Mongolia observes International Day for Disaster Reduction

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and its branches organized a painting competition, open house, and workshops for students and teachers to raise awareness about disaster reduction on International Day for Disaster Reduction, marked on October 13.

During the workshop, students and teachers learned about the basic safety know-hows during a disaster, the Law on Disaster Protection, government policy on disaster protection, and other regulations. Emergency workers also gave advice on saving electricity, preventing electrical mess ups, and extinguishing a fire.

Emergency agencies in remote areas held fire drills, workshops and different types of hypothetical disaster drills to train residents for a sudden natural disaster occurrence.

The International Day for Disaster Reduction was started in 1989, after a call by the United Nations General Assembly for a day to promote a global culture of riskawareness and disaster reduction. Held every October 13, the day 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 2017 campaign seeks to raise global awareness about effective actions, policies and practices taken to reduce exposure to disaster risk at the community level, thereby contributing to saving homes and livelihoods. This year’s target is focused on prevention, protection and reduction of the number of people affected by disasters.

“We have had great success in reducing the number of lives lost to disasters, thanks to early warning systems, preparedness, and more efficient evacuations. Now we must focus on reducing human suffering and the number of people affected,” stated UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.