The National Planning Commission (NPC) on Monday 23 November organised a one day validation workshop on Disaster Reduction and Climate Change adoption programme.
Speaking at the programme the Chairperson of the National Planning Commission Mr. Alieu Ngum stated that the plenary evidence shows that among their greatest challenge towards meeting national MDGs and poverty reduction objectives are the negative consequences of the global financial crisis, disaster and climate change.

He added that UNDP report in 2008 shows that 426 natural disasters occurred in 108 countries, affecting 143 million people and causing $34.6 billion in economic losses.
He further said that the Gambia also realised serious disasters of recent due to climate change in the form of floods, winds and erosion of natural cover. He added that a recent survey indicates that over 15,000 people were flood victims of such during the current ending rainy seasons.
He added that for this reasons, of the prevailing conditions, the government developed a national policy and Act aimed at tackling disaster risks and mitigation management which he said will be leading to the establishment of the national disaster management agency.
He also said that this is further taken into consideration as key cross cutting issues in the current reviewed and revised PRSPII.
He finally stated that the main goal of the DRR and CCA programme is to fight against poverty and support national efforts for the attainment and sustained well-being by operationlising the institutional framework and strengthen coordination mechanisms.
The Permanent Secretary, office of the Vice President Fatou Jassey Kuyateh in her opening statement noted that despite the widespread international acknowledgement of maturely re-enforcement nature of disaster risk reduction and climate change adoption, “It is also surprising to note that many efforts to strengthen practical alignment and operation at the agency levels seem to get stuck in conceptual and institutional difference.”
She added that Bangladesh has made tremendous progress in reducing human and material losses from extreme weather events, applying “Classical” disaster management instruments such as cyclone shelters and early warning systems. Madam Jassey also stated that many discussions about the interface between disaster risk reduction and climate change adoption have turned into a debate as to which discipline should be considered as a subset of the other.
She finally stated that disaster risk reduction and climate change adoption should be seen and perceived as two sides of the same coin, and as complementing approaches that can reinforce each other’s effectiveness.