India has been unanimously chosen as co-chair of the consultative group for Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery for the 2020 fiscal, the home ministry said in a statement on May 14.

The decision was taken during the group’s meeting in Geneva on May 14 on the margins of the 6th session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction 2019.

The consultative group’s meeting was co-chaired by the Africa Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of states, the European Union (EU) and the World Bank.

What is the purpose of GFDRR?

The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GFDRR) is a global partnership established in 2006 to support developing countries to understand, manage and ultimately reduce their risk from natural hazards and climate change.

Hosted at the World Bank, the GFDRR is supported by 37 countries and 11 international organisations, and works with more than 400 sub-national, national, regional and international partners.

The long-term strategic objectives of GFDRR are set and monitored by the consultative group, which is the GFDRR’s primary advisory and decision-making body.

The consultative group includes donor members and observers, invited developing country members, intergovernmental organisations, international financial institutions and civil society organisations.

The consultative group is chaired by the World Bank and co-chaired by a contributing group member that rotate annually.

When did India become part of the group?

India became a member of the GFDRR’s consultative group in 2015 and had expressed its interest to co-chair its meeting in October 2018. India’s candidature was backed by its consistent progress in disaster risk reduction and its initiative to form a coalition on disaster resilient infrastructure, the statement said.

This will give the country an opportunity to work with member countries and organisations of the GFDRR with a focused contribution towards advancing the disaster risk reduction agenda during the course of the year.

This is the first time that the country has been given the opportunity of co-chairing the consultative group’s meeting.

India would like to pursue a focused agenda and develop synergies with ongoing work streams of GFDRR, the statement said. Disaster resilient infrastructure will be a central theme of engagement with GFDRR partners and stakeholders.