mohammed: earthquakes, floods, fires, and drought. natural disasters have ravaged the world in a scale not seen in decades. with this rise, can countries alone deal with the consequences? should a global? agency be created? -- should a global agency be created? this is inside story. mohammed: welcome to the program, around the world it seems natural disasters have become a frequent part of life,

from floods, droughts and fires, editors, to hear about extreme weather destroying infrastructure and people's lives. the u.n. says more natural disasters are coming due to climate change. is there a need to establish an international agency that deals with such events? with that help level the playing field when disasters strike in developing nations? this report first. r natural disasters are becoming more frequent and their effects more devastating. in the u.s., 23 natural disasters have taken place this year alone. that is a new record with each causing more than $1 billion in damages. the shift we saw was when disasters changed from being an acute event to a chronic event. we saw that shift, just in the last 10 years, you can see that change happening. reporter: around the world, rich

and developing nations are facing the same challenge. while some wealthy countries offer aid to others, it often comes with conditions. most notably to provide political support abroad. international agencies like the red cross and u.n. bridges also -- often respond to natural disasters. they are stretched thin. shortages of staff and supplies are an ongoing problem. >> we are still looking for victims, we call on all young people in libya, anyone who has a degree or medical affiliation to please help. we have a shortage of nurses, we need help. reporter: several natural disasters have happened recently. there was the floods in eastern libya, where thousands have been killed following the heaviest rainfall in a single day in the past 40 years. there is also the widespread wildfires in greece and of the

recent 6.8 earthquake in morocco which cost many lives. all struck within months. then there is the emotional and psychological toll that cannot be measured. >> we don't know where we are going to go, what we are going to do, where we are going to live. the winter is coming, that means rain and cold weather. we have young children to care for and we have nothing. reporter: the un's as extreme weather events due to climate change will be more common and more expensive around the globe. some analysts are advocating for an international agency that responds specifically to natural disasters wherever they may strike. the question is can governments manage a strategic response and perhaps most importantly can they afford to do so? mohammed: let's bring in our

guests, and london is zaid belbagi, managing partner at hardcastle advisory. in islamabad is nilofer afridi qazi, disaster management specialist and public policy adviser. and andrew phelps, vice president of planning and risk reduction with ac disaster consulting. thank you for joining us today. with this unprecedented rise that we are seeing in natural disasters around the globe, can countries alone deal with the consequences? or should a global agency that specifically deals with trying to react to these emergencies be set up? nilofer: the answer is complicated because we need a global forum to facilitate a

global crisis, a common crisis, a common threat to humanity. which the u.n. does have in fact. they have been facilitating a global conference and bringing together over 194 countries. the u.n. fcc which is the framework for the convention on climate change, as a result of that, we have had many meetings to deal with it. many people are aware of the c.o.p., the committee of parties who come together and come to a consensus on what the world and what should particular countries achieve.

this real crisis that we have. the problem is that at a theoretical level, there is an agreement, but on a plaque level -- on a practical level, individual nations have to commit to certain changes. and their domestic politics or geopolitics comes into play where those commitments fall out of line. for example, who is to bear the burden of it? the financial burden? 12% of the global population is responsible for 50%, if not 80% of the emissions, which has created this crisis. as a result of altering the weather patterns and melting the glaciers, and creating havoc which has a direct impact on

lives. earthquakes, flooding, etc.. on one level, the responsibility is all of ours. but the aggressors or those who are contributing towards it are only 12%. will they be taking the charge for the burden for reform? and on the other hand, we are individual nations. what are we doing to mitigate, at a national level? this is a complex question where , should we tackle this globally? we are attempting to but we have failed. mohammed: in the aftermath of these natural disasters, we often see that politics does play a role. let me talk to you about morocco, the devastating

earthquake in the past few days. there is a rift between morocco and france. one of the things that has happened is morocco has not accepted offers of help from france. if an agency or to be set up in the future that would try to deal with a global emergency, natural disasters, would politics still be as problematic as they are today? would an agency of this nature need to have autonomy and authority to be able to step in and help a country automatically , rather than have to seek its permission? zaid: i will extend my condolences to those we lost in libya and morocco. you are spot on, there are issues with regard to an autonomy -- two autonomy with that entity.

