Buba Darboe, Disaster Management and Food Security
Coordinator and Disaster Law Programme Manager of The Gambia Red Cross Society
(GRCS) has briefed stakeholders on The Gambia’s experience on legislative
advocacy and engaging parliamentarian.
Presenting a paper before stakeholders during the launching of the the International Disaster Response Law (IDRL), a legal research report, at a hotel in Kololi, Mr Darboe said an external consultant [Bandirabeh Consultancy Firm] was contracted to do “a purely legal assessment” of the existing legal frameworks that are relevant to international disaster response, in light of the IDRL Guidelines.
The outcome of the contract was the development of an IDRL for The Gambia.
Mr Darboe said among others, the report touches on border-crossing assistance in terms of disaster and disaster preparedness, response and recovery.
Essa Khan of Bandirabeh Consultancy Firm, for his part, said the IDRL of The Gambia follows similar research reports conducted in Uganda, Botswana and Malawi.
All were conducted under the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in collaboration with National Societies and Disaster Management/Civil Protection Agencies of governments.
Mr Khan explained that the IDRL was introduced as a result of reports over the last decades providing revealing evidence of the increasing numbers and impact of natural disasters globally.
“As a result, there has been an upsurge in the need for international disaster assistance, either between neighboring states or from the international community,” he said.
Mr Khan pointed out that The Gambia’s report highlights the primary role of the government to protect its citizens.
The report has taken note of UN support for disaster management, and the roles it play in developing disaster regulations.
The Gambia’s IDRL looks at various issues including disaster scenarios in the country; major hazards such as floods, drought and disease outbreak; institutional and legal framework for disaster risk management; overview of the national legal, policy and institutional framework for disaster risk management; risk profile, among others.
