News in English     | 22.02.2019. 20:05 |

Launch of UN's Disaster Risk Reduction Program in BiH takes place in Maglaj

FENA Hazim Aljović

MAGLAJ, February 22 (FENA) - “Don’t spread panic, but act quickly”, is the message from the pupils of the Maglaj Elementary School who today showed how they learned to deal with critical situations, at the event organized at the onset of the United Nations Joint Program "Disaster Risk Reduction for Sustainable Development in BiH ", which will be implemented in a four-year period in ten municipalities.

The disaster management capacities in Maglaj were demonstrated by representatives of municipal civil protection service for their guests, Director of Cooperation at the Swiss Embassy in BiH Barbara Datwyler Scheuer and tUN Resident Coordinator for BiH Sezin Sinanoglu.

Datwyler Scheuer expressed content with the project that protects people, stressing that natural phenomena cannot be prevented, but that construction in high risk zones can be prevented.

"Landslides do not kill people, but inadequate spatial planning does," she said.

Datwyler Scheuer announced that Switzerland shall offer its expertise, given that it is a mountainous country and that it has become accustomed to natural disasters. She said that the whole project is worth 8.4 million KM, of which Switzerland will secure half the amount.

She also expressed hope that the project would help disasters risk reduction reduce and save lives and livelihoods of so many people.  

Sinanoglu said the project is a result of the cooperation between the Swiss Government and the UN and that five UN agencies participate in the activities.

“The program aims to build cooperation with municipalities in order to raise awareness and reduce disaster, and to promote prevention,” Sinanoglu said, adding that Maglaj is the right place to start the project because it was severely affected by the floods of 2014.

She emphasized that Maglaj, in terms of disaster risk reduction, in the meantime, has become the so-called "smart municipality" because they began to work on prevention and preparedness.

She expressed hope that the Maglaj model would be transferred to other municipalities that will be part of this project.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is considered a country with high level of exposure to natural disasters, according to the findings of the Global Risk Report for 2017.

Out of 145 local self-government units, 91 of them are considered to be at significant risk of floods and landslides, and 27 are at high risk.

(FENA) S. R.

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