A ceremony was held on Monday in Soc Trang Province to launch the National Week for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control 2022 which runs from May 15 - 22.

Co-organised by Viet Nam’s National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Viet Nam, and the authorities in Soc Trang Province, the event aims to promote community resilience to natural disasters for sustainable development.

This year’s event took ‘Sustainable communities to respond to disasters’ as its main theme.

In his remarks at the launching ceremony, Mr. Tran Quang Hoai, the Deputy Head of the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and Director General of Viet Nam Disaster Management Authority said that this year’s event highlights the important role of local level authorities and relevant agencies in natural disaster prevention, response and mitigation, as well as ensuring that their communities are prepared for the coming rainy season.

The heed should be paid to enhance public awareness and response capacities as well as improve understanding of roles and responsibilities in the event of a disaster in a bid to build a disaster-resilient society, Mr Hoai noted.

Mr Maharajan Muthu, Chief of Child Survival and Development and Environment, UNICEF Viet Nam stressed the need to empower children and get them involved in the preparedness and response to natural disasters in an effort to achieve long-term sustainability for resilience and results.

Also at the event, the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control announced the assessment results of the implementation of disaster risk reduction policies at the local level through the application of the Provincial Disaster Management Indicators. Da Nang was ranked at 18^th place out of 63 Vietnamese provinces and cities in the ranking.

Many activities will be held in the country to support the National Week for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control 2022. Included are the 2^nd National Press Award on natural disaster prevention and control which is expected to take place in Ha Noi on May 25, and the inauguration of a document library on natural disaster prevention and control.

Reporting by HOANG HIEP – Translating by H.L