Mozambique - This week IOM is supporting Mozambique’s National Institute for Disaster Management (INGC) to prepare local and provincial authorities for the 9th National Emergency Simulation, which will take place in the central province of Zambezia on 16 October.

As one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change and environmental hazards, the simulation is a critical component of Mozambique’s preparedness and emergency management.

The one-day event requires all relevant actors, including community members, local leaders, the police force, humanitarian partners, and a wide range of government agencies to run through the detailed logistical components of a national disaster response.

To prepare those involved and clarify roles and responsibilities, IOM and INGC have together trained a total of 210 participants during four workshops over the past week, with another three trainings scheduled this week.

These trainings target emergency response agents at all levels, including the Local Committees for Disaster and Risk Management at the community level, as well as Municipal, District and Provincial Emergency Response Units.

Components of IOM’s Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) curriculum have this year been integrated into these preparatory trainings.

“The participation of IOM in the preparation for the simulation marks a significant step for the partnership with INGC and the Mozambican government in general,” says CCCM trainer Justino Junior. “With this participation, new topics relating to the roles and responsibilities of various agents, the minimum standards in camp setup, the process of site selection and the protection of people with specific needs have been added to the regular topics covered by INGC.”

The trainings are being delivered across three districts in Zambezia province – Maganja da Costa, Namacurra and Mocuba – which will be the setting of next month’s disaster simulation. All three districts were severely affected by widespread flooding in central Mozambique in January this year, and have been focus areas for IOM’s response and recovery activities in the province.

This support to INGC is part of IOM’s ongoing CCCM capacity-building programme in Mozambique. Funded through the Office of U.S.  Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), the programme aims to build resilience among disaster-prone communities and increase the technical expertise of national authorities in emergency response, particularly at local and provincial levels.

For further information please contact Manuel Marques Pereira at IOM Mozambique, Tel: +258 866 450 317, Email: mpereira@iom.int