HFH Cambodia Co-Sponsors 23rd National Disaster Risk Reduction Forum

Habitat for Humanity Cambodia joins NGO partners in sponsoring the 23rd National Disaster Risk Reduction Forum with the theme Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (DRR/CCA) into the National Program for Sub-National Democratic Development. The assembly was organized by the Cambodia Disaster Response Support Group in collaboration with the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM). H.E. Dr. Nhem Vanda, Senior Minister and First Vice President for NCDM joined the forum along with more than one hundred disaster management implementers from both national and sub-national levels of the government, local and international NGOs.

The main purposes of the 23rd National Disaster Risk Reduction forum were to improve the coordination and collaboration among DRR/CCA stakeholders, share experiences on mainstreaming of DRR/CCA into national programs for sub-national democratic development, to exchange learning on accountability practices for community development/DRR/emergency response and to identify good practice and challenges on mainstreaming of DRR/CCA into the National Program for Sub-National Democratic Development. Moreover, the forum provided an avenue for exchange of lessons learned between national and sub-national implementers. implementers.

The 23rd DRR Forum, which was held in Siem Reap Province, was supported by Habitat for Humanity Cambodia, Caritas Cambodia, Care, Plan International, Save the Children and World Vision Cambodia – all active members of the DR Support Group. The next DRR Forum will be held in May 2013 and will include a field visit to further the capacity building exercises.