Disaster Risk Reduction regional dialogue concludes in Colombo

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Panel discussion

During the interactive discussion with the audience

The South Asian Policy Dialogue 2025 on Early Warning and Anticipatory Action for Accelerating Risk Mitigation concluded on a high note on 28 August in Colombo, with a regional and local expert gathering.

Organised annually by the Duryog Nivaran network, the South Asian Policy Dialogue is dedicated to examine crucial matters related to disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate resilience at local and global levels.

Regional researcher and International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Remote Sensing and Disaster Risk Specialist Dr. Niranga Alahacoon elaborated on linking technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) with decision-making in disaster mitigation and early warning efforts. He elaborated on the methods to use data at the decision-making level, with case by case examples.

“Climate change intensifies the disaster risks while urbanisation increases the exposure,” Dr. Alahacoon observed. He highlighted that data collection and monitoring are a major area in decision-making in disaster risk management and early warning.

Dr. Alahacoon said: “Capacity building should not be confined only to Government officials—it must reach the community level. That’s how people are going to evaluate the accuracy of the information given by the institution. This is how the data should be taken into anticipatory actions.”

He emphasised the importance of establishing a data ecosystem and data generation.

Disaster Management Centre (DMC) Director General Major General (Retd.) Sampath Kotuwegoda addressed the gathering, delivering a main speech at the event. Duryog Nivaran (DN) Chairperson Achyut Luitel noted that the present challenge is to ensure that early warning systems are inclusive, people-centred, and actionable.

An interactive panel discussion was held with the participation of All India Disaster Mitigation Institute Director Mihir Bhatt, International Rescue Committee (IRC) Bangladesh Country Director Hasina Rahman, and Asian Disaster Reduction and Response Network (ADRRN) Chair Takeshi Komino. The panel discussion was moderated by Duryog Nivaran Steering Committee Member Karin Fernando.

World Food Programme (WFP) Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific Climate and Weather-related Risks Technical Lead Dr. Jothiganesh Sundaram, UNDRR Gender Adviser Ryce Ruangkhao Chanchai, and Nepal’s Dalit Women Right Forum (DWRF) Program Manager Srijana Parajuli joined online for the discussion, sharing their expertise and experience on lessons learnt and best practices.

The South Asian Policy Dialogue ended with concluding remarks from Embassy of Sweden, Thailand Development Cooperation Section Senior Program Officer – Environment and Climate Change Kriangkrai Thitimakorn.