Fiji has taken over from Japan as Chair of the Support Group for the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction based in Geneva.
The previous two chairs of the Support Group were the Permanent Representatives of Germany and of Japan.
The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Support Group was founded in 2002 as a self‑organised group of member States based on a proposal by the Swiss Government.
In accepting the position, Fiji’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Nazhat Shameem Khan said that managing disasters, and reducing the risks associated with disasters, was a national priority for Fiji.
She said that the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction was central to Fiji’s strategic direction, and that Fiji’s development plans integrated the need to respond effectively to disasters which all Fijians know would occur and with a greater intensity.
Khan said that the Support Group provided a good platform for building partnerships nationally between the private and public sectors, and between civil society and Government, to ensure strong and inclusive disaster risk policies.
