CIBITOKE March 15th (ABP) – The provincial platform for risk prevention and disaster management has organized since Wednesday March 13, 2019, in the premises of the Burundi Red Cross (BRC) in Cibitoke province (north-west of Burundi), with funding from the BRC, a three-day workshop to draw up the Provincial Contingency Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).
The objective of those activities bringing together the development stakeholders of Cibitoke province is the updating of the recent provincial contingency plan for DRR, which should expire at the end of 2013.
In her opening remarks, the socio-cultural advisor of the governor of Cibitoke province, Ms. Jeanne d’Arc Icitegetse, said that such planning will make the community better prepared for better prevention and a quick response to disasters, which will minimize their negative impacts. Ms. Icitegetse emphasized that the stage of developing that contingency plan is of paramount importance. Once this document is validated, the members of the DRR provincial platform are called on to multiply it and distribute it to potential partners for a common understanding and effective management of emergencies when they arise.
Mr. Evariste Ndikumana, a member of the DRR national platform and facilitator of the workshop, said members of the DRR provincial platform and other Burundians must live with disasters. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) first requires addressing the exposure and vulnerability of people living in poverty, he said.
As for the representative of the BRC secretary general, Mr. Vénérand Nzigamasabo, he said that the contingency plan must be updated every year, just as the risk mapping must be known. A well-prepared early warning system ensures that the response is well prepared and saves lives on time, without forgetting that it helps mobilize resources before the onset of disasters, he told participants.
The contingency planning and risk and vulnerability analysis of the province closed the first day.
