South Africa: Western Cape Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning on Training Session with United Nations

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Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning congratulated the Provincial Disaster Management Centre for hosting a successful four-day training session, held from the 13th to the 16th of September, at the Provincial Disaster Management Centre.

The initiative was jointly organized by the Western Cape Provincial Disaster Management Centre (WC: PDMC), the Provincial Training Institute and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).

“Disaster preparedness is all about training and planning for events that you hope will never happen. This training session, while benefitting us with an international perspective, also focused on the phycological wellbeing of the people at the forefront of disasters and emergencies, and as such was much needed and of great value,” Bredell said.

The training was attended by officials from Western Cape Disaster Management Centre, City of Cape Town and District Disaster Management Centres as well as the National Disaster Management Centre.

Graham Pause, Head of Department for the Western Cape Department of Local Government said: “Not all disasters can be prevented and the need to respond to major incidents and disasters have become more prevalent over the recent years in the province.  It is for this reason that the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre place a big focus on disaster risk reduction and disaster response to ensure that we can mitigate, prevent, or effectively respond to any potential disaster.”

Colin Deiner, Manager of the WC: PDMC said the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) is part of the international emergency response system for sudden-onset emergencies. UNDAC is designed to help the United Nations and governments of disaster-affected countries during the first phase of a sudden-onset emergency. UNDAC also assists in the coordination of incoming international relief at national level and/or at the site of the emergency.

“During the past week Western Cape Provincial Disaster Management staff together with officials from the city and District municipalities across the province received training in the management of sudden-onset emergencies and how to work together as a team in dealing with all the aspects of a disaster. The province faces many disasters annually and this training programme has exposed the team to well-developed disaster management methods and strategies which will be included in our own systems,” Deiner said.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Government.