ISDR Campaign on micro finance
An information kit on “Micro finance as a potential tool to reduce the impact of natural hazards on population” can be consulted on the ISDR website. The kit presents different perspectives from disaster management experts and micro finance institutions’ representatives. A number of case studies, point of views, links and an on-line discussion on the private sector's role in disaster recovery and risk reduction, conducted by the World Bank's Private Sector Development Unit, are also available on the ISDR website.
To commemorate the International Day for Disaster Reduction Day on the 12 October a number of events related to micro finance will be organized around the world. ISDR invites you to inform us about your plans and activities to advertise them in our website. Events planned include a round table in New Delhi on the potential of micro finance for the tsunami recovery. This workshop will be co-organized by the Disaster Mitigation Institute of India and the ISDR secretariat.
For further information please consult: www.unisdr.org/eng/public_aware/world_camp/2005/2005-international-day-DR.htm
Disaster risk reduction: an issue in the recent G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland (UK)
The recent G8 Summit in Gleneagles specifically addressed the future of disaster risk reduction, and called for greater support for a more effective International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015:building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters, with strong leadership from the United Nations. In calling for greater support for a more effective International Strategy, the leaders of the most industrialized countries have agreed to provide more resources to disaster reduction.
You can find the communiqué of the Gleneagles summit on our website.
www.unisdr.org/eng/media-room/press-release/2005/PostG8_Gleneagles_Tsunami.pdf
President Bill Clinton urged Governments to make progress on disaster risk reduction
President Bill Clinton, the UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery underlined the relevance of disaster risk reduction in his speech at the recent UN Economic and Social Council, on 14 July in New York.
President Clinton recalled the importance of the Hyogo Framework and encouraged Governments and other stakeholders to make real progress on disaster risk reduction. He urged the members of the Council to systematically implement the Hyogo Framework and to include disaster risk reduction policies and practices in the recovery efforts. He stressed the importance of disaster risk awareness education in school curricula and said that early warning systems should be well integrated with other warning systems, such as those for tropical cyclones.
You can read the transcript of his Remarks to UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Humanitarian Segment, Panel "Lessons Learned From the Response to the Indian Ocean" on our website.
www.unisdr.org/eng/media-room/point-view/WJC-ECOSOC-transcript.pdf
Study Tour on National Tsunami Warning System Implementations for High Level Administrators Responsible for Tsunami Warning Activities, Tokyo, 11-14 July and the Study Tour on the same subject, Hawaii, 26-29 July:
Targeted at national experts from 26 Indian Ocean countries and organized by ISDR-PPEW and UNESCO-IOC, the Study Tours aimed to help participants to identify the components of the national tsunami warning and mitigation systems that need to be built or strengthened. The study tours provided in-depth descriptions of the respective national systems, including visits to operations centers and tsunami-safe communities.
During the tours, participants had the opportunity to discuss international coordination mechanisms and the new interim tsunami advisory information services provided by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and the Japan Meteorological Agency for the Indian Ocean implemented in April 2005.
Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System to meet in Perth, Australia, 3 to 5 August
The technical and scientific requirements for the newly established Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWS) were discussed at the first meeting of the System's governing body, in Perth, Western Australia, from 3 to 5 August. The Assembly of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) in Paris set up the IOTWS Intergovernmental Coordination Group (ICG) last June. The meeting in Perth worked on the technical plans for the System, including: seismic data and collection; sea level data collection and exchange; deep-sea pressure measurements; tsunami modeling, prediction and scenario development; warnings and alerts and centers; communication and information awareness; technology and technology transfer and sustainability.
India has been appointed as the president of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group with Indonesia and Mauritius as vice president.
First International Conference on the Promotion of Ocean Security, Tripoli, Libya, 23-25 July
For the first time, the oceans expert community discussed risk reduction and provided a valuable occasion to promote the Hyogo Framework with Government agencies and expert institutions working on ocean and coastal management. USA Congress members and Mediterranean countries supported the Conference. ISDR Director delivered a message from the UN Secretary General highlighting the relevance of early warning systems and multi-hazards risk reduction in ocean security programmes and coastal zone management.
International Conference on Energy, Environment and Disasters (INCEED) 2005, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, 24-30 July
The Conference was organized by the Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction (GADR), which represents one of the main global technical networks of experts on disaster reduction. Some 400 experts attended. The Conference was the opportunity to give the 2005 UNESCO GADR medals to people around the world who are making notable contributions to the urgent global goal of institutionalization of disaster resilience. To consult the list of the winners go to: www.unisdr.org/news/winners-unesco-gadr-2005.doc
Development of the ISDR-Africa/UNDP Drought Risk Internet portal
The Internet portal developed in co-operation between UNDP/Drylands Development Center (DDC) and ISDR Africa is proceeding. One ISDR staff (JPO) was detached to UNDP/DDC for a period of 2 months to assist the website development http://droughtnet.unisdrafrica.org. The testing phase was launched on 23 July 2005 through a presentation of the site. Dr. Philip Dobie, Head of UNDP Drylands Development Center, suggested the first external testing phase be the COP 7th session of the Desertification Convention, (UNCCD) Nairobi, 17_28October and the official launch at the next Africa Drought Forum by Richard Branson.
Strengthened collaboration between ACP/EU and the United Nations on disaster risk reduction
Following the decision taken at the Joint ACP-EU (African, Caribbean, Pacific - European Union) Council of Ministers in 24 -25 June 2005, to create an ACP-EU Natural Disaster Facility, the ACP secretariat invited the ISDR secretariat to attend a Special Ambassadors meeting on 8 July in Brussels. The meeting discussed ACP Secretariat/UN collaboration in the context of the new ACP-EU Natural Disaster Facility and the strengthening of the joint commitment to reduce the vulnerability of the least developed countries in the ACP regions.
The ACP Committee of Ambassadors favorably received the proposals to establish a more formal working relationship with the ISDR Secretariat and a request from the ACP group to be a member of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force for Disaster Reduction (IATF/DR). For more information contact Ms. Natallie Corrie Kordas, Political Affairs and Human Development Department, ACP Secretariat (email:dnatallie@acp.int).
Contribution by the Danish Government to the Implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action
A Danish delegation visited ISDR partners in Geneva, London and Bangkok this month as part of the preparations for an International Workshop on Strengthening the Resilience of Local Communities in Coastal Areas to Water-Related Natural Disasters. The objective of these consultations is to ensure that the outputs of the workshop link to the common strategic directions set out for the implementation of the Hyogo Framework with a particular focus on increasing resilience of communities in coastal zones in six South East Asian countries. The International workshop is planned for 16-18 November 2005 in Copenhagen. For more information contact Mr. Palle Lindgaard-Jørgensen, DHI Water and Environment, Denmark, e-mail PLJ@DHI.dk.
UNFCCC Secretariat: Database on local coping strategies
In support of the work programme of the LDC Expert Group (LEG), and building upon the outcome of the UNFCCC workshop on local coping strategies (Delhi, November 2003), the UNFCCC secretariat is developing a database on indigenous and community-based coping strategies that are relevant to adaptation to climate change.
The main objective of the database is to facilitate the dissemination and transfer of knowledge and experience from communities that have developed long-standing coping mechanisms to adapt to specific hazards or climatic conditions, to communities that may just be starting to experience such conditions as a result of climate change.
If you want to complete the questionnaires, please contact: Youssef Nassef (ynassef@unfccc.int) or Annett Moehner (amoehner@unfccc.int) at the UNFCCC secretariat.
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