The first Get Airports Ready for Disaster (GARD) Program wassuccessfully completed at Paro International Airport from 27November to 1 December. The GARD program was made possible with thecooperation between various partners such as the United NationsDevelopment Programme (UNDP) Bhutan, World Food Programme (WFP)Bhutan, International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers(IFATCA), lead trainer DHL Group, in-country advocate Department ofAir Transport (DoAT), Department of local governance and disastermanagement (DLDGM) and the support of Airports CouncilInternational (ACI) Asia Pacific and Middle East.
The GARD Program is a global public-private partnership aimed atsupporting airports in planning for their role as logistical hubsin the event of disasters such as floods, earthquakes, fires, andlandslides, as well as integrating the airport's role in nationalemergency plans.
The first GARD Program in the country saw around 50 participantsin a four-day workshop covering both theory and practice, includingan assessment of the airport’s maximum processing capacity (goodsand passengers). The participants worked on various topicsincluding identifying potential bottlenecks, and action measures toquickly increase capacity in case of a disaster.
“Disasters including earthquake are becoming more common andintense. Airports are critical logistical hubs for immediatedisaster response and relief efforts. As Bhutan’s onlyinternational airport, enhancing disaster preparedness of the Paroairport is urgent. UNDP is proud to have joined hands with theRGoB, DHL as UNDP’s global partner, and WFP to undertake GetAirport Ready for Disasters Program. This is a timely support whichaligns with UNDP’s ongoing work with the Royal Government aimed atadvancing risk-informed development,” said Mohammad Younus, UNDPResident Representative.
“WFP and our partners know how critical it is to supportemergency airport logistics, operations and infrastructure againstunforeseen challenges by implementing the Get Airport Ready forDisaster (GARD) initiative. GARD is a crucial framework forimproving airport preparedness and resilience globally in an eracharacterized by increasing climate variability and other potentialthreats. GARD is an all-encompassing approach to disasterpreparedness designed with the airport environment in mind. GARDprovides airports with resources and expertise required to respondquickly and effectively to a range of emergencies by combiningcutting-edge technologies, training procedures, and backup plans,”said Dechen Yangzom, PPO for Emergency Preparedness andResponse.
Located in a small valley between mountains, Paro InternationalAirport is recognised as one of the most perilous and challengingairports in the world. Only 20 pilots are qualified to fly in andout of the airport. As Bhutan is highly vulnerable to earthquakesand floods, it was critical to prepare the airport and its staff tohandle humanitarian aids coming through in the event of adisaster.
“DoAT and BCAA are collaborating with WFP, UNDP, DHL, IFATCA andAirport Council International for this important Get Airports Readyfor Disaster workshop,” said Karma Wangchuk, DirectorGeneral.
“The GARD program aims to get as many airports as possible inhigh-risk countries prepared for disaster. We are happy to seeBhutan participating with the support of our partners. The locationof the airport presents unique challenges and we have worked withthe local team in getting them disaster ready. We are encouragedthat this workshop will contribute considerably to the country'sefforts to create a robust disaster resilience standard for itsairport,” said Carl Schelfhaut, Head of the GoHelp Program for AsiaPacific, DHL.
Established in 2009, GARD aims to echo the demand for airportpreparedness and response capacity of transportation hubs in theevent of disasters. The program, launched in more than 60 airportsin 29 countries, includes training personnel in handling the influxof goods and people during calamities, assisting authorities of thearea in relief operations, and assessing the current state ofconcerned airports.
