1. We, the Ministers in charge of the disaster risk reduction, work safety and/or emergency rescue from Afghanistan, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cambodia, Chile, China, Comoros, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Egypt, Ethiopia, Hungary, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Maldives, Mauritania, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Tajikistan, Trinidad and Tobago,Turkmenistan, Uruguay, Uzbekistan,Vanuatu attended the 2023 Belt and Road Ministerial Forum for International Cooperation in Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Management via video link on 16 November 2023 under the theme of “Emergency Management: Safety and Prevention First”.
2. We congratulate the Belt and Road Initiative(hereinafter referred to as “BRI”) for its 10th anniversary and commend its successful organisation of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, and highly appreciate the efforts made over the past decade on implementing the BRI across diverse regions, development stages and civilizations, which has fostered policy coordination, infrastructure and trade connectivity, financial integration, people-to-people bonds, and synergy of development strategies of different regions, to realize advantage complementation, mutual benefit for win-win results and development dividends maximization of all attending parties, and strengthen global confidence in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
3. We call on all parties to actively implement the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, carry forward the spirit of unity, stand closely together and support each other in difficult times, and make concerted efforts to meet challenges, conduct global collaboration, and build a better and more prosperous world together.
4. We note the escalating uncertainty and complexity of the disaster risk landscape in our regions and interconnected transboundary risks and threats due to multi-layered compounding natural hazards, increasing systemic risk, and the interrelated challenges of risks posed by growing population, rapid urbanisation, impacts of climate change, and unsustainable utilisation of land resources, resulting in negative environmental, social, and economic consequences and repetitive occurrences of work safety accidents and emergencies, posing a destructive impact on global sustainable development.
5. We acknowledge that no country is immune from common challenges. Strengthening disaster risk management capacity in developing countries through international cooperation is crucial for economic development and social progress, and multilateral and regional cooperation is becoming a booster for the effective enhancement of disaster risk management capacity.
6. We underscore the important consensus on “promoting cooperation in resilience and disaster risk reduction and management” reached at the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in April 2019, and on “the building of multilateral cooperation platforms covering disaster reduction” reached at the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in October 2023, and endeavour to build, utilise, and develop the Belt and Road International Cooperation Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Management (BRIDRREM) and jointly create a platform in emergency management for policy dialogue, mutual learning, experience sharing, technological exchange, practical cooperation, and capacity building.
7. We emphasize our continued efforts towards principles of extensive consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits within BRIDRREM, uphold the people-centred development philosophy and the spirit of putting people and life first, ensure both development and safety, adhere to the philosophy of safety and prevention first, stand shoulder to shoulder for shared destiny and mutual assistance, and work together to address common challenges of natural disasters, emergencies and work safety accidents, so as to jointly improve capacity for disaster risk reduction, work safety, and emergency management, strengthening in particular the capacity of local humanitarian and development actors.
8. We reaffirm our commitment to support the role of the United Nations as a major platform for global governance and multilateral cooperation and in international cooperation on disaster risk reduction and emergency management, and promote the synergy between BRIDRREM and international initiatives such as the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.
9. We applaud the cooperation initiatives proposed by China at the Forum on skill upgrading, experience exchange, rescue drills, science popularisation, and publicity with the BRI partners and wish to actively participate in programmes such as emergency management training for 1,000 persons, improvement of risk prevention and control capacity for work safety, mine safety management capacity building, to continuously improve emergency management capacity; enhance science popularisation and publicity by jointly developing publications on disaster risk reduction for youth, conducting scientific research and investigation of seismic risks, and participating in activities such as China International Emergency Management Exhibition and International Forum on Emergency Medical Rescue; promote mutual learning among professionals by organizing exchange programmes of emergency management for youth and fire and rescue talents; strengthen practical capacity by regularly organizing emergency rescue drills and exercises; work together to address risks and challenges by carrying out joint prevention and control of forest and grassland fires, rescue assistance program for flood and earthquake. We appreciate China's willingness to dispatch rescue teams upon the request of other countries experiencing serious disasters, and express the willingness to lend a helping hand if similar disasters or incidents occur in China.
10. We appreciate the support of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Labour Organization, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations World Food Programme, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Civil Defense Organization, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization etc. and express our gratitude and appreciation for the leadership of the government of China for graciously hosting the 2023 Belt and Road Ministerial Forum for International Cooperation in Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Management and look forward to the next Forum
11. The Joint Statement is issued at the 2023 Belt and Road Ministerial Forum for International Cooperation in Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Management, held on 16 November 2023, in Beijing, P.R. China.
