ISLAMABAD (GNP): A high-level United Nations delegation led by Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, visited the National Emergencies Operations Centre (NEOC) at the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) headquarters in Islamabad on July 15.
The delegation included Mohamed Yahya, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Pakistan, along with senior officials from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and other UN representatives.
NDMA officials briefed the delegation on the capabilities of the NEOC and on Pakistan’s shift toward proactive disaster management aimed at reducing the risk of recurring disasters. Chairman NDMA Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik outlined measures the authority has introduced for regional integration and a broader reset of global disaster risk reduction approaches.
The delegation was briefed on standards NDMA has achieved in recent years and on plans to adopt next-generation technologies to strengthen disaster early warning systems and coordinate responses among responders and resource providers.
Officials also detailed NDMA’s coordination with national and security leadership, its guidance framework for provincial governments, and its engagement with global academia, humanitarian responders and other support partners. The briefing covered localised risk communication, anticipatory action planning, mobilisation of additional national resources, and international coordination aimed at securing pre-arranged foreign support for disaster relief logistics.
During the session, NDMA demonstrated its “Disaster Lens 2026” platform and presented sequences from its Comprehensive International Simulation Exercises (CISE) to the visiting delegates. The UN delegation expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s disaster management capabilities and voiced strong interest in continued collaboration between Pakistan and the United Nations on disaster management and emergency response.
Both sides emphasised the importance of strengthening institutional linkages and cooperation to address risks associated with climate change and increasingly complex disasters.
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Separately in Islamabad on July 15, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met with Chairman NDMA Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik.
The prime minister directed that coordination with provincial governments and provincial disaster management authorities be further strengthened ahead of the monsoon season. He was briefed during the meeting on preparations for emergencies during the monsoon rains, as well as on progress toward fully activating the country’s early warning system and on coordination with the Ministry of Climate Change in this regard.
