News : Global pledging initiative to make schools and hospitals safer launched today (8 April) in Manila
More than 300 participants from the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the civil society are launching today in Manila the 'One Million Safe Schools and Hospitals Initiative' to make hospitals and schools safer from disasters.

This global action is part of the new 2010-2011 World Disaster Reduction Campaign 'Making Cities resilient,' that will be launched in May, 2010, in Bonn, Germany.

The One Million Schools and Hospitals Initiative with the slogan “Make a Pledge, Save a Life” encourages an individual, a family, community, organization, government, or business entity to pledge to make a school or hospital safer from disasters in three ways: as an advocate, leader or champion.

“Making sure that schools, hospitals and other key public infrastructure meet certain safety standards are key steps to ensure that natural hazards do not turn into disasters,” said Margareta Walhstrom, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction. “Individuals commitments are as important as mutual commitments” she added.

Official website of the online pledging initiative: www.safe-schools-hospitals.net/

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News : ASEAN Regional disaster management agreement enters into force
The ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) entered into force, after being ratified by all the ten Member States of ASEAN.

AADMER is the region’s response to the need to establish a regional disaster management framework. It contains provisions on disaster risk identification, monitoring and early warning, prevention and mitigation, preparedness and response, rehabilitation, technical cooperation and research, mechanisms for coordination, and simplified customs and immigration procedures...

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News : UNISDR Terminology on Disaster Risk Reduction launched in three East Asian languages
The “2009 UNISDR Terminology on Disaster Risk Reduction” has been jointly published in Chinese, Japanese and Korean by the Cabinet Office of Japan (CAO), the National Emergency Management Agency of Korea (NEMA) and UNISDR . It was officially launched on the occasion of the first trilateral meeting on disaster management by China, Japan and the Republic of Korea in Kobe, Japan on 31 October 2009...

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News : Global Assessment Report launched in Philippines
The launch of the 2009 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR), prepared by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, took place yesterday, 28 October 2009, in the urban village of Barangay Nangka, Marikina City, one of the Metro Manila cities severely affected by floods. The report highlights the underlying drivers of disaster risk; poor urban governance, vulnerable rural livelihood and the decline of ecosystems...

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News : Maldives celebrates International Day for Disaster Reduction
School children from the Maldives will be visiting one of their native islands, Dhuvaafaru today for an awareness raising activity within the context of the International Disaster Risk Reduction Day. Dhuvaafaru was among the several islands severely affected by the 2008 tsunami.

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News : International Day for Disaster Reduction: DRR initiative for Nepal launched
Katmandu - A new disaster risk reduction initiative for Nepal was launched today by a consortium of partners that comprises the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, other United Nations organizations, International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank to mark the 2009 International Day for Disaster Reduction...

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Event : 'Building Resilience to Tsunami in Indian Ocean Region': End-of-project meeting, 15 - 16 Sept 2009 in Thailand
A review meeting of the EC funded project on 'Building Resilience to Tsunami', and looking forward to future work in the region. This meeting will involve partners and stakeholders implementing projects in the focus countries (India,Sri Lanka, Maldives & Indonesia). The forum will focus on sharing experiences, achievements, impacts and highlight sustainability of the initiative a the national/local levels. This meeting will also provide an opportunity to share some of the lessons learned by partners while implementing the projects at various levels to address the intended objectives of the initiative.
For more details

Event : ISDR-ESCAP Consultation meeting on "Coastal and climate hazards: Priorities for the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia", 17 - 18 Sept 2009 in Thailand
The consultation meeting aims to review the regional joint priorities of the environment and disaster risk reduction communities, as well as the priorities of various bilateral and multilateral funding mechanisms that are available to support this area of work. The meeting is expected to identify key priority topics on which technical assistance activities of the United Nations and its partners could focus on in the coming years.
For more details

News : Asia's first urban risk reduction training and education facility opens in Republic of Korea
Geneva - the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and the Government of the Republic of Korea are opening Asia's first ISDR Education and Training Institute for Urban Risk Reduction in Incheon, Republic of Korea.

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Meeting of the ISDR Asia Partnership (IAP), 13-14 Aug 2009 in Korea
This second meeting of the ISDR Asia Partnership in 2009 will focus on the follow-up action to the Second Session of the Global platform on DRR, the finalization of the Kuala Lumpur Action Plan on DRR, and the preparations for the Fourth Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, which will be hosted by the Republic of Korea in October 2010. The above agenda will be framed for action in particular by the three IAP working groups (WG), namely: (1) the WG on regional mapping of DRR initiatives; (2) the WG on regional HFA reporting and, (3) the WG on preparations for the next Asian Ministerial Meeting. In addition, the meeting will also provide an opportunity for IAP members to exchange some recent experiences and core developments in their DRR work in the region as a useful approach to keep each other informed in the spirit of true partnership building. Please find enclosed for your information, the meeting announcement with an overview of the tentative agenda. For more details

News : ASEAN, UN and World Bank to collaborate in reducing disaster risk : 18th May
The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR), with the World Bank and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) announced a joint cooperation, during the Bali Disaster Risk Reduction Forum.

