UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Mia Seppo on Thursday highlighted how a strong response capacity to disasters ties into longer-term needs by allowing countries to focus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

She made the remark while addressing the opening of the 4th annual session of Regional Consultative Group on Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination in the city, reports the UNB.

The top UN official for Bangladesh said the gathering supports the achievement of three SDGs: SDG-11 on ‘Sustainable cities and communities,’ SDG-13 on ‘Climate action,’ and SDG-17 on ‘Partnerships for the goals.’

Seppo also spoke about the need for effective preparation to respond to emergencies, according UN office in Dhaka.

‘Without emergency and disaster preparedness attended to well in advance, any response to an emergency risks becoming chaotic and uncoordinated, leading to loss of lives and survivors being left behind,’ she said.