NIDM is a premier institute of training and capacity development programs for managing natural disasters occurring in Pakistan. It started functioning in 2008 but wasn’t formally inaugurated till Feb’ 15 2010. Taking a ride through times when NIDM came into existence, Human Resource development and capacity building can be pointed as a building factor. Human resource not only involves the workforce of the institute but all the related organizations playing a part in preparedness, prevention, recovery and relief i.e. welfare agencies, NGO’s, community development as well as general public.

Human resource development is an integral part of Disaster Risk Management (DRM). Structural and / or engineering interventions yield far less dividends if research, training and awareness components are undermined. In South Asia, DRM is relatively a new subject but owing to the region’s exposure to a number of natural and human-induced threats, different countries have started taking a holistic approach by establishing dedicated institutes for public awareness and capacity building purposes. It reflects the significance of research and training for reducing disaster risks and lessening hazard impacts. It is widely argued by disaster experts that knowledge, information and training make a community more resilient against the consequences of hazards.

The Government of Pakistan is also striving to promote DRM as one of the priority development concerns. Its need was more crucial because of the consequent disasters which stressed upon the need of adopting a proactive approach by taking disaster risk reduction options to safe guard lives and properties. The creation of NDMA is an example of landmark achievement. However, there was a growing realization that in the absence of a full-fledged academic institute dedicated for providing research and training services, it would have be difficult to achieve the objectives of DRM. On the other hand, the utility of existing training facilities had been marred over the years due to lack of resources, commitment, the quality of contents and delivery.

In this backdrop, National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) was established for effectively catering to research and training needs of the public and private sectors on DRM.