GENEVA, May 14 (NNN-Bernama) — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is leading the Malaysian delegation to the sixth edition of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR), held in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 14 to 16.
The Malaysian Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, Datuk Amran Mohamed Zin said Dr Wan Azizah is scheduled to give a keynote address at two main sessions of the conference at the International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG).
“On Wednesday, the deputy prime minister will attend the GPDRR opening ceremony and the plenary session to be held after that, where she will be the first leader to deliver her national statement.
“Later in the day, the deputy prime minister is scheduled to give a keynote address at the special GPDRR session themed “ Women Leadership in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR),” he told Malaysian media on Dr Wan Azizah’s visit here Monday.
Dr Wan Azizah is also scheduled to participate at the ministerial-level round-table session on Thursday where she will give a speech relating to risk-informed investment and economics of DRR.
Amran said Dr Wan Azizah’s participation at the conference would be very significant, in tandem with the proactive approach and policies by the new Malaysian government on issues relating to risk reduction and disaster management.
GPDRR is a biennial event coordinated by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and is the most important international forum for strategic partnership, coordination, partnership development and review of the implementation of disaster risk management instruments.
With the theme ‘Resilience Dividend: Towards Sustainable and Inclusive Societies’, the main issues to be discussed at this year’s GPDRR include disaster risk reduction that are interconnected with global development agenda, investment in disaster risk reduction, better recovery and redeployment and development status and strategic implementation of DRR.
Amran said Dr Wan Azizah would have a busy schedule upon arriving here this Tuesday, which included receiving a courtesy call from International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) deputy secretary-general Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood.
On the same day, the deputy prime minister will attend iftar and have a dialogue with the Malaysian community in Geneva.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Dr Wan Azizah will hold a meeting with Indonesian Vice-President Mohamed Jusuf Kalla, who is also attending the GPDRR, to discuss matters of mutual interests between Malaysia and Indonesia.
After that, she is scheduled to meet the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi, followed by a briefing session at the UNHCR headquarters here.
Dr Wan Azizah will also hold a meeting with the special representative of the UN secretary-general for disaster risk reduction, Mami Mizutori.
The deputy prime minister is also scheduled to visit the Geneva Islamic Cultural Centre and meet its leaders .
She will return to Malaysia on May 16 after ministerial-level round-table session.
NNN-BERNAMA