The National Emergency Management Agency has called on disaster reduction agencies in the country to enhance the contributions of older people in their respective communities.
It said lack of public awareness and information about older peoples’ contributions, circumstances, issues, or needs create negative images of ageing.
In an address on the occasion to commemorate the 2014 international day for disaster reduction which was held in Abuja, the Director-General, NEMA, Mr. Sani Sidi, urged both government and non-government agencies to highlight the need for a more inclusive approach for older people in disaster risk reduction.
He called for the recognition of the critical role they can play in resilience-building through their experience and knowledge.
He said, “Inclusion saves lives and it empowers persons with disabilities such as aged people to take ownership o their own safety and that of their community. This year’s campaign seeks to highlight the positive attributes of aged people in planning and decision making or disaster resilience, in making communities safer before, during and after disaster hit their villages, towns or cities.
“Hitherto, the needs and potentials of the ageing population in disaster risk reduction and emergency response receive very little attention in developing countries like ours. This may be due to a widespread belief that few older people exist in developing countries or that traditional structures provide support to older people.”
Sidi said there was also a mistaken presumption that older people are economically inactive and ageing issues had low priority in government business.
He noted that few non-governmental organisations include older people among their target group because of the common misconception that older people were difficult to train, not open to ideas and unable to participate effectively in community and economic activities.
The DG said, “In an emergency, where service provision and allocation of resources may be uneven, this invisibility often result in older people being deprived of critical life-saving resources. As a result, older peoples’ responsibilities and knowledge base should be recognised and built on.
“Older people want to challenge the common image held of them as disabled, unproductive and dependent and to establish a more balanced view of both their needs and capacities. The goal of agencies should be to enhance the contributions of older people both during and after the emergency through community based programmes in which they become partners in the task of disaster risk reduction, relief provision and rehabilitation programmes.”
It said lack of public awareness and information about older peoples’ contributions, circumstances, issues, or needs create negative images of ageing.
In an address on the occasion to commemorate the 2014 international day for disaster reduction which was held in Abuja, the Director-General, NEMA, Mr. Sani Sidi, urged both government and non-government agencies to highlight the need for a more inclusive approach for older people in disaster risk reduction.
He called for the recognition of the critical role they can play in resilience-building through their experience and knowledge.
He said, “Inclusion saves lives and it empowers persons with disabilities such as aged people to take ownership o their own safety and that of their community. This year’s campaign seeks to highlight the positive attributes of aged people in planning and decision making or disaster resilience, in making communities safer before, during and after disaster hit their villages, towns or cities.
“Hitherto, the needs and potentials of the ageing population in disaster risk reduction and emergency response receive very little attention in developing countries like ours. This may be due to a widespread belief that few older people exist in developing countries or that traditional structures provide support to older people.”
Sidi said there was also a mistaken presumption that older people are economically inactive and ageing issues had low priority in government business.
He noted that few non-governmental organisations include older people among their target group because of the common misconception that older people were difficult to train, not open to ideas and unable to participate effectively in community and economic activities.
The DG said, “In an emergency, where service provision and allocation of resources may be uneven, this invisibility often result in older people being deprived of critical life-saving resources. As a result, older peoples’ responsibilities and knowledge base should be recognised and built on.
“Older people want to challenge the common image held of them as disabled, unproductive and dependent and to establish a more balanced view of both their needs and capacities. The goal of agencies should be to enhance the contributions of older people both during and after the emergency through community based programmes in which they become partners in the task of disaster risk reduction, relief provision and rehabilitation programmes.”
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