The National Disaster Management System
The Co-ordinating Council for Disaster Management (CCGC) is the government body responsible
for policy decisions relating to disasters. The Prime Minister chairs the CCGC and his
deputy is the Minister of Foreign Affairs & Co-operation. The other four members are the
ministers of Public Works & Housing, Transport & Communications, Health and Agriculture &
Rural Development.
Day-to-day management of matters relating to disasters is the responsibility of the National
Disaster Management Institute (INGC). This is an autonomous institution under the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs & Co-operation. Currently INGC has delegates in each of Mozambique's
provinces, excluding Maputo City.
The Disaster Management Technical Council (CTGC) provides technical back up to INGC. Its
members represent the ministers on the Co-ordinating Council for Disaster Management, and
it normally meets four times a year. The CTGC should co-ordinate sector and ministry warning
systems on imminent disasters. It is also expected to define the national warning system,
and propose the declaration of an emergency. The government's National Policy on Disaster
Management was approved in October 1999.
The United Nations Disaster Management Structures
The United Nations Resident Coordinator chairs the United Nations Disaster Management Team
(UNDMT) and represents the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The
UNDMT is the inter-agency body responsible for the emergency preparedness programme. It
consists of heads of agencies, heads of clusters, agency focal points, disaster preparedness
officers and staff members with related responsibilities, as well as representatives of the
INGC, Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), LINK (the NGO Forum in Mozambique) and the
Mozambique Red Cross.
For the duration of the 2001 Emergency Programme, the United Nations Resident Coordinator's
Office (UNRCO), set up, with assistance from OCHA, an Emergency Coordination Unit composed
of an emergency coordination adviser, a data/information management officer, a
communications officer and a media and public relations officer. In addition, OCHA provided
funds to post emergency coordinators to assist the operations.
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