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Produced
by:
Inter-Agency Task Force Working Group on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction
DRCCinfolink@un.org
Issue
4 – May 2005
A. INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND POLICY NEWS
| 1.
World Conference on Disaster Reduction |
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(i) WCDR Outcomes
The World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR), 18-22 January 2005, adopted
the Hyogo Framework for Action, prioritising the reduction of disaster risk
factors, including climate change. The inclusion of climate change as a risk
factor was reflected in the documentation under 4.i.c: “Promote
the integration of risk reduction associated with existing
climate variability and future climate change into strategies
for the reduction of disaster risk and adaptation to climate
change, which would include the clear identification of climate
related disaster risks, the design of specific risk reduction
measures and an improved and routine use of climate risk information
by planners, engineers and other decision-makers.” In addition,
on resource mobilisation, States agreed to mainstream disaster
risk reduction measures appropriately into multilateral and bilateral
development assistance programmes including those related to
poverty reduction, natural resource management, urban development
and adaptation to climate change (Section IV, item F). The IATF Working
Group on Climate Change and Disaster Reduction, with the ISDR
secretariat, will contribute to and support partners in the implementation
of the relevant Hyogo Framework of Action recommendations.
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MORE: The
conference report, the full text of the Hyogo Framework of Action
and the reports of all thematic sessions and roundtables can be
viewed at http://www.unisdr.org/wcdr/
The Earth Negotiations Bulletin’s daily and summary reports of the WCDR
can be found at: http://www.iisd.ca/isdr/wcdr1/ |
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(ii) Thematic Session on Disaster Risk Management and Climate
Change Adaptation
Under the WCDR thematic segment, Governance, Institutional and Policy Frameworks
for Risk Reduction, session 1.7 focused on disaster risk management and climate
change adaptation. A discussion paper entitled ‘Disaster Risk Management
in a Changing Climate’, presented on behalf of the Vulnerability and Adaptation
Resource Group (VARG) highlighted the need to build a more programmatic and comprehensive
risk management approach that addresses disaster and climate risks, incorporating
these concerns into the development process. Commentators pointed out the need
to improve the dissemination of information to those most vulnerable and to incorporate
prevention measures into daily life. |
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MORE: A
report of the session can be viewed at:
http://www.unisdr.org/wcdr/thematic-sessions/cluster1.htm#c1-7
For more information on the paper presented by VARG, see Publications below. |
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(iii) Early warning at the WCDR
People-centered early warning, an important adaptation tool, was discussed during
the WCDR in a special session, when the International Early Warning Programme
was launched. |
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MORE: The
report of the session can be viewed at: http://www.unisdr.org/wcdr/thematic-sessions/thematic-reports/report-session-2-7.pdf
For more information on the Programme see:
http://www.unisdr.org/ppew/iewp/IEWP-brochure.pdf |
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| 2.
UNFCCC COP-10 and SBSTA-21 |
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(i) UNFCCC COP-10 Outcomes
The tenth session of the Conference of Parties (COP-10) to the UNFCCC, 6-17
December 2004, adopted the Buenos Aires Programme of Work on Adaptation and
Response Measures (decision 1/CP.10). The Programme includes further scientific
assessments of vulnerabilities and options for adaptation, support to the National
Action Plans on Adaptation of least developed countries (LDCs), new workshops
and technical papers on various aspects of climate change risk and adaptation
and support for mainstreaming adaptation into sustainable development planning. The Parties
to the UNFCCC were unable to reach agreement on the LDC Fund,
however, specifically on co-financing requirements and on the
funding of activities that are primarily development-oriented
but with a climate-adaptation component. The Parties thus forwarded
discussions to SBI-22. The COP also asked the UNFCCC secretariat
to convene a seminar of governmental experts, to be held 16-17
May in Bonn, which will host an informal exchange on actions
relating to mitigation and adaptation to assist Parties to continue
to develop effective and appropriate responses to climate change,
among other agenda items.
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MORE: The Earth
Negotiations Bulletin’s summary of COP-10 can be viewed at: http://www.iisd.ca/download/pdf/enb12260e.pdf |
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(ii) SBSTA-21 Side Event on Adaptation
The 21st session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice
(SBSTA) met during COP-10 and addressed the scientific, technical and socio-economic
aspects of impacts of, and vulnerability and adaptation to, climate change. The
UNFCCC secretariat prepared a side event on 7 December to inform Parties about
progress made by the secretariat in the collection and dissemination of methods
and tools to assess impacts, vulnerability and adaptation; present the updated
UNFCCC Adaptation Compendium; and share experiences on ways to collect and disseminate
information on methods, tools and selection of appropriate methodologies for
assessment.