it is extraordinary how france has chosen a moment of national crisis to play geopolitics. unfortunately it is only emmanuel macron who has himself to blame for the relations. morocco was his first country that he visited as president, but he has damaged relationships he had in that part of the world. with regards to morocco, the response has been telling of a country that has changed gear. it is able to manage its international relationships because of the conditions upon aid and other reasons that have been mentioned. with regards to an organization going forward that would look after natural disasters, this is something that we should bear in mind. i would like to add -- an organization of such internationally is a priority. but in the arab world it is a

must. it is first and foremost facing the effects of climate change, the arab world has heated twice in the last four decades compared to the rest of the world in the last two centuries. the effects of climate change will cause instability in the arab world before youth unemployment and poor governance will. this is a priority. and how the politics of that will be managed will be interesting. in the moroccan example, it is a step in the right direction. mohammed: andrew, is there a need to establish the kind of agency that we are talking about? an international agency that would deal with natural disasters. andrew: it is a valuable concept , the u.n. has done work in this area trying to bring international aid and relief to countries that have been impacted by disaster.

disaster response is complex. time is of the essence, the first hours or days after a disaster is the most important time to get the aid where it is needed. rescue teams, medical, getting folks evacuated. we struggle with this in the u.s. sometimes. we can remember the 2017 17 hurricane season, the challenges with our national response to puerto rico. it is a complex operation to move resources where they are needed when they are needed. to do that a global scale is even more complex. you add the geopolitical concerns, oftentimes in many countries, disaster response is a role of the military. that, cleats existing relationships -- that complicates assisting relationships.

they would need autonomy, financial support and buy-in from participating nations so the political barriers do not influence the ability to get aid. mohammed: you mentioned the complexities of setting up such a body. you talked about geopolitics and buy-in, from your vantage point, is setting something like this up right now in the current climate, tensions rising, is it possible? what would it take to get this off the ground? andrew: i am an internal -- and eternal optimist, it is in our human spirit to help our neighbors. we do see efforts to respond to humanitarian crises, to disasters, from hundreds of countries. but there is a lack of

coordination, a lack of consistency in how this aid and responses are coordinated. we need a system to ensure that regardless of where a country is, that they have a consistent level of aid provided to folks who are suffering. mohammed: i am going to give you an opportunity to jump in and i want to ask you, if an agency were created, what it help level the playing field when it disasters strike in developing countries? nilofer: just to answer the first question, c.o.p. 27 already established a platform. pakistan led and shared it in egypt and it resulted in a loss in damage fund. the modalities of that were

vague, but it was acknowledged by all of those who have signed up for climate change agendas. there is a requirement for a financial response to those most vulnerable. so in c.o.p. 26, it was one of the four outcomes that there will be a mobilization of funds managed independently, i imagine the u.n. would be the platform representing the globe. and accordingly those that were most affected by climate change would be able to access that finance. this is beyond the question that , should we or can we, because it has been discussed over the last five years.

now it is a matter of those who are responsible for the climate damage to add financing. and how should countries most affected -- one of our panelists spoke of the impact of africa as disproportionate to other parts of the world. if we look at the german study by a climate change index of which countries were more effective, pakistan is number eight. and just in the 15 years i have returned to pakistan, i have seen earthquakes, glacier melts, flooding, multiple natural disasters. we see it in iran as well, multiple times. we are sitting in an area here

where the natural disasters as a result of climate change is much larger than the potential mitigation measures that the national governments are able. who is responsible? we are quite clear on that. in terms of who has contributed towards the climate change speed. how are we supposed to mitigate that? mohammed: i'm sorry to interrupt, we get back to you shortly. it looks like he wants to jump in and add to what you have been saying. go ahead. zaid: i like what she was saying, these countries are on the cusp of it. however i would add that the balance of power in the world is shifting. that is a fact. we saw that with the invitation

of developing countries to the g20, the recent rick summit in south africa, -- brics summit in south africa. emerging markets, whatever you want to call them, they are moving in the world. we have seen that. france was in uproar that an african muslim country would not accept its aid. because france had missed the fact that morocco has moved. morocco dealt with the pandemic well, it was the fourth quickest country in the world to vaccinate. people don't realize on friday night, the roads of marrakech were being tarmacced, trees were being planted, because they are expected to hold the imf and the world bank. morocco is still intending to host 19,000 of the world great and good in three weeks time in marrakech after a major

earthquake because it is a developing country on the move. as the balance of power in the world shifts, rather than attributing blame to the developed world, developing countries need to work together and have disaster response reflective of their growing position in the world. much as have the -- as the moroccans have not let them be portrayed as a developing country either. they are moving forward. this is very moving. mohammed: even if morocco does intend to continue to host a that, that does not mean there will not be complications due to the aftermath of the earthquake. i see you want to jump in, i will let you, but i need to ask andrew. international agencies, like the red cross, they are on the frontlines when it comes to responding to a natural disaster.

