International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

On October 13, UNDP marked the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction by organizing a learning through a drill event for 180 students from Sami Frasheri Elementary School in the village of Pirok, municipality of Bogovinje, as part of the "Improving resilience to floods in the Polog region" project, financed by Switzerland and implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and physical planning. Carefully planned and organized with the help of experts engaged by the project, the school, which has been under a threat of the landslide in the immediate vicinity, carried out a successful evacuation drill dealing with the risk of disaster and evacuation of students and staff, using equipment, evacuation maps, aids, signs, evacuation plans, prepared by the project team.

“Switzerland is dedicated to support the citizens of Polog region in building resilience to floods and other disasters. This is a long process, and I commend the bravery of youth to participate in such exercise and be willing to be prepared for future scenarios. Through this activity we aim to increase the capacity of institutions and the overall resilience of the community at risk to future disasters. Municipalities, institutions, and citizens in the Polog region must work together to create the enabling environment to enhance the accessibility to early-warning systems, thereby increasing the preparedness of the community and, not least, their protection.”  pointed out Ambassador of Switzerland to North Macedonia Ms. Véronique Hulmann.,

In the drill, the first of its kind in the municipality of Bogovinje, in addition to the students and teachers from Sami Frasheri school, members of the Crisis Management Center, the Directorate for Protection and Rescue and representatives of the Red Cross were involved.