The UNFCCC secretariat also prepared a background paper on the topic. ISDR contributed
to the paper and the side event. |
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MORE: All
side-event presentations may be viewed at: http://unfccc.int/adaptation/methodologies_for/vulnerability_and_adaptation/items/3359.php
The UNFCCC compendium of adaptation methods and tools can be viewed at: http://unfccc.int/adaptation/methodologies_for/vulnerability_and_adaptation/items/2674.php
The Earth Negotiations Bulletin’s coverage of the event can be found at: http://www.iisd.ca/climate/cop10/enbots/7dec.html |
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(iii) Development and Adaptation Days at COP-10
The ‘Development and Adaptation Days at COP-10’ event was organized
by IIED in collaboration with the Regional and International Networking Group
(RING) to raise the profile of adaptation and its linkages to development concerns,
with a particular focus on the effects of climate change on the world's poor.
The event included a session on food security and disaster planning, which focused
on overcoming knowledge gaps, local initiatives to reduce vulnerability, current
and expected food shortages in Africa and the need for donors to prioritise the
issue. |
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MORE: For
the Earth Negotiations Bulletin’s summary report, see: http://www.iisd.ca/climate/cop10/dad/
For additional coverage and photos, see: http://www.iied.org/docs/climate/Dev_Apt_Bul.pdf |
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(iv) Other COP-10 Side Events
ISDR and the Red Cross/Red Crescent Centre on Climate Change and Disaster Preparedness
hosted a side event on 10 December entitled ‘Disaster Reduction and Climate
Change – Opportunities for Synergy’ at COP-10. After an introduction
by Michael Zammit Cutajar (Malta), Madeleen Helmer (Red Cross) presented on the
integration of climate risk in community based disaster reduction from a Red
Cross/Red Crescent experience. Ian Noble (World Bank), representing the VARG
secretariat, highlighted the similarities and differences of managing hazard
risks and adapting to climate change; Svein Tveitdal (UNEP) presented on UNEP’s
experience in synergising disaster reduction and climate change issues; and John
Harding (ISDR secretariat) discussed disaster risk reduction priorities including
early warning and other climate-related resilience building. |
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MORE: More
information can be found in the Earth Negotiations Bulletin’s
coverage of the event: http://www.iisd.ca/climate/cop10/enbots/10dec.html |
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3. International
Meeting to Review the Barbados Plan of Action (BPOA+10)
The
BPOA review process held its final meeting, 10-14 January 2005 in Mauritius,
and adopted the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of
the Programme of Action on the Sustainable Development of Small Island
Developing States (SIDS), which contains specific recommendations on
climate change and disasters risk. |
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MORE: For
more information, see the Mauritius Strategy: http://www.un.org/smallislands2005/pdf/sids_strategy.pdf
The Earth Negotiations Bulletin’s coverage of the event: http://www.iisd.ca/sids/IM/ |
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4.
CBD New Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group The Subsidiary
Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice to the
Convention on Biological Diversity created a new ad hoc technical
expert group on biological diversity and climate change. The
group will undertake a supplementary assessment of the integration
of biodiversity considerations in the implementation of climate
change adaptation activities, as well as prepare guidance for
use in planning or implementing adaptation and mitigation activities
that link adaptation to climate change, biodiversity conservation,
land degradation and desertification.
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MORE: For the
group’s terms of reference, see:
http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meetings/sbstta/sbstta-10/official/sbstta-10-18-en.pdf |
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5.
CSD-13 The thirteenth
session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-13)
was held 11-22 April in New York. It addressed the theme of water,
sanitation and human settlements. One of the negotiated outcomes
is a text on interlinkages and cross-cutting issues. In particular,
the text calls for devising water, sanitation, and human settlements
policies and actions addressing the impacts of climate change,
climate variability and disasters, and indicates several relevant
actions.
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MORE: For
the advance unedited version of the text, see: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd13/csd13_decision_unedited.pdf
For the Earth Negotiations Bulletin’s summary: http://www.iisd.ca/csd/csd13/ |
B.
RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS
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(i) Disaster Risk Management in a Changing Climate
This paper is the result of a consultative VARG process on the links between
disaster risk reduction and climate change, and calls for a comprehensive risk
management approach. |
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MORE: Sperling,
F., F. Szekely (2005) ‘Disaster Risk Management in a Changing
Climate’ Informal discussion paper prepared for the WCDR
on behalf of VARG: Washington, D.C. |
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(ii) Special Issue of Disasters
A special issue of Disasters on climate change and disasters will be published
in September 2005. The special issue will be edited by Thea Hillhorst (Wageningen
University) and Madleen Helmer (Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre). |
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MORE: Contact
Thea Hillhorst, Thea.Hilhorst@wur.nl |
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(iii) Id21
This issue of Id21 (No. 53) edited by Declan Conway, University of East Anglia,
addresses ‘Securing development in the face of climate change’. Briefs
address the interaction between development needs and the impacts of climate
change. |
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MORE: All briefs
can be accessed at:
http://www.id21.org/insights/insights53/insights-iss53-art00.html |
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(iv) Responding to Life’s Change Shores: The Challenge
of Transition and Adaptation Following the Tsunami
Marcus Moench (ISET) discusses next options for those whose livelihoods have
been destroyed by the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. He describes the event
as a “death knell for ways of life that have existed for millennia”. |
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MORE: The article
can be downloaded at: http://www.disasterdiplomacy.org/MarcusMoenchTransitionAdaptation.rtf |
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| 7. Online
and Internet Resources |
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(i) Linking Climate Adaptation Network
The LCA Network aims to put practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, NGOs
and policymakers working on climate adaptation issues in touch with each other
in order to facilitate staying abreast of climate adaptation research and practises
from around the globe. By using the LCA Network email discussion group, members
of the Network will be able to share insights and experiences of implementing
climate adaptation - whether at project, programme or national and international
policy levels. Discussion
will centre on the following topics: adaptation projects and
experience with implementation; upcoming adaptation workshops
and conferences; new research or publications; news and views
relating to climate adaptation; and questions, concerns and comments
about policy issues that might benefit from a LCA Network discussion.
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MORE: An
archive of the discussions is available online at: http://community.eldis.org/lca/
To subscribe to LCA, send an email to lyris@lyris.ids.ac.uk with
the first line “subscribe lca”. |
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(ii) Scholarly and Factual Analyses of the Indian Ocean Tsunami
This site includes links to articles on a range of topics related to the disaster,
including: demography (demography, population studies); disaster studies (analyses
of disasters as complex events); domestic politics; meta view (philosophy of
the society, economy and government); money (finances, economics); international
politics (international politics; strategic matters); religion (religious matters);
security (military and state security matters) and situation reports (field data). |
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MORE: The
analyses can be found at: http://www.ciolek.com/WWWVLPages/AsiaPages/Tsunami-Analyses-2a.html |
C. UPCOMING
EVENTS IN 2005
| MAY |
8.
Twenty-Second Sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies to the UNFCCC |
| The 22nd sessions
of the UN Framework Convention to Climate Change’s subsidiary
bodies will be held from 19-27 May in Bonn, Germany. Adaptation
and risk related issues on the agenda include a discussion on scientific,
technical and socio-economic aspects of impacts of, and vulnerability
and adaptation to, climate change, as well as on the Special Climate
Change Fund. In addition, a number of side-events will be held
in Bonn: |
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(i) Disaster Risk Management in a Changing Climate
VARG will host a side-event on the interlinkages between disaster risk
management and climate change adaptation. The event will draw on the
discussion paper prepared by Sperling, F., F. Szekely (see above) and
the recent outcomes of the WCDR. Presenters and commentators include
Frank Sperling, World Bank; Madleen Helmer, Red Cross/Red Crescent
Centre on Climate Change and Disaster Preparedness; and Reid Basher,
UN/ISDR. The event will be held on Thursday, 19 May 2005, 18:00-20:00,
in the Solar room.
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(ii) Toolkits for Adaptation to Climate Change
The World Bank will hold a presentation and discussion of several toolkits
to assist in planning for adaptation to climate change. The event will
feature presentations by the World Bank, IISD, SEI and others on Saturday,
21 May 2005, 13:00-15:00, in the Solar room.
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(iii) Linking Climate Adaptation: Lessons for Mainstreaming
Climate Adaptation
The Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex (IDS) and
International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED) will
present research results from a UK DFID-funded project analysing how
community-led adaptation to climate change can be supported. Researchers
from China, India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Senegal will present
findings of six case studies, followed by a discussion, on Saturday,
21 May 2005, 15:30-17:30, in the Solar room.
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| 9.
