Instituto Nacional de Gestão de Calamidades | |
Agency overview | |
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Formed | 1999 |
Jurisdiction | Mozambique |
Agency executive |
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Parent agency | Ministry of State Administration |
Website | http://www.ingc.gov.mz/ |
The National Disasters Management Institute (Portuguese: Instituto Nacional de Gestão de Calamidades, INGC) is the disaster relief agency of Mozambique.
The INGC was formed in 1999[1] by Government decree no. 37[2] and operates under the Ministry of State Administration (MAE).[3][4] Prior to its creation, disaster management in Mozambique was under the purview of the Department for the Prevention and Combat of Natural Disasters (Portuguese: Departamento de Prevenção e Combate as Calamidades Naturais, DPCCN),[2] a subunit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation that mainly served as a "distributing agency for external aid".[5] In contrast to its predecessor, the INGC was geared more toward coordination of disaster management efforts than delivery of foreign aid.[2]
As of March 10, 2008, Joao Ribeiro was the director of the INGC.[6] He was formerly the institute's deputy director[7] and replaced Paulo Zucula, who was "widely praised" for his leadership of the INGC, when Zucula was appointed Minister of Transport and Communication.[8]
The INGC is responsible for conducting mitigation efforts (such as collection and analysis of data),[9][10] undertaking preparedness measures (e.g. awareness campaigns),[10][11][12] and coordinating disaster response (including distribution of food, tents, and other supplies).[13][14] Since June 2008 it is also responsible, through the Reconstruction Coordination Office (GACOR), for the resettlement of persons displaced by natural disasters.[15] The INGC prepares for and responds to both natural disasters, such as droughts,[16] floods,[11] and tropical cyclones[5]—the three natural hazards to which Mozambique is most vulnerable[17]—and man-made disasters, such as the 2008 South Africa riots.[18]
The INGC coordinates disaster management efforts with and receives support from public and private institutions, non-governmental organisations, and international organisations,[19] including Concern Worldwide,[20] the government of Germany,[21] and the United Nations.[22] Ad Melkert, the Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, which provides assistance to the INGC through its Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery,[23] lauded the institute in March 2008 as "an example of effective management of natural disasters".[24] It received "unanimous" praise from international organisations for its response to the 2007 Mozambican flood.[5]