Observer Research Foundation under its Neighbourhood Studies Initiative is curating a series of brief interactive sessions on BIMSTEC Summit 2022, keeping in mind, the 5th BIMSTEC Summit, that is scheduled to be held at the end of March this year. In each of these sessions we will be engaging in a focused discussion with a domain expert on some key issues, which are important for the institution as it tries to regain its vigour in the Bay of Bengal region.
The topic of discussion for the first episode of this series is “Counting on the Community: Bangladesh’s Cyclone Preparedness Program”. The significance of this issue lies in the fact that local communities are the worst sufferers and also the first responders to any disaster. The CPP is a unique institutional arrangement, jointly run by the Government of Bangladesh and the Red Crescent Society, ensuring community preparedness against cyclones. Recognised as a global best practice, it is worth considering, especially as BIMSTEC urges its member states to learn from one another to enhance disaster risk reduction. As BIMSTEC undertakes more and more disaster management initiatives, a discussion on CPP is therefore both timely and logical, to understand this unique program and its regional ramifications which can benefit the other disaster-prone littorals of this maritime space.
