Pakistan is highly vulnerable to natural disaster and emergencies. The earthquake of 2005 and floods of 2010 left millions without basic necessities of life..

As climate change and environmental disasters creep up on us across the world, we become increasingly more vulnerable to natural disasters and emergencies. In Pakistan it is the youth estimated at 62% of the population who are worst affected by natural and human induced disasters. 

The Prime Minister secretariat through the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) approached the British Council to support in responding to emergency situations/disasters in Pakistan. NDMA, an independent, autonomous body, has the mandate and is responsible for disaster management and preparedness in the country.

The British Council Pakistan and NDMA signed an MoU on 1 February 2016 to develop and collaborate for Education during emergencies and disasters through mutual collaborative activities.

These activities will include quality review (content and methodology), capacity building, rolling out training programmes, monitoring and awareness raising through existing education network. Programme will target 39 most vulnerable districts identified by NDMA after comprehensive risk assessment exercise that include far remote areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

The joint partnership aims to support NDMA’s vision to achieve sustainable social, economic and environmental development in Pakistan through reducing risks and vulnerabilities, particularly among children and marginalised communities in the country to ensure unhindered educational development in the country.

NDMA and the British Council through the partnership aim to achieve the execution of relevant strategy and intervention(s) laid out by National Disaster Management Plan of Pakistan (NDMP 2012-2022) and its implementation Road Map.

To know more about this or for details on partnership development, contact the SIEM Pakistan team for customised consultancy services.

Contributed by British Council Pakistan Higher Education and Skills Team