10th meeting of the regional consultative committee of Asian Disaster Management Centre (ADPC) took place on March 25-27 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It has been co-organized by the National Emergency Management Agency of Mongolia (NEMA) and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC).
This meeting brought together over 50 representatives of some 20 organizations from 19 countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the Philippines. At the meeting, authorities and representatives of the ADPC consulted issues on adaptation to global climate change and on reducing disaster risks by fortifying local policies of combating against disasters.
Thanks to hosting the meeting, Mongolia has managed to gain top experience on disaster management from other countries and exchanged information on new ideas and programmes. Mongolia also had a big chance to make the best consumption of the investment for reducing disaster risks.
As of present, the host country of the previous meeting Cambodia is chairing the regional consultative committee of ADPC. As organized the 10th meeting, Mongolia will take the ADPC presidency for a year.
Negative effects to the economic development caused by disasters and dangerous phenomena have risen in Mongolia recent years. For instance, natural disasters occur in winter times in Mongolia, and this is called as “dzud”. It is characterized by its high rate of snow fall or very cold weather without falling of snow. It badly impacts to animal husbandry in the countryside.
The disaster of dzud has not been determined yet as a natural disaster at an international level, but participants at the meeting admitted that dzud is one of the kinds of natural disaster.
The government of Mongolia is paying great attention to strengthening the management system against disasters, ensuring the sustainable social development as well as preparedness of disaster protection and reducing the population's sensitiveness.