THE people of South Asia share many common basins, rivers, waters, geography, ecology and risks to natural disasters.

There is a strong need to develop regional level systems to save people, land and their livelihood from any expected future natural calamity. It is time for the governments to formulate inclusive policies for regional cooperation in this regard.

This common resolve was the point of consensus of all the speakers and participants of a 2-day regional conference 'Disaster Response in South Asia: Exploring commonalities and realising joint frameworks’, held at a local Hotel in Karachi, on January 29-30. The event was organised by Piler.

The conference noted increasing natural and man-made disasters in all South Asian countries in recent years had caused immense hardship to their population in terms of displacement, loss of life, property and infrastructure. Majority of the affected belonged to vulnerable strata of society in all these states and all South Asian countries suffer from poverty, inequitable distribution of resources, poor governance due to strong 'security state’ concept and unchecked military expenditure.

The conference was attended by a large number of water and environment experts, civil society leaders, representatives of humanitarian aid agencies, disaster affected communities, academicians, relief-related government department officials and media persons from Sindh, Punjab, KP and Balochistan beside delegates from South Asian states.

Discussions focused on agenda setting and debating the key issues of climate change, distribution of resources, development paradigm, disaster response mechanisms and institutions, and the non-state influences in South Asia. Sessions were devoted to analysing political and social dimensions of the state and the communities’ response to disasters with a view to explore commonalities and formulate joint frameworks in response to increasing incidences of humanitarian crises in the region.

The objectives of the event were to provide a forum through which South Asian countries could share knowledge and experience about disaster management and climate change risks; address challenges imposed by climate change upon biodiversity and food security in relation to sustainable livelihoods; create a common vision on how to tackle climate challenges at a regional level; and to develop a framework for disaster responses that are relevant to the needs of the region. These objectives were reviewed by all state and non-state stakeholders, who attended the moot.

Researchers and experts pointed out that despite all commonalities of socio-economic and political conditions and similarity of issues, South Asian countries do not have functional, effective mechanisms for information sharing and joint frameworks for solutions of issues arising out of the challenges of climate change, natural and man-made disasters.

Thus, the delegates resolved that there was a need to evolve a strong mechanism for knowledge/information sharing among South Asian countries to benefit from each others’ experiences, knowledge and wisdom and analyse scientific information and bring it down to the common level for application. South Asian experts, scientists, civil society representatives and community activists should meet face-to-face to discuss and deliberate issues; equip themselves to understand social, political and scientific dimensions of climate change and disaster management and learn to integrate these dimensions in analyses of the related issues and build public pressure on South Asian governments for people-friendly visa regime for face-to-face exchange of experiences on related issues.

There is a need to advocate/pressurise Saarc to effectively activate/implement its related mechanisms (such as the Saarc Action Plan on Climate Change and the Saarc Disaster Management Framework), and make its related institutions (Saarc Disaster Management Centre Delhi, Saarc Meteorological Research Centre, Dhaka) effective and dynamic at regional level; build inter-linked disaster research centres in Saarc member countries; develop a Saarc Emergency Response Fund for quick response and ensure mobility of disaster experts and humanitarian workers across borders in Saarc countries. It should also include China in all mechanisms/institutions related particularly to climate change and disaster management for its geographical link and strategic importance to the Saarc countries.

There is also a need to form a regional/global advocacy network to pressurise developed countries to pay climate debt to South Asia, the most affected region from climate change: make the polluters pay; take steps at national level to reduce vulnerability of people to disasters through structural reforms package; advocate for structural reforms that include land reforms/redistribution of land to landless; social security to all; and pro-poor development paradigm.

Ensuring access to affected areas by humanitarian agencies at the national level is essential as well. Currently KP and FATA areas under the ministry of interior require NoC for both local and foreign humanitarian agencies. Easy access to visa should also be ensured; effective and transparent local government system be restored and armed conflicts be included in the category of disasters. Plight of displaced/affected people of the forgotten disasters/armed conflicts in the region should be highlighted and bottom-up or vulnerability-based approach adopted. Patterns in agriculture that works in harmony with nature and ensure food sovereignty and food security should be designed. We need to adopt efficient water resource management, including management of riverine, embankments and irrigation system as well.

Besides these, the region must build capacity of people and local institutions to cope with disasters; take steps to institutionalise quality and accountability mechanisms in humanitarian actions; take pre-emptive steps to reduce the impact of disasters.