UN - Sasakawa award of Merit for disaster reduction awarded to Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority.

The Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority headed by Shri Narendra Modi, Chief Minister was awarded the UN Sasakawa award 2003 for outstanding work in the field of disaster management and risk reduction. The presentation of the award was organized by the UN and Government of Germany on 16th October 2003 at Bonn, Germany. Dr. P.K. Mishra, Chief Executive Officer, GSDMA received the award on behalf of the GSDMA and Government of Gujarat. The ceremony was attended by 200 participants of the 2nd International Conference on Early Warning organized by the United Nations. Among the participants were Ministers, dignitaries and senior officers and experts from many countries.

The citation of the award says “the Sasakawa Jury wishes to recognize the inclusive and innovative approach adopted by GSDMA in disaster situations, in which many partners and their stakeholders, both inside and outside India, provided knowledge and resources to formulate effective policies and legislation and prepare disaster management plans” It also says “Created in the wake of the powerful and deadly Bhuj earthquake of January 2001 in Gujarat, India, GSDMA has acquired a solid reputation in the massive reconstruction and rehabilitation work following the disaster”.

The Sasakawa award is administered by the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), a specialized wing of the United Nations. It was introduced 15 years ago. The award is given to individuals and institutions for their outstanding work in disaster management and disaster reduction. In most of the cases the award has been given to individuals and some NGOs. GSDMA is one of the very exceptional cases where the award has been given to a government organization.
GSDMA, set up after the Bhuj earthquake of 2001 had been nominated by the Government of India for this prestigious award. Along with undertaking reconstruction and rehabilitation work, GSDMA has taken several initiatives in the direction of disaster mitigation and preparedness such as strengthening of emergency response system, establishment of seismological research network, large scale training of masons and engineers, community based preparedness, various studies on disaster management related issues and massive awareness campaign.

Awards have been given mostly to individuals and in some cases institutions based on their work during a period of one or two decades or even more. GSDMA which was created only two and a half years ago has been conferred this prestigious award for disaster reduction, which is a spectacular achievement for a government organization created only two and a half years ago.

During the presentation of the award at Bonn, the representatives and senior officers from different countries were impressed with the success of GSDMA and Government of Gujarat in getting this award within such a short time of two and a half years. Furthermore, no other individual or organization has got this award based on work following a major calamity like an earthquake. No such award has been received in the context of earthquake reconstruction work in Japan, Turkey and Latur. A number of countries like Japan, Taiwan, Armenia, Algeria, Mozambique, Kenya etc. expressed their keen interest in collaborating and having exchange programme with GSDMA in disaster reduction activities.

In the conference on early warning which focused on integrating early warning of natural disaster with the public policy, there were discussions relating to early warning in the context not only of flood and cyclone but also of drought. The United Nations and other international organizations have recently initiated work regarding early warning and long term mitigation measures against flood and drought. International organizations like ISDR, Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have been taking active interest on the subject. Some countries have shown interest in knowing more about the experience of Gujarat in managing drought and organizing water harvesting activities.

Winning this prestigious award is a matter of pride and prestige not only to GSDMA and Government of Gujarat but also to Government of India which nominated GSDMA for this award. The presentation of the award ceremony provided an international forum for projecting the work of Gujarat not only in disaster management but also in framing long term policies and initiatives taken in recent times regarding the overall economic development of Gujarat.