Delegation Led by Eswatini PM Dlamini Visits NCKU for Exchange on Disaster Prevention Education and Disaster Management System

Written by Lin Yun-Mao. Image credit to NCKU News Center.

The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Eswatini, His Excellency Russell Dlamini, accompanied by his spouse, Madame Philile Dlamini, undertook an official visit to Taiwan at the invitation of the government. Their visit, spanning from March 18th to 22nd, included a significant stop at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) on the concluding day of their itinerary. The NCKU representatives included Executive Vice President Chen Hong-Chen, Vice President for International Affairs Sun-Yuan Hsieh, Director General of Innovation Headquarters Liang-Ming Whang, Associate Vice President for Research & Development Shun-Fen Tzeng, Director of Disaster Prevention Research Center Hsiao-Wen Wang, and Deputy Directors of the center, Yun-Chung Tsang and Sin-Ping Lee, along with Chia-Hsiang Lin, the Director of International Relations Division, Office of International Affairs. The meeting focused on disaster prevention education and disaster management systems.

Executive Vice President Chen began his speech with a friendly welcome to the Swazi guests before mentioning that NCKU maintains a good relationship with Swazi students. During the last five years, there have been 70 Swazi students enrolled at NCKU, and the most popular departments were nursing and civil engineering, he said. Furthermore, he mentioned that the Eswatini prince, Sewele Mphumelelo Dlamini, graduated from the International Master Program on Natural Hazards Mitigation and Management (iNHMM)   in 2019 and is currently in the third year of a PhD program in hydraulic and ocean engineering. He stated that the close collaboration between NCKU and Eswatini in talent training programs has yielded significant results over the years. In addition to enhancing knowledge and experience sharing, he expressed the hope that this visit would facilitate continuous knowledge exchange between Taiwan and Eswatini, with a particular focus on disaster prevention and mitigation. He believed that this ongoing exchange of talent and knowledge would further strengthen the bonds of friendship between Taiwan and Eswatini.
 
The PM indicated in his speech that he had learned that Taiwan uses advanced disaster prevention technology and warning measures to enhance disaster resilience and reduce damage from severe natural disasters following his participation in the "2022 Advanced Training Program on Disaster Prevention Technology and Management." As he considered these lessons worth learning for Eswatini, he hoped the two nations would develop close ties in natural disaster warning and prevention, fostering a exchange in technology and talent training so Eswatini could continue to improve its disaster prevention efforts. In addition, he anticipated that the training program would be continued and that more frequent opportunities for exchange scholar program would be provided. Prime Minister Dlamini also expressed gratitude for NCKU's care and support for Swazi students.

During the meeting, Director Wang of the Disaster Prevention Research Center provided a concise overview of the collaboration systems and models between the center and government agencies, as well as the cooperative models with foreign administrations. From her perspective, since it is impossible to eliminate disaster risks entirely, the key focus should be on cultivating a culture of risk awareness and preparedness. She also mentioned that, apart from its day-to-day operations, the Disaster Prevention Research Center focuses on themes such as disaster risk governance, climate-related risks, and disaster resilience. She added that the center has benefited from international cooperation and intends to continue collaborating with like-minded parties.

Following the meeting, NCKU arranged an interaction session at the Banyan Garden for Prime Minister Dlamini to engage with 29 Swati students currently residing in Tainan and Taichung. The Prime Minister listened attentively and showed genuine concern for the students, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
 
During his tenure as Chief Executive Officer of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA)  from November 2015 to November 2023, Prime Minister Dlamini accumulated extensive experience in disaster prevention and response. It was during this period that he took part in the "2022 Advanced Training Program on Disaster Prevention Technology and Management," which was a part of the "Foreign Student Scholarship Program of International Advanced Manpower Training - Senior Official of Ally Government Training," initiated by the International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF). Impressed by the disaster response strategies and warning systems observed during the program, Prime Minister Dlamini expressed his admiration and appreciation for Taiwan's disaster prevention technology and monitoring systems to His Excellency Ambassador Jeremy Liang on multiple occasions.
 
This 3-week program, jointly organized by NCKU and TaiwanICDF, took place from August 15th to September 2nd, 2022, with the main execution carried out by the International Master Program on Natural Hazards Mitigation and Management. The course aimed to provide participants from allied countries with disaster preparedness relevant theories and knowledge in various fields, including disaster prevention, forestry management, fire training, flood control, and engineering economics. While the course was primarily conducted online, it also included visits to institutions in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Taipei, and New Taipei City, as well as cultural experiences, to enable students to gain a deeper understanding of disaster response strategies and early warning systems across different units.