UAE releases new guidelines to share crisis response strategies

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has urged greater international cooperation to minimize the risk of future disasters and emergencies, and today launched a study to share its lessons learned and response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the inaugural Crisis and Emergency Management Summit in the capital, Dr. Anwar Gargash, UAE Presidential Diplomatic Adviser, said the interconnected nature of today’s world makes all communities vulnerable to disasters and emergencies, anywhere in the world.

“The world today is more interconnected than ever before, and no one can live in isolation anymore. Our experience shows that no one is safe, even from threats from distant lands. To make matters worse, today’s catastrophe There are both natural and man-made. That is why it is imperative to coordinate responses and prepare for any future threats,” said Dr Gargash in his keynote address to the summit.

Dr Gargash said that the UAE’s coordinated response to COVID-19, guided by the support and assurances of the leadership, has enabled the country to strike a balance between economic, social and political needs.

“This is a daunting and unprecedented challenge, but the pioneering role played by our leadership has reassured the community. We were able to respond effectively and the UAE recovered quickly and well enough to organize an event like Dubai 2020. A global event like the World Expo. This experience shows that in order to respond to a crisis, potential risks need to be foreseen and predicted and maintained,” he added.

The summit is organized by the UAE National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA). During the official opening, NCEMA launched “Paths to Success: The UAE as a Model Responding to COVID-19”, a guide that tracks its response to the pandemic to encourage further cooperation in the field of disaster and emergency control.

During the two-day meeting, which ran until Wednesday (May 10), experts highlighted the cross-border nature of the emergency and the looming threat of the climate crisis.

“Global warming, fueled by runaway carbon emissions, is causing more frequent and extreme disasters. Floods and heavy rains, along with droughts and heat waves, are wreaking havoc on communities across the globe. We are [therefore] We are experiencing a worrying climate-catastrophe relationship,” warned Loretta Hieber Girardet, Head of Risk Knowledge, Monitoring and Capacity Development at the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (Switzerland).

“Water scarcity already affects 40% of the world’s population. For every 1°C increase in temperature, 500 million people face 20% loss of renewable water resources. Global food insecurity is already at dangerous heights. Changes will increase cereal prices by 29%. According to the World Bank, climate change has the potential to push an additional 130 million people into poverty over the next 10 years. The need for greater cooperation has never been greater,” she added.

Girardet emphasized that investing in disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation measures can save lives and reduce humanitarian needs.

In an increasingly connected world, many global threats are also digital in nature. In turn, digital emergencies affect the wider global population, said Dr Mohammad Kuwait, chairman of the UAE Cyber ​​Security Council. In his address to delegates, he urged the creation of a culture of cybersecurity and hygiene, just as hygiene has become second nature due to awareness-raising during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to discussions on cybersecurity and natural disasters, the two-day event featured discussions on how to handle hazardous materials and how artificial intelligence can be used to enhance preparedness and response to nuclear and radiation emergencies.