The government of Iraq’s Joint Coordination and Monitoring representatives pose for a photo alongside ADPC’s staff.

The Government of Iraq’s Joint Coordination and Monitoring Center (JCMC) visited Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) on Thursday. As the nation’s premier disaster response coordination body, JCMC is at the forefront of carrying out one of the largest humanitarian operations in the region through collaboration with other organizations. It is also responsible for coordinating response in the aftermath of a disaster triggered by a natural phenomenon.

The visit was aimed to exchanging knowledge on strengthening Iraq’s institutional and technical capacities to better prepare and respond to disasters such as floods, earthquakes, droughts and disasters alike. Led by Mr. Naseer Abdulsattar A. Aljabbar Alzubaidy, Executive Director JCMC, the delegation showed a keen interest to establish a disaster management capacity building center in Iraq.

Through experiences from 2014 to 2018, according to Mr. Alzubaidy, Iraq is well equipped in managing humanitarian response with now being a good time to focus on future collaborations in the area of disaster mitigation and preparedness. “As a premier coordinating agency, we arrange humanitarian response and other related services. While hosting many refugees from Syria and Yamen, with support from other humanitarian organizations, we also responded to many disasters including 2014 earthquake and the risk of a dam failure in the North East of Iraq,” Mr. Alzubaidy shared, expressing his interest in collaborating with agencies working on similar issues.

Aslam Perwaiz, Deputy Executive Director, ADPC, briefed the delegation on ADPC’s approach to disaster management and how it can assist Iraq in strengthening systems to mitigate natural hazards and prepare for disasters. He emphasized that ADPC is eager to share its capabilities of institutional capacity building in Asia and the Pacific. “While meeting the needs of people affected by conflict, it is important for the country to take stock of existing natural hazards often exacerbated by climate change, to strengthen response capacities of concerned stakeholders in this area,” Mr Aslam concluded.

Mr Aslam Pervaiz, Deputy Executive Director, extending a welcome gift, on behalf of ADPC, to Mr. Naseer Abdulsattar A. Aljabbar Alzubaidy, Executive Director of JCMC.