Field library for disaster reduction catalogue

This document presents the catalogue of the Field Library for disaster reduction which was distributed in 2006 by the UNISDR secretariat to the countries most affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster of 26 December 2004. It is driven by a desire to address the needs of theses countries and to equip local communities affected by disasters with necessary information and knowledge on disaster risk reduction.

The objectives of the Field Library are twofold. One is to enhance a larger access to information and knowledge on disaster reduction among various target groups in hazardprone countries. This is promoted through active partnership among disaster reduction practitioners, researchers, educators, national and local leaders, regional institutions, local communities, libraries, NGOs, UN and other international development agencies. The second objective is to support the on-going efforts in creating a culture of disaster prevention that ultimately will result in more resilient communities to the effects of natural, technological, environmental and biological hazards.

This initiative facilitates national Government’s efforts to make disaster risk reduction a national and a local priority as agreed by 168 Governments at Kobe, Japan, in January 2005 and reflected in Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters. The ISDR secretariat is grateful for the valuable collaboration with WHO, UNDP, IFRC, Provention Consortium, the World Bank, UNEP and FAO for this specific project.