Manama: Lieutenant-General Tariq Hassan Al Hassan, Chief of Public Security, inaugurated the seventh meeting of the Arab Coordination Mechanism for Disaster Risk Reduction, held at the Police Officers Club. The event aims to strengthen joint Arab action to confront disasters and build more resilient and sustainable communities.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the meeting is organised by the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, through its Directorate of Housing, Water Resources and Disaster Risk Reduction. It involves experts and representatives from Arab, regional, and international organisations focused on risk reduction, capacity-building, and community resilience.
The meeting, scheduled from October 14 to 16, will introduce several key initiatives, including the "Arab Comprehensive Early Warning Initiative". This initiative, in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), aims to integrate Arab countries within an early warning system for natural, technological, and environmental hazards. It will also establish an Arab Geospatial Risk Network to support decision-makers with real-time data during disasters, enhancing information coordination among member states.
Other initiatives include the development of an Arab framework for sustainable resilience financing. This framework aims to incorporate "investment in prevention" into financial policies and national budgets to ensure the sustainability of risk reduction programmes. Additionally, the "Resilient Arab Cities" Initiative will encourage municipalities to adopt sustainability and community preparedness standards for safe urban development.
These initiatives align with the global Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and reflect the Kingdom of Bahrain's commitment to strengthening disaster risk reduction systems at both the Arab and regional levels.