SL hosts first ever International Disaster Convention today

Monday, 16 November 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka will host the first International Disaster Convention from 16-18 November at the Galle Face Hotel, Colombo.

This event is significant as it positions Sri Lanka as the next regional conference hub on hot global issues such as ‘Disaster Preparedness’. This will be a pilot event organised by MDF Asia in close collaboration with UNDP and the Disaster Management Centre. The aim is to share understanding and information about disaster and disaster management and to launch Sri Lanka as a hub of excellence and knowledge on Disaster, Climate Change and Sustainability.

In post-tsunami, post-conflict Sri Lanka, life has returned to normal. There is growth and prosperity in this middle-income, upwardly mobile South Asian paradise and a unique once in a lifetime opportunity to redefine Sri Lanka as a clean-green, sustainable knowledge hub where people from nearby countries come to learn from the massive wealth of knowledge and best practices built up during the years of crisis.

Sri Lanka knows about disaster. There is a glut of knowledge about disaster preparedness, planning and mitigation, but most of it sits within the walls of Government buildings and the international donor community.

In times of crisis, it is not in those seats of power and knowledge that people are most directly affected. It is in the beachside hotels, the highland tea estates and the communities that support them, the insurance companies, garment workers, banks, relief services, armed forces, utilities companies and health service providers that the disaster is felt most keenly.

Resilience has massive cost benefits. According to the World Bank, estimated damage to infrastructure and other assets as a result of the 2004 tsunami exceeded $ 1.3 billion, around 7% of the country’s GDP. If we were to face another tsunami tomorrow, the question is, would we be better prepared?

The International Disaster Convention is a forum to engage public and private voices with an intent to create a long-term plan and accessible platform to come together for mutual benefit.

Furthermore, it can create new business and wealth opportunities for individuals, corporations and for the country.

MDF Asia’s vision is to position Sri Lanka as a centre of excellence and knowledge hub on Disaster, Climate Change and Sustainability. They expect it to become an important annual event on the international development calendar.

MDF Asia is an internationally renowned training and consulting firm whose specialty is the work it does for the development sector on aid effectiveness, policy definition, public private partnerships and CSR as well as management skills training. Its head office is in the Netherlands and it has a global branch network. From its Colombo base it operates throughout Asia.