S. M. Gubair Bin Arafat, Research Associate of BIGD, was invited to participate in the 7th Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR7), held on 2-5 November 2016 at New Delhi, India, through an online interview to share his experiences with respect to Ecosystem-based adaptation and the benefits of this approach in reducing risk of disasters to fragile habitats, at-risk species and vulnerable communities. The interview was screened at the side event titled ‘Scaling-up Ecosystem-Based Disaster Risk Reduction in Development Planning and Practice in Asia” of the conference, which aimed to highlight the role of healthy ecosystems in preventing disasters and buffering their impact, to discuss successful regional examples of Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR), and explore the way ahead for its large-scale adoption in policies and practice in Asia.
The 7th Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR7) is aimed at shaping the implementation and monitoring of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia.
Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, inaugurated the conference organised by Union Government in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). The event was co-organized by Pragya, Whitley Fund for Nature and IUCN-India. About 2,000 foreign delegates, including ministers from 54 Asia Pacific countries participated in the 2016 AMCDRR, which focused on consultation, collaboration and partnership with governments and stakeholders to mainstream Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the region. It adopted the ‘Asian Regional Plan for Implementation of the Sendai Framework’ endorsed by the Asian countries. The interview was shared with the gathering at the Asian Ministerial Conference on DRR, including scientific and academic communities as well as policy makers.