National Disaster Management Policy.

The overall objective of the National Disaster Management Policy of the Gambia is to build safe and resilient communities, in which development and ecosystems are protected from the impact of hazard, by enhancing the use of and access to knowledge and information in disaster prevention and management at all levels of society. To this end, the Policy aims to promote the incorporation of disaster prevention and management education in both the formal and non formal educational systems, to ensure it is emphasized by the media and vigorously pursued by disaster management agencies so as to enhance public awareness of disaster risk reduction at all levels. The Policy also pays particular attention to the gender dimension of disaster management and promote the incorporation of indigenous knowledge into Early Warning systems and disaster response initiatives.
In order to reach its overall goal, the Policy sets the following strategic objectives: 1-To integrate disaster risk reduction into sustainable development policies and planning; 2-To develop and strengthen institutional mechanisms and capacities to build resilience to hazards; 3-To incorporate international, regional, national and local disaster risk reduction strategies and approaches into the implementation of emergency preparedness, response and recovery. 4-To achieve a comprehensive, all hazard, all agencies approach by achieving the right balance of prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery; 5-To prepare communities to ensure that they are fully equipped to anticipate and respond to disaster events. 5-To ensure that communities are fully equipped to anticipate and respond to disaster events. 6- To adopt a multi-stakeholder participatory approach including community participation at all levels; 7- To develop a database and information exchange system at national and international levels.
The Policy Paper is a dynamic document and will be reviewed and evaluated every three years to ensure consistency with national initiatives and an annual progress report sent to the Government.