A seminar on disaster risk reduction was held at Brac University on Thursday.
The seminar, titled “Culture and Education for Disaster Risk Reduction,” was jointly organized by Postgraduate Programs in Disaster Management (PPDM), the School of Architecture and Design of the university and the Bangladesh government, reads a press release.
The seminar aimed to discuss the scope of higher education and advanced research for disaster risk reduction in Bangladesh.
State Minister for Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md Enamur Rahman attended the seminar as the chief guest, and Mami Mizutori, special representative of the United Nations secretary-general and the head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), was present as the keynote speaker.
Professor Syed Mahfuzul Aziz, pro vice-chancellor and acting vice-chancellor of Brac University, Faiyaz Murshid Kazi, director general (Multilateral Economic Affairs) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, KAM Morshed, executive director (acting) of Brac, Professor Mahboob Rahman, treasurer of Brac University, Dr David Dowland, registrar of Brac University, Sue Vize, officer-in-charge of Unesco, Bangladesh, Gwyn Lewis, resident coordinator of United Nations Bangladesh and Dr Imon Chowdhooree, assistant director, PPDM of Brac University, were the other speakers at the event.
The guests were welcomed by Professor Fuad Hassan Mallick, dean, School of Architecture and Design, Brac University.
Brac University students, deans, members of faculty, high officials from different diplomatic missions, government agencies, the UN, INGO, NGO and academia were present at the event.
The state minister highlighted the success of Bangladesh in disaster management and humanitarian assistance.
The ministry is working in line with the UNDRR's Sendai Framework which focuses on the adoption of measures addressing three dimensions of disaster risks, said State Minister Md Enamur Rahman.
“Let us understand risks better, let us ensure risk-informed decisions, let us bring together all disciplines through inclusivity and do not let disasters put Bangladesh back from its country status graduation to a developing country in 2026,” said Mami Mizutori.
In his speech, Professor Syed Mahfuzul Aziz shared the importance of academic programs and research activities at Brac University in managing disaster risks in the national and global arenas.
“Brac University has developed a specialized academic program to accommodate the current disaster-related issues and their diversity, to match the contemporary concepts of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and mainstreaming disaster mitigation,” he said.
