The Maldives on Thursday marked the International Day for Disaster Reduction.
This is the sixth year the day is observed in the country.
International Day for Disaster Reduction, held every 13 October, celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of reining in the risks that they face. The 2016 edition marks the launch of the new "Sendai Seven" campaign, centred on the seven targets of the Sendai Framework.
The 2016 edition will centre on the first of the seven targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction: reducing disaster mortality.
In his message on the occasion of the International Day for Disaster Reduction, Defence Minister Adam Shareef Umar said the government has developed a comprehensive response mechanism to manage disasters and help victims. He further highlighted that the government has spent over MVR24.8 million under the mechanism in helping disaster victims since 2015.
Speaking to PSM News, Deputy Defence Minister and Head of the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) Fathimath Thasneem said the centre had been preparing for all forms of disasters and working on ways to minimise damage.
The days was first marked 1989, after a call by the United Nations General Assembly. The UN General Assembly sees International Day for Disaster Reduction as a way to promote a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction. That includes disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness. It was originally celebrated on the second Wednesday of October but after two decades the UN General Assembly formally designated 13 October as the annual date.