right now we are at a time where we are seeing a natural disasters back-to-back. it seems these agencies are constantly stretched thin. andrew: it is, around the grope -- around the globe. we have reached the stage of disaster endurance, one thing after another. we have done every disaster under the cloud of the covid pandemic as well. my colleagues raised valid points about responsibility and the need to take a levelers possibility across the world for the impacts of climate change. they also have to look at how we build and where we build across the world. disasters are not natural, they are a tribute into how we build and where. they are exacerbated by the changing climate. those who are impacted by disasters are the ones who can least afford it. it is true in the u.s. and true

around the world. to be able to leverage the global well and resources -- global will and resources, is critical. to coordinate this issue of a global disaster response could be a game changer in those underdeveloped countries. in the developing countries that need assistance. what we see around the grope -- the globe is a and a lot of communities. an ability to decrease risk after disasters. in the 1970's, bangladesh had a cyclone that killed half a million people. they made changes to communications and infrastructure, they had another cyclone in 1991. it killed 140,000 people. but we have seen progress. in 1997, another cyclone, it killed 1000 people. we see incremental changes based on what we have experienced from a disaster.

but we do not take these lessons and turn them into policy. globally, until policymakers open their ears and eyes and their checkbooks, to fund disaster risk reduction, make communities more resilient and ensure we are not building in a way and in places that put our most vulnerable at further risk. we will continue to be this -- in this disaster cycle. mohammed: i saw you reacting to what they were saying. please go ahead. nilofer: i cannot agree more with both of them. the conversation earlier was at a macro level. but at a micro level, i cannot agree with you more, i have argued in every pakistani forum that what is pakistan doing to build resilience? where are the budget lines for disaster risk reduction since

2005? what lessons have we learned so the repeated floods, when they come, will they impact the poor? have we diverted money for -- since 2005 or be lost 86,000 people, we needed to resettle people away from the river where the flood happened. we have not done it in 23 years. we have seen the impact of that happened over and over again. do we have a population which is about -- above the property line? when you give examples of bangladesh and morocco, it breaks my heart.

bangladesh at one point was east pakistan. they have incredibly moved forward in terms of resilience within their population. pakistan has not. when we have this conversation on responsibility, there are two levels. a global level, that is what i was talking about. who is responsible, the percentage of money they need to put in, or resources at a macro level. but at the national level, it is equally important that what are their governments doing to mitigate and build resilience? and pakistan is nowhere near making those commitments outside of the rhetoric. mohammed: i want to ask you more specifically about the resilience of the moroccan

people right now. especially when it comes to the efforts of the moroccan diaspora communities around the world. you have been involved when it comes to trying to organize fund drives and give aid to victims of the earthquake. do you feel that enough is being done by the international community? and it is very difficult to coordinate efforts when it comes to getting aid to affected areas of natural disasters. would you feel more comfortable if you knew that there was an umbrella agency that was in charge of making sure that everything was coordinated? and all the aid was getting through in one particular way? zaid: first of all, with regards to resilience, in 1960, a 5.8 92 to earthquake hit southwest of marrakech. it killed 50,000 people.

a much worse earthquake this weekend took the lives of 2000 because the country has moved forward, much like bangladesh with perspective flooding. in terms of the way these disasters are managed, it would be better to have an autonomous body that is dealing with these. i know that the moroccan response will be to have their own internal state-of-the-art facilities, because that is the new mustache -- the new messaging and morocco. with regards to the national solidarity, i would like to give kudos to al jazeera for raising this issue and raising how these disasters are being managed in the global south. because the media discourse has been so terribly negative with morocco dealing with this as an independent and functional developing country. that the story of the

overwhelming national solidarity has been drowned. it will come through in eventual weeks and months, but it is at a scale which is heartwarming. i would like to salute you for raising attention to that. it is very telling that in countries like france, it is an important prospect for -- and a born -- it shows you how the bubble discourse on this issue needs to move on. the developing world will be suffering from this the most. mohammed: we have run out of time, we will have to leave the conversation there. thank you to our guests, zaid belbagi, nilofer afridi qazi and andrew phelps. thank you for watching, you can visit aljazeera.com. you can also join the conversation on x, our handle is

aljazeera.com. goodbye for now. ♪

helen: in western civilization, we have this idea of an artist. it's about a 600-year-old idea. this person is almost always considered a white man, and hs