Standardized national disaster databases established in several Arab countries

Jordan is the first country in the Arab region to complete a standardized national disaster database. Egypt and Syria are in the finalization stage, and Morocco and Yemen are expected to be ready by end of December 2010.

The establishment of national  disaster databases with a specific standardized methodology and tools has attracted other countries such as Djibouti and Lebanon in developing nation disaster losses databases as well.

The UNISDR Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS) in consultation with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), agreed to undertake a pilot project supporting Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Syria and Yemen to establish disaster loss databases and carry on risk-poverty analysis to inform national, regional and global risk assessment processes.

The Project approved by SDC in December 2009 and agreement between UNISDR and SDC was signed on 14.12.2009 for a total amount of US$ 300,000. Regional training was conducted for participating countries to introduce the tools and the methodology to establish, developing, as well how to maintain national disaster losses database.

On the short term, the project has been very ambitious in aiming at establishing national disaster inventories with a specific standardized methodology and tools in countries were the baseline was null. However, on the longer term, and with a vision to enable and equip national institutions to enhance DRR information systems and improve policy analysis based on credible and valid data, the project is well in track.

For more information please see the Interim Progress Report – October 2010