ISLAMABAD: The Government of Kuwait has agreed to collaborate with Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to develop strategies aimed at lessening the impact of disasters in the South Asian country, according to a statement issued in Islamabad this week.
Pakistan experiences some of the highest disaster risk levels globally and was ranked 24th out of 191 countries by the 2023 Inform Risk Index. Last year, the country experienced the worst floods in its history, resulting in 1,700 deaths, damage to large swathes of agricultural land, displacement of large number of people, and estimated damages of over $30 billion.
“Nassar Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, Kuwait’s Ambassador to Pakistan, called on the Chairman of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Lt General Inam Haider Malik in his office on [Tuesday],” the NDMA said in the statement.
"The ambassador appreciated the envisioned NEOC [National Emergency Operation Center] of Pakistan’s NDMA and agreed to formulate strategies for participative investment in pre-disaster planning and management to reduce loss of human lives and infrastructure.”
During the meeting, the two sides discussed the necessity of continued support to Pakistan in the fields of disaster mitigation, specifically in terms of sharing satellite feeds and software for pre-disaster predictions. The two countries also agreed to exchange academic experts through the platform of the National Institute of Disaster Mitigation (NIDM) for developing a shared intellectual repository.
“The two sides reached consensus on expanding the capacity-building of Pakistan's national disaster response efforts,” the statement added.
After the end of the first Gulf War in 1991, Pakistani army engineers were involved in a program of mine clearance in the Arab country. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Islamabad also sent hundreds of doctors, nurses, and technicians to Kuwait, where a little over 100,000 Pakistanis live.
Kuwait has been a long-time supplier of white oil products to Pakistan on favorable terms of payment and the Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC) has also been investing in Pakistan for many decades.
“Our people are deeply indebted for the support by Pakistan, especially when medical professionals were sent to help combat COVID-19,” Ambassador Al-Mutairi said while ensuring possible cooperation.