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Event : 2009 Global assesment report on disaster risk reduction launch : Bangkok, Thailand : 25th May
The Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction launched for the first time internationally in Bahrain on 17-18 May by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki -moon will be launched regionally in Bangkok on 25 May 2009, at the United Nations Conference Centre, in presence of senior officials from the Regional Organisations, Government of Thailand, senior representatives from the UN Agencies, International Financial Institutions, and the Civil Society, followed by a discussion on the implications of the Reports? findings for the Asia and the Pacific.

Event Detail and Agenda

Video : Global assesment report (GAR)

Publication : Estimating the recurrence interval and behavior of tsunamis in the Indian Ocean via a survey of tsunami-related sedimentation
This symposium report focuses on mitigation strategies for tsunami disasters, tsunami warning systems and historical and pre-historical tsunamis associated with earthquakes in the Indian Ocean. The results of the project, upon which this symposium was based, have enabled the transfer of the methodologies and techniques employed in sedimentation surveys to related research. The symposium of the same name was held in Tsukuba International Congress Center, Epochal Tsukuba, Japan, 18-19 March 2009.
For more details

Publication : City profile: climate and disaster resilience
This study makes a comparative analysis of 15 cities in the Asian region, including some megacities, medium sized cities, and smaller cities, in their capacity to absorb stress, to manage it and recover from it. The scope of this study is limited to climate-induced disasters (hydro-meteorological disasters) such as cyclone, flood, heat wave, drought and heavy rainfall induced landslide and building resilience against them.

Through data collection and questionnaire analysis, a Climate and Disaster Resilience Index (CDRI) establishes a city resilience mapping that has different coponents of physical, social, economic, institutional and natural aspects. This study makes policy suggestions based on these findings.
For more details

Publication : Indigenous knowledge: disaster risk reduction, policy note
This policy note aims to provide a directional path for mainstreaming indigenous knowledge in disaster risk reduction by national authorities and ministries of disaster management, ministries of education, institutions of higher education in disaster management, and international and national NGOs in Asian countries. It addresses thematic areas such as: climate change and food security, rural development, urban risk reduction, gender and inclusion, mountain ecosystems, coastal zones, river basin management, water resource management, and housing.

This policy note was developed with supports and comments from different professionals and practitioners in the field of disaster risk reduction. It was discussed in the International Workshop in Kyoto in July 2008, followed by the Side Event in the Kuala Lumpur Ministerial Meeting in December 2008.
For more details

Meeting of the ISDR Asia Partnership (IAP), 23-24 Mar 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand
The first meeting of the IAP in 2009 will focus on preparations for the Second Session of the Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction, which will be held in Geneva Switzerland in June 2009. In addition the meeting will include talks on the follow-up action to the Third Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, which called on the ISDR Asia Pacific Office in consultation with the IAP to develop an Action Plan to the Kuala Lumpur Declaration. The meeting will also finalize action on its role as the operational arm of the Asian Regional Platform and review recommendations and agreements reached within the partnership to-date. This will include a discussion under the three IAP working groups that had been suggested to put into action various core function of the Asia Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. For more details

Joint launch by the UN/ISDR Asia Pacific and ASEAN Secretariat of an ASEAN Regional Drawing Competition on “Safer Community – Hospital, School and House of My Dream” on the occasion of the 2008 ASEAN Day for Disaster Management & International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, 8 October 2008.
Deadline for contribution: 15 August 2008
See modalities of submission and details about the competition

Regional Orintation Workshop on the HFA Progress Review, 25th April 2008 Bangkok
The UN/ISDR secretariat in Asia and Pacific and the UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok, will jointly organize the above orientation workshop on the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) Progress Review Process in Asia. The workshop will introduce to National HFA Focal Points and UNDP programme officers from selected countries in Asia the process of monitoring, evaluating, and reporting progress in achieving the five priorities of action of the HFA. The workshop will discuss why monitoring progress in disaster risk reduction at the country level is important and how the information will inform the 2009 Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. It will also provide opportunities to get familiar with the review methodologies and how to involve national stakeholders in the process. The workshop is supported by the funding of European Union.