Risk Reduction Hub: Scaling up resilience and reducing disaster risk in LLDCs by Permanent Mission of Botswana (as Chair of Landlocked Developing Countries)

Statement by Dr. P. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister

19 May 2023
 

At the outset, I would like to thank the Government of Botswana for convening this very important discussion.

Although India itself is not a Land Locked Developing country (LLDC), we have neighbouring countries that are LLDCs. With these countries we have historic social, economic and cultural ties. We share river basins, geo-climatic zones, mountain ranges, and similar socio economic conditions in our bordering areas. These nations are also active trading partners and our people have ties that extend over centuries. In many ways, our wellbeing is mutually interlinked.

Like Small island nations, there are unique challenges faced by LLDCs, including remoteness from major international markets, or high transaction costs related to transportation. Lack of access to major internet backbone connections can further affect the resilience of their digital connectivity with the world.

These unique challenges expose LLDCs disproportionately to the negative impacts of disasters, climate change, desertification and drought.

As a neighboring country to LLDCs, we also recognize our responsibilities. In disaster risk reduction, there are three areas of collaboration with LLDCs that I would like to highlight:

First, in the area of Early Warning Systems we proactively share with our neighbouring LLDCs scientific inputs and severe weather forecast guidance or advisories for their meteorological services to adapt and utilize. Weather systems and hydro-meteorological processes do not respect national boundaries. We have shared river basins with LLDCs where we benefit from data and information that they provide us for flood forecasting.

Second, we have been supporting capacity development efforts including training on severe weather forecasting for Disaster Risk reduction. In post-disaster recovery and reconstruction operations we have exchanged our experiences and good practices.

And finally, recognising the vital need for resilient infrastructure in LLDCs, we have been working with them in supporting efforts to make their infrastructure systems more disaster and climate resilient. The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure that we launched a few years ago, has six LLDCs as members. The CDRI is fostering peer-to-peer exchange between LLDCs on disaster resilient infrastructure. Besides supporting a number of research fellows who have explored topics such as addressing landslides risks in the transportation sector or resilience of the power sector, CDRI is developing specific programmes to support the specific needs LLDCs.

More broadly, we have put emphasis on our trade relations and cooperation on transit issues with LLDCs, and fostered our development partnership through concessional lines of credit, grants, trainings, scholarships, and joint business ventures.

As LLDCs invest in their resilience, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them.