Online Desk :
Bangladesh and India have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in disaster management, tolerance and mitigation. The MoU has been signed between the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief of Bangladesh and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) under the Ministry of Home Affairs of India.
The Ministry of Disaster Management said in a statement on Tuesday.
The MoU has been signed in presence of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Prime Minister’s Office in Dhaka recently.
Secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Mohsin and Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswamy signed on behalf of their respective governments.
According to the MoU, the issues to be considered are-
1. Increasing risk of potential disasters in Bangladesh and India.
2. Disaster management, capacity building, mitigation, and tolerance to ensure the safety of the people of the two countries.
3. Enhancing mutual cooperation in the field of relief, response, and reconstruction in response to the request of either party in the event of a major natural or man-made disaster in their respective territories.
4. Exchanging relevant information, remote sensing data, and other scientific data and experiences and best practices on disaster response, recovery, mitigation, and capacity building to ensure disaster tolerance.
5. Enhancing cooperation in advanced information technology, early warning systems, remote sensing, navigation services, and real-time data sharing to enhance disaster preparedness, response, and mitigation skills.
6. Provide training assistance to officials involved in disaster management.
7. Conducting bilateral joint disaster management exercises between the two countries.
8. Exchange of standards, latest technology and tools for building disaster resilient communities.
9. Conduct joint research activities on disaster management publications and materials such as textbooks, exchange of guidelines and disaster management and risk reduction.
10. The two sides will set up a communication center to conduct activities under the MoU.
11. In addition to reviewing the progress and outcomes of the implemented cooperation, the two countries will organize working visits and meetings at the senior level to identify areas of cooperation, implement and expedite agreed activities and formulate and adopt an annual action plan for cooperation.
12. The two sides will formulate an action plan of cooperation and the plan will include agreed projects for cooperation, the time frame and obligations of the parties and the specific issues to be decided in the action plan for effective implementation in their respective countries.
13. This Memorandum of Understanding will not affect the existing framework of cooperation between India and Bangladesh such as the Joint Rivers Commission, the 1997 Ganges Water Sharing Agreement and the cooperation on flood forecasting and warning.
14. After the signing of this MoU, the existing agreed framework for cooperation in information sharing will not be affected in any way.
15. Foreigners associated with the study will be able to visit the country subject to the prescribed no-objection.
16. If the activities under the Memorandum of Understanding create Intellectual Property (IP), the parties will execute a separate agreement. The treaty shall provide for the ownership, management, and commercialization of such intellectual property in accordance with the provisions of the respective rules of each party, the countries of both parties.
17. The MoU will be valid for three years. However, it can be extended with the consent of both parties.
