SPEECH BY ZRCS DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL MR COSMAS SAKALA COMMON ALERT PROTOCOL WORKSHOP, 26TH OF MAY 2023 AT GRAND PALACE HOTEL

• THE DIRECTOR DISASTER MANAGEMENT & MITIGATION UNIT
• THE DIRECTOR ZAMBIA METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT
• THE DIRECTOR WATER RESOURCES & MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY
• THE DIRECTOR LIVESTOCK & FISHERIRES
• THE DIRECTOR MINISTRY OF HEALTH
• COMMON ALERT FOCAL POINT PERSONS
• CLIMATE CHANGE & RESILIENCE FOCAL POINT EDDIE KUUYEMBA
• THE OPERATIONS DELEGATE – GLORIA KUNYENGA
• ALL STAFF FROM THE VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS
• MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA PRESENT HERE TODAY
• LADIES & GENTLEMEN

WE HAVE GATHERED THIS MORNING TO WITNESS YET ANOTHER VERY IMPORTANT CONCEPT AND TO UNDERSTAND FURTHER THE INCEPTION OF COMMON ALERT PROTOCOL. DIRECTORS AS YOU HAVE SEEN AND MAY BE WONDERING, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OFFICERS FROM VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS & DEPARTMENTS WHICH ARE KEY TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS CONCEPT.

THE COMMON ALERT PROTOCOL IS A STANDARD FORMAT DEVELOPED TO ISSUE MULTI-HAZARD EARLY WARNING ALERTS THAT COMMUNICATE KEY UNFORMATION SUCH AS, WHAT IS IT, WHERE IS IT, HOW SOON IS IT AND HOW BAD IS IT. IT IS A CALL TO ACTION ON EMERGENCY ALERTING.

 COMMON ALERT PROTOCOL, CAP IN SHORT, DOES NOT JUST CONCERN THE METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT OR WATER RESOURCES MANAGAMENT AUTHORITY, OR INDEED DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND MITIGATION UNIT. THIS ENGAGES ALL STAKEHOLDERS, REQUIRING THAT TOGETHER, WHEN DEVELOPING COMMON ALERT PROTOCOL MESSAGES, THE MESSAGES BEING PUBLISHED OR BROADCAST, HAVE ALL THE KEY POINTS FROM ALL THE INSTITUTIONS, ENSURING THAT WHAT IS BEING BROADCAST IS CLEAR AND COMPLETE.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IN THE LAST TWO DAYS, ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY HAS BROUGHT TOGETHER, OFFICERS FROM DMMU, WARMA, ZMD, LIVESTOCK & FISHERIES, MINISTRY OF HEALTH & ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY IN ORDER TO ORIENT THE OFFICERS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMON ALERT PROTOCOL, HOW TO DEVELOP KEY HAZARD SPECIFIC MESSAGES AND INDEED HOW THESE MESSAGES CAN BE ACCESSED FROM THE CAP PLATFORM.

I CAN NOW SAY WE HAVE A TEAM OF OFFICERS FROM THE INSITUTIONS MENTIONED EARLIER, WHO ARE NOW COMPETENT ENOUGH AND ABLE TO DEVELOP MESSAGES WHICH CAN BE UPLOADED TO THE CAP PLATFORM.

IN ADDITION, TODAY WE INVITED MEDIA FROM VARIOUS MEDIA HOUSES, TO WHOM WE HAVE ORIENTED ON CAP SO THAT THEY HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING ON WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT AND HOW THEY CAN EASILY ACCESS SPECIFIC ALERT HAZARD MESSAGES, WHICH CAN THEN BE BROADCAST ON THE VARIOUS SOCIAL MEDIA AND PRINT MEDIA PLATFORMS. THIS WILL IN TURN ALERT COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHOAND THEY WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE EARLY ACTION.

AS ZAMBIA RED CROSS SOCIETY WE HOPE TO SEE CONTINUITY AND CONSISTENCY AS WE COLLABORATE IN THIS INITIATIVE.

WITH THESE FEW REMARKS, I  THANK EVERY ONE FOR COMING ON BOARD AND FOR COMING TO ENSURE THAT AS WE ALL WORK TOGETHER, WE WILL HAVE GREAT SUCCESS.