The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) officially launched the development of the Disaster Management Plan for K. Guraidhoo today.

The consultative workshops aimed at formulating the island's disaster management strategy will proceed from today until the 13th of this month. These sessions include the participation of the Guraidhoo Island Council and representatives from all key local institutions.

According to the NDMA, the first three days will focus specifically on drafting the Disaster Management Plan. The final two days will be dedicated to training a Community-Based Emergency Response Team (CERT), who will be the primary responders during emergencies.

"The initial three days are dedicated to the formulation of the Disaster Management Plan, which we are undertaking with the active participation of all local institutions and relevant stakeholders. The subsequent two days will focus on training the CERT members to ensure they are equipped to act effectively in the event of a disaster," stated Hassan Ziyaau, NDMA’s Director of Programs, Research, and Advocacy.

This initiative is part of a broader effort to enhance community resilience and disaster preparedness at the island level. It is conducted under the newly revised Community-Based Resilience Building (CBRB) Framework, which updated the previous implementation model for such programs. This project is financially supported by the UNDP’s "REDS in SIDS" program, with contributions from Luxembourg, Denmark, and South Korea.

The Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) framework, which had been in use by the NDMA since 2012, has recently been updated to the Community-Based Resilience Building (CBRB) framework with the assistance of the UNDP.

To date, the NDMA has facilitated the development of disaster management plans in 72 islands, with ongoing efforts to extend this coverage to additional communities across the country.