Malawi to launch National Disaster Recovery Framework

Malawi government will this Sunday launch the National Disaster Recovery Framework in Chikwawa, where it will also commemorate this year’s International Day for Disaster Reduction.

The Framework has been developed following the post Disaster Needs Assessment. About 72, 790 people were affected by the floods in Chikwawa early this year.

The commemoration activities, which will be held under the theme ”Knowledge for Life; Indegenous Knowledge for Disaster Risk Management”, will take place at Bodza Primary School grounds, T/A Makhuwira, Chikwawa district.

According to Jeremiah Mphande, Communications Officer for the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoMA), this year’s International Day for Disaster Reduction, which normally falls on 13 October every year, focuses on raising awareness on how communities can use their traditional and indigenous knowledge and practices in disaster risk management to complement scientific knowledge.

The Department has also organized a panel discussion to discuss various experiences and strategies on the role of indigenous knowledge in disaster risk management. The panel discussion will be held on Saturday, October 17 at St Lawrence Girls Secondary School in the district.

“The Framework translates recovery and reconstruction needs into prioritized recovery interventions across sectors and districts.

“It also defines mechanisms for monitoring and management, institutional roles and responsibilities, and optimises recovery investments across short-term humanitarian needs and medium to long-term reconstruction, taking into account the principles of building-back-better and resilience,” said Mphande.

He described the move as part of the process of establishing comprehensive plans to deal with the aftermaths of disasters once and for all.

Mphande further said the Department will only be playing an advisory role by guiding in the coordination and planning of flood recovery efforts in an integrated and cohesive manner.

“The Department will not have a direct role in implementation, it will provide technical oversight and serve as a convening forum and repository for multi-sector and programmatic recovery planning.

“DoDMA in this case will support sectoral and line-department focal points in defining and prioritizing recovery interventions to ensure that an inclusive bottom-up planning process merges together with a central recovery policy in a holistic and resilient manner,” asserted Mphande, disclosing that the World Bank has already wired funds into Project Implementation Unit (PIU) account which is meant for the Malawi Floods Emergency Recovery Project (MFERP).

The Department of Disaster Management Affairs, which is under the Office of the Vice President, is the central authority tasked by the Government to provide advice on the development of a programmatic and cross-sectoral framework for recovery interventions in the country.

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