GO-NGO Coordination
GO-NGO Coordination with the State Disaster Management Authority -DDMC-DDMO
Participation in the G:20 DRR Event in Mumbai
The G20 Council’s Second Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRRWG) meeting took place in Mumbai from May 23 to 25, 2023. The meeting focused on five key areas: global coverage of early warning systems, disaster and climate resilience infrastructure, financing frameworks for disaster risk reduction, and national and global disaster recovery and rehabilitation systems, with an emphasis on ecosystems-based approaches. On the first day, Karon Shaiva, Shilpa Shirwadkar, and Lekha Chacko attended the meeting, while Karon and Lekha participated on the third day. The discussions highlighted the significance of disaster-resilient infrastructure and financing for disaster risk reduction. The participants emphasized the need for an institutional framework that supports infrastructure investments, avoids fragmentation, and promotes execution of projects within the national legal framework of G-20 countries. Experts from international organizations like UNDP, OECD, IMF, ADB, and EBRD actively participated in these discussions.
SDMA Roundtable: Orientation of Incidence Response System, Capacity Building, IDDRR, opportunities for NGOs for Innovation in DRR, WASH Day Celebration
Date: 10/10/2023
No of Participants: 63
Agenda:
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- Orientation of the IRS by State Disaster Management Unit Mantralaya Representative
- Latest developments to enhance GO-NGO coordination by Balaji Vharkat – Program Officer UNICEF Mumbai
- Discussion on Global Handwash Day Celebration Activities
- Conducting Activities on the Occasion of International Day of Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR)
- Open Plenary for addressing the NGO concerns and provide suggestions for the coordination efforts.
The roundtable focused on the Incident Response System (IRS) and its role in improving coordination and response times during disaster mitigation and response. The IRS session emphasized integrating NGOs into the IRS to strengthen district-level coordination between DDMAs and NGOs, enhance access to information, and effectively utilize NGO capacities in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). The SDMA representative and UNICEF Maharashtra explained the establishment of a mechanism to connect all NGOs to the SDMA’s response system. Mr. Atanu Gosh highlighted the importance of specific data for timely responses, such as including contacts for active community members. Mr. Balaji Vharkat from UNICEF discussed the technical applications of IRS for MahaPECOnet members and explained the Konkan Mitigation Non-Structural Program and Capacity Building under the 15th FC at GP and district levels. The roundtable concluded with program activities for WASH presented by UNICEF State Consultant Sandeep Tendolkar and IDDRR initiatives planned for October, organized by the MahaPECOnet secretariat and oriented by Shilpa Shirwadkar.
SDMA Roundtable: Orientation of State Disaster Management Plan and District Disaster Management Plan to encourage GO-NGO coordination
Speakers:
1] Saqueb Osmani – District Disaster Management Officer, Latur
2] Vaishali Mhaske – Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building Consultant Palladium India (PMU)
3] Nalini Yadav – State Consultant UNICEF Maharashtra
No. of participants: 65
Key Highlights: Discussion on the non-structural projects, training and capacity-building to strengthen the ongoing DRR interventions with the support of SDMA to integrate the process of GO-NGO coordination at district level.
Details: A state-level roundtable was organized on 27.10.2023 in collaboration with the SDMA and UNICEF Maharashtra. The objective of the roundtable was to give an orientation to the MahaPECOnet members on SDMP and DDMP by the PMU representative and DDMC/DDMOs to encourage the integration of GO-NGO coordination. Divisional Disaster Management coordinators (DDMCs) from Konkan, Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad and Amravati along with their DDMOs actively participated in the event. Members from across Maharashtra engaged with them in a regional breakout to discuss the non-structural projects, training and capacity-building sessions that are needed to strengthen the network and integration of the GO-NGO coordination. The closing remarks were given by Nalini Yadav UNICEF DRR State Consultant emphasizing the area-specific concerns discussed during the breakout discussions.
State Level Drought Webinar in collaboration with the SDMA, Department of R and R and NGOs of Maharashtra
A state-level webinar was organized on 01.09.2023 by the RISE Infinity Foundation MahaPECOnet Secretariat in collaboration with the State Disaster Management Unit Department of Relief and Rehabilitation with the support of UNICEF Maharashtra. The webinar was organized in two parts- a capacity-building session of the NGO members and actionable steps leading to the DDMC-DDMO-NGO regional breakout discussion sessions.
Key Content
- Highlighted the importance of collaborative efforts between government bodies and NGOs in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) to ensure the well-being of the most vulnerable.
- Role of NGOs: NGOs’ role in addressing the unmet needs of vulnerable populations was highlighted, including providing psycho-social support, mitigating risks related to water, sanitation, and hygiene, continuing children’s education, and implementing special interventions for food security and nutrition.
No of Participants: 256
Key takeaways:
- A uniform approach from CSR, NGO and Government for preparedness and response
- Building the capacity of local leadership and government officials to understand drought in the context of climate change
- Studies on Rainfall deviation, MGNREGA, existing schemes by NGOs
- Advocacy for division-wise hazard assessment
- Prioritize training and capacity building for volunteers
- Initiate employment generation projects during drought conditions
MahaPECOnet Secretariat’s support to PS (DM R & R) and SDMA Maharashtra for IDDRR Day: 2023
Information provided to UNICEF Maharashtra and SDMA for creating a short video on NGOs work in disaster response
The MahaPECOnet team has successfully coordinated with the SDMA, as per their request, for creating a video in observance of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) on 13th October 2023. This initiative was suggested by PS (DM R&R) to showcase the work done by SDMA. The MahaPECOnet Secretariat extensively coordinated with grassroots NGOs working in the field of disaster response and preparedness. A Google form was created, shared and used to collate their responses related to DRR work in an Excel sheet, including clips and pictures of the ongoing work and response support provided to the DDMAs, SDMA and local authorities.
State Level Roundtable on GO- NGO coordination Update and MahaPECOnet 4.0 Annual Intervention to the General Body and Governing Council Members
Date: 20.04.2024 Time: 11:00 AM to 01:20 PM
Attendees: 74
A state-level virtual roundtable was organized by the RISE Infinity Foundation MahaPECOnet Secretariat on 20th April 2024, from 11:00 AM to 01:20 PM. The objective of this roundtable was to share the milestones and key highlights of the year with MahaPECOnet General Body members and to decide the collaborative way forward. The roundtable commenced with a warm welcome by Shilpa, followed by opening remarks from Mr. Anand Ghodke, WASH Officer from UNICEF Maharashtra, and insights from Dr. Thiruppugazh on sustainability and policy. Shilpa Shirwadkar presented the key achievements and milestones of MahaPECOnet, highlighting the relief and response work, capacity-building initiatives, and strengthened ties with government bodies. Experience sharing by Mr. Rajdeep Bansode, DDMO, and various members underscored the collaborative efforts and region-specific challenges. The way forward was outlined by Balaji Vharkat, Program Officer from UNICEF Maharashtra, and the roundtable concluded with closing remarks by Mathew Mattam, emphasizing the need for a clear roadmap for the upcoming years. A vote of thanks was delivered by Mansi Gamre, expressing gratitude to all contributors.
