To foster Disaster Resilience, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) have formalized their commitment to enhancing resilience in Pakistan through a Letter of Understanding (LOU) signed on 16 April 2024 at the IRC Pakistan office. Chairman NDMA Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik graced the signing ceremony. Ms. Shabnam Baloch, Country Director, IRC-Pakistan and Mr. Raza Iqbal signed the LoU between NDMA and IRC.

This initiative marks a significant collaboration between NDMA Pakistan leading disaster management authority and IRC a global humanitarian organization.

Chairman NDMA informed that NDMA's NEOC shared a comprehensive outlook on potential hazards and emergencies expected in the next 6 months. This crucial information serves as a foundation for these organizations to strategize and outline their response plans effectively, ensuring readiness and swift action in the face of adversity. He called for the incorporation of anticipatory actions for resilient interventions in humanitarian organisations' annual plans.

The scope of this collaboration encompasses joint efforts in strengthening Community-Based Disaster Risk Management/Reduction models, creating a toolkit of best practices and the outlook for anticipatory actions. This includes consultations on innovative programs and stakeholder engagement for strengthening resilience in communities, civil society organizations (CSOs), and other local institutions. The partnership involves extending technical assistance for the development of Multi-Sectoral Resilience Building initiatives, through capacity-building sessions for stakeholders and technical support for the robust functioning of the National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC).

In the realm of policy advocacy, NDMA and IRC will collaborate on providing technical support to academic working groups focusing on Disaster Management, Preparedness, and Resilience building upon evidence-based research analyzing existing policy frameworks and alignment with ongoing multi-sectoral climate adaptive efforts. Both entities will also jointly host engagements for the dissemination of findings and learnings with relevant stakeholders nationally and provincially.

Ms. Shabnam Baloch, Country Director, IRC-Pakistan conveyed their resolute to the newly formed partnership. They stressed the critical significance of collaborative initiatives, tackling the multifaceted challenges presented by climate change and natural disasters specifically within the context of Pakistan.

Chairman NDMA and Country Director IRC, Pakistan expressed their resolve to advance the resilience agenda through tri-party partnerships involving relevant state institutions, civil society, and community voices in decision-making processes.

Through this partnership, NDMA and IRC are committed to sharing learning resources, technical expertise, and efforts to address the impacts of climate change and disasters. Their collaborative endeavours aim to foster a more resilient society in Pakistan, ensuring better preparedness and response mechanisms for future challenges.