The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) yesterday reconstituted its National Disaster Risk Reduction Coordination Platform (NDRRCP), which has been non-functional for almost two years.
According to a Ministry of the Presidency press release, the NDRRCP, is tasked with the reduction of the impacts of natural and man-made emergencies and disasters in Guyana through increased cooperation and collaboration among disaster risk management actors.
However, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, who is the Director-General (Ag) of the CDC, explained that the reconstitution was needed since the previous functioning body was limited in its form and mode of operation as it functioned mainly as an information sharing and reporting mechanism; had minimum results; lacked the capacity to influence ministries and agencies; and had little to no evidence of developed and implemented national plans, strategies and policies to reduce and manage risk across the different sectors through the platform intervention or leadership.
Craig, the release noted, said yesterday that the NDRRCP last met on July 12th, 2017. Prior to that, it had been operational since being reactivated on May 6th, 2016 by Minister of State Joseph Harmon, under whose purview the Commission falls.
The release noted that the reconstituted NDRRCP now has a comprehensive three-tiered design, which includes the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), which will spearhead the Plan of Action and recommendations and design and implement multi-sectoral projects and programmes and the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC), which is chaired by the Minister of State and will facilitate policy and legislative underpinnings for the realisation of the Plan of Actions and Recommendations of the TAC. The third component, which is the Secretariat, will be responsible for the alignment and communication between TAC and PLC, monitor, evaluate and follow up work of the NDRRCP, and facilitate multi-sectoral tracking and reports.
The release added that it is envisioned that the reconstituted NDRRCP would help to strengthen the national integrated Disaster Risk Reduction/Disaster Risk Management (DRR/DRM) mechanism, ensure designated responsibilities, cross-sector collaboration and improved relevancy and functionality and effectively design, plan, implement and monitor interventions, among other outcomes.
The NDRRCP comprises representatives from several public bodies, including the Guyana Defence Force, the Guyana Red Cross Society, the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Social Protection, the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, the Central Housing and Planning Authority, the Hydrometeorological Office and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority.
