AS I watched the devastation in Turkey and Syria caused by the recent deadly earthquake, I could not help but reflect on our own vulnerabilities in the face of potential natural disasters caused in large measure by the effects of climate change.

And even though we have to consider ourselves fortunate not to have experienced any disaster of the magnitude seen in other parts of the world, we have to continue to do our part in terms of disaster preparedness and mitigation efforts.

Such catastrophic disasters as in the case of Turkey and Syria require the collective response of the global community.

Credit must be given to those countries and international agencies that have already been rendering valuable assistance. In times of disaster, there should be no room for narrow thinking.

Assistance should be sought and accepted from all quarters, regardless of political or ideological differences.

Given the scale of deaths and destruction that could result from natural disasters, I am of the view that a special disaster fund should be set up by the United Nations.

A small reduction in global military spending of one per cent by the industrialized world could release billions of dollars for disaster-mitigation efforts. This admittedly, is wishful thinking given the entrenched military positions of the major powers.

In this regard, credit must be given to those individuals and groups that have been risking their own lives to come to the rescue of those trapped under the rubble.

Already, over 20,000 persons have perished but many others were saved, thanks to rescue efforts of so many people.

The full scale of the destruction is still to be determined, but from all indications it is one of the worst in recent times.

The disaster in Turkey and Syria is all the more worrying when seen against the man-made disaster in the Ukraine-Russia war in which tens of thousands of lives have been lost and billions of dollars wasted in infrastructural destruction.

The billions of dollars spent on the war could have made a huge difference in relief efforts and poverty alleviation. All of that is now, as it were, water under the bridge.

In fact, global military spending is increasing significantly as a result of heightened tension caused by the war in Ukraine.

Yours respectfully,
Hydar Ally