakistan in Peshawar. Inaugurated by Zulfiqar Ali Khan, President of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the event was attended by chamber representatives, officials from disaster management authorities (NDMA and PDMA KP), and representatives from private sector organizations in Peshawar. Working together, attendees developed a list of potential areas of involvement for the private sector. This working document will inform the development of a provincial strategy on private partnerships for DRR in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, adopted globally in 2015, consists of four priorities for action one of which is the increase of investment in DRR for resilience. The Peshawar workshop was a crucial pilot initiative which will help translate the global agenda embodied in the Sendai Framework to the local level. This will hopefully boost the increasing investment to help communities face one of the greatest challenges of our time, and ensure that all members of society are full partners in prioritising disaster risk reduction measures as part of a global climate change adaptation strategy.
UNDP is now working with its private and public partners in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to demonstrate how to achieve this cross-society commitment, and bring private sector investment to the fore in the crucial task of building community resilience, adapting to climate change, and reducing the impacts of disasters.
Additional links:
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction: http://bit.ly/1hj93Jk
UNDP Pakistan support for Disaster Risk Reduction: http://bit.ly/1Fzm2Ms
Contact Information
For more information, contact:
Mr. Naeem Iqbal, National Project Coordinator, DRR in Pakistan Project,naeem.iqbal@undp.org
Mr. Muhi Usamah, DRR Specialist,muhi.usamah@undp.org