Making Sindh Province catastrophe resilient and the community well-equipped to lessen the consequences of disasters and take prompt action is the major goal of this MoU.
Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children International (SCI), Inger Ashing, is visiting the flood-affected districts of Sindh as part of the response, recovery, reconstruction, and rehabilitation phases of Floods Response 2022. She is meeting with senior officials of the Sindh government to seek insights and foster collaborations for carrying out the advanced phase of Floods Response 2022 and contributing to a disaster-resistant Sindh.
PDMA Sindh, the Department of Environment and Climate Change, and Sindh Peoples Housing for the Flood Affected (SPHF) were visited by the delegation, which included Inger Ashing, chief executive officer of Save the Children International (SCI), Mr. Muhammad Khuram Gondal, country director of Pakistan, and members from the Asia Pacific region.
Save the Children International and The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish collaborative mechanisms to respond to upcoming emergencies and disasters in the province and to coordinate for sustainable climate-resilient planning, programming, and investments as part of their mission to create a province that is resilient to floods.
Making Sindh Province catastrophe resilient and the community well-equipped to lessen the consequences of disasters and take prompt action is the major goal of this MoU.
SCI’s contribution in the floods of 2022 was acknowledged by Director General PDMA Syed Salman Shah, who also complimented CEO SCI for his deep interest in Pakistan’s flood response and efforts to make Pakistan more climatically resilient.
After evaluating the level of destruction brought on by the floods in 2022, CEO SCI Inger Ashing stated that only collaborative efforts can assist handle catastrophes of this size and plan for the future. “I sincerely appreciate the efforts made by the Government of Sindh to launch these multi-sectoral integrated programs to combat the flood adversities in 2022.”
She indicated a strong desire to collaborate with government agencies to effectively make total rebuilding and rehabilitation feasible. She said, “I would like to highlight that Climate Change is the cross-cutting theme of Save The Children International and we are committed to safeguarding the well-being of communities especially children and protecting them from effects of climate change.”
Mr. Muhammad Khuram Gondal, the country director for Save the Children in Pakistan, briefed government officials on efforts made to ensure the physical and mental well-being of communities, particularly children in the flood-affected districts, and he reaffirmed his commitment to working with PDMA Sindh to make the province of Sindh more disaster-resistant.
CEO of SCI Inger Ashing also met with representatives of the Government of Sindh’s Department of Environment and Climate Change.
The amount of destruction during the floods in 2022, according to Agha Wasif Abbas, Secretary Environment and Climate Change, Government of Sindh, contributed to stimulate the public sector’s development paradigm toward sustainable climate-resilient planning, programming, and investments.
The Strategic Policy for Flood Response in Sindh for 2022 has been released by the Department of Environment and Climate Change, which is moving quickly to prepare for and mitigate against disasters. This strategic strategy, according to Akhlaque A. Qureshi, Director General Climate Change & Coastal Development, Government of Sindh, is a “live document” that intends to direct Sindh’s flood response from a medium- to long-term perspective in order to encourage climate-resilient policies and strategies.
Khalid Mehmood Sheikh, CEO of SPHF and Secretary Implementation, Government of Sindh, informed Save the Children during their visit that despite SPHF’s ongoing efforts, there are still many issues that require attention, particularly initiatives for people with disabilities, including children, women’s inclusion, and WASH, for which SPHF is willing to work with Save the Children International.
The officials of the two organizations resolved to collaborate closely for Sindh’s flood-affected districts’ rehabilitation and reconstruction.