11 September 2025 – Islamabad, Pakistan
On the sidelines of his visit to Islamabad to attend the Islamabad–Tehran–Istanbul (ITI) Rail and Road Corridor meetings, the ECO Secretary General Dr. Asad M. Khan held a meeting with the Chairman of National Disaster Management Authority of Pakistan, Lieutenant General Imam Haider Malik.
The Secretary General conveyed his sympathies and condolences over the loss of lives and property due to the recent floods in Pakistan, and sought an update on the recovery efforts by NDMA. Dr. Khan appreciated the capacity of NDMA to monitor and predict the precipitation patterns and also to undertake measures to mitigate the risk of disasters, and stressed the need for these capacities to be shared within the region through the ECO framework.
In light of their previous interaction, the meeting particularly focused on preparations for the 10th ECO Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction, to be preceded by a High-Level Working Group (HLWG) Meeting on DRR, planned to be hosted by Pakistan, which is expected to approve the ECO Regional Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction (ECORFDRR) for 2026-2030.
Underscoring the importance of enhanced collaboration on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) within the ECO region, the meeting reaffirmed both sides’ readiness for closer collaboration.
