IORA in collaboration with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) hosted a one-week programme entitled ‘’ IORA-TIKA Training of Trainers Program on Organising Community Leaders for Disaster Risk Reduction and Protection Against Infectious Diseases and Hygiene in Post Disaster Conditions” from 16 – 22 May 2022. 

Considering Turkey’s extensive experience in pre and post-disaster events, and considerable know-how on environmental efforts in Disaster Risk Management (DRM), this training programme was developed in accordance with the Country Statement delivered by Turkey at the 21st IORA Council of Ministers Meeting held in November 2021 in Dhaka, Bangladesh in a hybrid-format, to strengthen IORA’s priority area of DRM and the Work Plan of the IORA Working Group on Disaster Risk Management (WGDRM). Turkey became a Dialogue Partner of IORA in 2018. 

 The main objectives of this training programme were to: 

• Acquire awareness on the occurrence of disasters, ways of protection from hazards and risks, 
• Disseminate knowledge and raising awareness among communities by the trainers. 
• Prepare IORA community leaders to be well versed in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategies and planning methods. 
• Improve skills and knowledge on effective DRM training. 
• Raise awareness on behavioural change toward hygiene and sanitation practices in general and focusing on post disaster risks for hygiene and disease control. 
• Enhance DRM cooperation between IORA participants and TIKA. 

IORA-TIKA Training of Trainers Program for Disaster Risk Management held from 16- 22 May 2022 in Ankara, Turkey, with participants from 16 IORA Member States (Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen). 

The workshop report can be accessed at DRM\IORA TIKA TOT May 2022\IORA-TIKA Workshop Report.pdf