Children’s drawing contest in Dushanbe, dedicated to the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction with the support of UNDRR and the EU

On October 9, the Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense under the Government of Tajikistan, in collaboration with the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (UNDRR ROECA), and with the support of the EU, organized a drawing contest with children, dedicated to the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction with the key message - "Only together... We can save the planet". 

The contest brought together schoolchildren from Dushanbe, interested in drawing and disaster risk reduction in the Alisher Navoi Park of Culture and Recreation. In his opening speech, Mr. Khurshed Valizoda, the Acting Head of the Main Department for Civil Defense of the Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan welcomed the participants and expressed his belief that “Children and young people are one of the most vulnerable groups in emergencies. We need to ensure that they are not left behind and to think about them while addressing natural and man-made hazards. Engaging children and empowering them, today's event enables us to achieve a positive impact in building resilience, as well as raising awareness and knowledge in risk reduction in our society as a whole.”

Mr. Giuseppe Aristei, Programme Manager, EU Delegation to Tajikistan emphasized that “Disaster risk reduction is not just a matter for specialists, experts in the sector. It is a subject that involves and requires the participation of all citizens, starting from the youngest. He noted that “International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction intends to encourage and involve all segments of civil society, including children and young people to make them more aware and also to give them greater tools of knowledge.”

Mr. Dilshod Kodirov, UNDRR National Officer in Tajikistan, said: “It is very important that society in Tajikistan is concerned about disaster risk reduction and climate change and striving to engage in learning together how we can prevent the disasters, involving children and young people.”

The contest gave an opportunity for children to become more aware of their global environment through drawing pictures of their understanding of disaster risk reduction, the impact of climate change and the need for joint efforts in protecting the planet and preventing hazards. At the end of the contest, the winners were selected, and the children were given diplomas and gifts.

The United Nations General Assembly has designated October 13th as the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction to promote Day’s focus on the impact that disasters have on people’s lives and a global culture of disaster risk reduction. This year’s theme is about highlighting best practices and examples of international cooperation, which have a positive impact on the lives of people who live in disaster-prone parts of the world.

This joint event in Dushanbe is carried out within the framework of the “Strengthening disaster resilience and accelerating implementation of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in Central Asia” initiative, implemented by UNDRR, and funded by the European Union.

Background information

The EU-funded project “Strengthening disaster resilience and accelerating implementation of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in Central Asia”, implemented by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), aims to support countries of the region in implementing the Sendai Framework priorities. The project supports strengthening regional coordination, development of regional DRR strategy, national disaster loss accounting systems, and community- level disaster risk reduction. On the local level, the project supports the development of disaster resilience strategies of capital cities. For this project, the EU committed EUR 3,750,000 for the three-year implementation.

For additional information please contact:

Ms. Yerkezhan Amriyeva, Communications Specialist, EU Delegation to Kazakhstan, at: [email protected]       

Mr. Abdurahim Muhidov, UNDRR Regional Programme Coordinator, at: [email protected]