Islamabad: UN experts have underscored the need for increasing cooperation and partnerships on cross-border disasters information-sharing mechanism in the Asia Pacific region, according to news sources.
The experts highlighted the significance of cementing and increasing human and institutional capabilities of countries and organizations of the region, which is most vulnerable to natural disasters.
The
consultation was arranged by the Asian and Pacific Centre for the Consultation
on Disaster Information Management (APDIM) in Islamabad.
The APDIM is a regional institution under the umbrella of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and these consultations are led in cooperation with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). NDMA Chairman Lt-General Mohammad Afzal emphasized on the importance of disaster risk information and its role in efficient planning.
In 2018,
the Asia Pacific region witnessed over half of the 281 natural disasters that
struck worldwide; impacting 142 million people in the region since 1970.
Moreover, the cost of natural disasters is also increasing rapidly with damage
estimated to be USD 1.5 trillion between 1970 and 2018.
