Keeping the slogan “Women and Girls- The inVisible Force of Resilience” Chittagong District Administration Office organized a rally and a discussion meeting in commemoration of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on October 13, 2012 at DC hill premises in Chittagong. The aim of this year’s celebration is to acknowledge and appreciate the millions of women and girls who make their communities more resilient to disasters and climate risks and thus get in the benefits of and protect their development investments.
YPSA actively took part in the events. The rally was brought on the day from the DC hill, Chittagong and moved by several important places and then gathered at open stage, DC hill, Chittagong for a discussion meeting.
Mr. Khaled Mamun Chowdhury, ADC (Revenue), Chittagong inaugurated the rally flying colorful balloons. Around 300 people from the community, students and from different trade of life like civil society member, NGO activist, media personnel, teacher and religious leader participated in the events. Both the events ornamented and prompted by different government officials. Mr. Abdul Malek, Deputy Director, Department of Relief and Rehabilitation, Chittagong presided over the meeting while Mr. Khaled Mamun Chowdhury, ADC (Revenue), Chittagong was present as the chief guest.
Different speakers in the meeting opined “Women and girls roles in disaster risk reduction have been recognized in the theme of IDDR-2012, which is encouraging for all of us. Their contribution to our country is priceless. Half of the world populations are women & girls. So without their active participation it’s impossible to create disaster resilient society i.e especially for the country like us. Although women’s social, economic and cultural position in many societies makes them more vulnerable to natural hazards, however, they can be considered as important agents for change and development.
Evidence throughout history has shown that women can play an important role in life management, economy of the family and help in making societies more resilient. An overview of the past and recent worldwide research shows their key and effective role in risk reduction programs. Over half of the 200 million people affected by disasters each year are female. The best disaster recovery programs in the world involve women who have survived such events. If we are to build true disaster resilience we need to put the emphasis on their greater involvement before, after and during disasters strike”.