Windhoek: Government officials, including representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), gathered in Otjiwarongo on Thursday to validate a newly compiled National Disaster Risk Management Policy document. The policy was last reviewed in 2009, and the newly revised document seeks to ensure that the country's disaster risk management policies remain relevant to current trends.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Otjozondjupa Regional Disaster Risk Management chairperson Paulus Nekundi, who officially opened the meeting, commended the OPM for organising the two-day consultative meeting with a plan to collect input from grassroots level. "The newly compiled draft should be responsive to emerging disaster trends, as well as align itself with current national and international disaster risk management frameworks," he said.

Nekundi stated that the document now requires confirmation, verification, and approval by various stakeholders attending the meeting in Otjiwarongo, as well as those from regions that usually experience such calamities, before the final product is printed for action planning and implementation. He emphasized that officials attending the meeting should use the opportunity to highlight the realities in their respective environments so that the document becomes an official key national instrument applicable across the country.

Executive Director in the OPM, Shivute Indongo, mentioned that the formulation of the more than 70-page draft document started about two years ago, with several regions consulted during the process. He noted that the most prevalent disasters in the country include droughts, floods, and veld fires. "At this validation workshop, you are expected to ask yourselves questions about whether the document adequately covers all disasters, clearly define the responsibilities of each ministry, is practical and whether your regional realities and views are properly captured in it," said Indongo.

About 200 participants are attending the workshop, including officials from the Ministry of Defence, the United Nations, regional councils, the Namibian Agronomic Board, the environment sector, insurance companies, the National Planning Commission, and the water, energy, and finance sectors. The workshop ends on Friday.