Afghan Red Crescent Identifies 10 Priorities to Strengthen Disaster Preparedness
The Afghan Red Crescent announced that at the conclusion of a four-day ‘Effective Response Preparedness’ meeting, after evaluating 37 technical sections, 10 key priorities were established to enhance the organization’s capacity to respond to natural and human-made disasters. According to officials, these priorities will be incorporated into future operational plans.
The Afghan Red Crescent office, in a press release, stated that during this meeting, the needs and challenges of the central office, zones, and provincial representations were thoroughly reviewed, with participants sharing their views and experiences. The organization added that the summary of assessments provided the basis for defining fundamental strategies to improve emergency response.
Sheikh Shihabuddin Dilawar, General Director of the Afghan Red Crescent, expressed gratitude for the cooperation of various departments and international partners during the closing ceremony. He noted that despite limited time, the exchange of ideas played an important role in advancing operational activities. He urged officials to implement the lessons learned from this meeting in their respective fields.
Meanwhile, the head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for Afghanistan described the meeting as an effective step toward strengthening the Afghan Red Crescent’s operational capacities and emphasized that the priorities for disaster preparedness were clearly defined.
Mawlawi Ruhullah Abdulsalam, Deputy Operations Secretary-General of the Afghan Red Crescent, also stated that the evaluation results highlighted existing shortcomings and opportunities, paving the way for developing practical strategies to increase transparency, accountability, and improve humanitarian service delivery.
Afghanistan, due to its geographical location and vulnerability to natural disasters, consistently requires preparedness from aid organizations at the national and provincial levels. Afghan Red Crescent officials say the outcomes of this meeting will serve as the foundation for implementing future programs aimed at enhancing preparedness and improving services for orphans, the needy, disabled persons, and patients.
