Symposium: ‘Localizing DRR Actions: Public, Private, Academic & Community Collaboration in Reducing Disaster Risk’

A one and a half day symposium was conducted to officially wrap up the 5-year SeDAR program and hand over the program to the Selangor State Government.  Four sessions were carried out on (1) Community Leadership, (2) DRR Initiatives and Its Future in Malaysia, and (3) Science and Technology in DRR, and (4) Policy Recommendations and Project Handover. The sessions were followed by panel discussions on ‘CBDRR Practices: Challenges and Future’, DRR Experience in Malaysia and Lessons Learned’, and ‘Application of Science and Technology in CBDRR in Malaysia’.

A special highlight of this symposium is the presentations given by community leaders of the 4 project areas on their experiences in running the CBDRR activities under SeDAR program, the change in their community that resulted, and what they would do to continue the program.  This session was significant in that it gave the communities a voice in showcasing their efforts.

Another special feature of the event was the presentation of Policy Recommendations by the Project Manager of the SeDAR Program and the handover of the Program to the Selangor State Government, which shall use SeDAR as a model for similar programs in the future.