IATF/DR-11 Meeting of the Working Group on Climate Change and
Disaster Risk Reduction |
The 11th
session of the Inter-agency Task Force on Disaster Reduction
will be held in Geneva on 24-26 May 2005. On 25 May, 9:00-11:30,
the Working Group on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction
will hold a meeting to discuss concrete next steps for its work
plan. The Working Group was set up by the IATF to highlight the
links between reducing vulnerabilities to disasters and climate
change adaptation.
MORE: Contact
Silvia Llosa, ISDR secretariat, Tel: +41-22-917-2839,
Email:DRCCinfolink@un.org
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| JUNE |
10.
International Work-Conference on Climate Change and Disaster
Risk Reduction |
This conference
will be held from 21-24 June 2005, in the Hague, the Netherlands,
and aims to bring together practitioners, policy makers and scientists
from various communities – disaster risk reduction, climate
change adaptation, as well as development and humanitarian organisations.
The goal is to share experiences and foster co-operation in the
new area of climate risk management, which requires a truly joint
effort.
Four simultaneous
workshops will be held on: (1) Community based climate adaptation/disaster
risk reduction programmes, lessons learned from the first experiences
in developing countries; (2) Methods and tools for climate
risk reduction; (3) Financing weather and climate related risks;
and (4) Linking community climate risk reduction programmes
with national and international programmes and policies.
MORE: Contact
Madeleen Helmer, Head, Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre,
+31-70-44-55-703, Email: mhelmer@redcross.nl.
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| OCTOBER |
11.
International Conference: Climate or Development?
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This conference
will be held from 28-29 October 2005 in Hamburg, Germany and
is sponsored by the Hamburg Institute of International Economics
(HWWA). The conference will address the questions: Is there a
hidden relationship between poverty alleviation and climate policy
in developing countries? Or is there simply too little scope
for directly poverty-oriented activities? Is poverty alleviation
simply a lip service of development policy while other policies,
in the interest of private CDM investors or local climate negotiators
dominate in practice? Which kind of interests could be involved
and could one imagine institutional structures, both within developing
countries and at the level of donor agencies that would foster
a true synergy between climate policy and poverty alleviation?
Which would be the climate policy related activities which could
create most synergies? Does the CDM in its current practice really
foster development? How can adaptation reach the poor? To what
extent is cooperation in climate policy truly additional to other
development finance?
Papers are invited for submission before 31 May.
MORE: For
more information, contact Heike Kern, email heike.kern@hwwa.de.
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D.
SUPPORTERS
12. IATF
Working Group on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction
DR+CC Infolink is
a product of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Disaster Reduction (IATF/DR)
Working Group on Climate Change and Disaster Reduction. The IATF/DR
is the principal body for the development of disaster reduction policy
within the United Nations system, which includes UN, international,
regional and civil society organizations. At its ninth session, the
IATF/DR established the Working Group on Climate Change and Disaster
Reduction toward the goal of greater integration between approaches
to climate change adaptation and disaster reduction. The Working Group
is co-chaired by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and World
Meteorological Organization (WMO), with the support of the ISDR secretariat,
and includes the following members:
- Asian Disaster
Preparedness Center (ADPC)
- Inter-Governmental
Authority for Development, Horn of Africa (IGAD)
- International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
- South Pacific
Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC)
- Tearfund
- United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP)
- United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
- United Nations
University (UNU)
- World Bank
13. Thank you to this issue’s contributors
- Hannah Reid, International
Institute for Environment and Development
- Lisa Schipper,
International Water Management Institute
- Frank Sperling,
World Bank
CONTACT
US
To
contribute to next issue of DR+CC Infolink, please send
brief updates and information to DRCCinfolink@un.org
Issue 4 Editors – Lisa Schipper and Silvia Llosa.
Production – Carolin Schärpf.
For more information: Silvia Llosa at UN/ISDR
The information and opinions expressed in DR+CC Infolink do not
necessarily reflect the policies of the IATF Working Group on Climate
Change and Disaster Risk Reduction.
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