The Sultanate of Oman gathered governmental and non-governmental representative, and technical experts at a national workshop focused on strengthening disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate action planning through the development of national and sectoral DRR and Climate Action strategies.
Organized by the Environment Authority in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the workshop brought together representatives from governmental ministries and entities, technical experts, academia, civil society, and other non-governmental stakeholders to discuss pathways toward a more climate- and risk-informed approach to development planning.
“This workshop represents the cornerstone for future collective efforts in developing and validating Oman’s National DRR and Climate Action Strategy,” said Ms. Sandra Amlang, Chief of UNDRR ROAS. “Through an all-of-society approach, Oman is strengthening coordination and integrated planning for disaster risk reduction and climate action.”
The Deputy Chairman also highlighted the importance of ensuring the workshop delivers meaningful outcomes and practical recommendations.
“We hope this workshop will result in practical and actionable recommendations that strengthen our national capacities in this vital field, and that we work together to confront disaster risks, reduce their impacts, and identify lessons learned before, during, and after disasters,” he said.
The workshop focused on advancing key areas essential for integrated resilience planning, including:
- Climate-informed disaster risk reduction
- National and sectoral DRR and Climate Action strategies
- Comprehensive risk management approaches
- Coordination and data availability
- Integrating climate action and disaster resilience planning
Experts from UNDRR presented the “Words into Action” guidelines for developing national DRR strategies and shared guidance and tools for ensuring integrated disaster risk reduction and climate action planning and implementation, using the Comprehensive Risk Management approach.
UNDRR also presented good practices in the development of National DRR and Climate Action strategies from the Arab region and lessons learned from their development process.
Sessions examined Oman’s current disaster risk reduction and climate action landscape, highlighting:
- The National Strategy for Adaptation and Mitigation 2020–2040
- The National Adaptation Plan
- Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) 2021
- National frameworks for loss and damage and emergency management
- Mandates and roles of the National Coordination Mechanisms for Climate Action and Disaster Risk Management.
The workshop concluded with discussions on next steps in the process for coordinating, developing, and implementing Oman’s national DRR and climate action agenda, reinforcing the country’s commitment to resilience and reducing disaster risk in line with the Sendai Framework.
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