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June
2004
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ON
THE ROAD TO KOBE, HYOGO
World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR),
Kobe, Hyogo, Japan, 18-22 January 2005
WCDR on-line dialogue: Setting a new international
agenda towards building disaster resilient communities
The ISDR secretariat invites you to participate in
an on-line conference to discuss priority areas for
future action to implement disaster risk reduction
for 2005-2015. The dialogue will take place from 15
June to 15 July, providing an opportunity to provide
inputs for the discussions and outcomes of the WCDR.
Further information on the on-line conference is available
at http://www.unisdr.org/WCDR-dialogue/
To register, please refer to http://www.unisdr.org/WCDR-dialogue/registration.htm
African consultation highlights regional strategy for
disaster reduction
In coordination with the African Union (AU) and the
New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the
ISDR secretariat organized a regional consultation
in preparation for the WCDR (Johannesburg, South Africa,
2-3 June). Representatives from 28 African countries
as well as numerous international and regional organizations
discussed progress of disaster reduction in Africa
and how to best facilitate active participation for
the region in the WCDR.
Recommendations, presentations and the background paper
of the meeting are available at http://www.unisdr.org/eng/wcdr/meetings/African-regional-consultation-2-3-June-04.htm
Beijing meeting declares governments' responsibility
for protecting people from disasters
Co-organized by the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs
and UN/ISDR as part of the preparatory process
leading to the WCDR, the International Conference
on Disaster
Reduction in Beijing, China (25-27 May) attracted
over 100 participants from 18 countries and 6 international
organizations to further promote regional cooperation
and collaboration in disaster reduction, and integration
of disaster reduction into development planning,
policies
and implementation. The Conference benefited from
the recommendations of the earlier Asian Conference
on
Disaster Reduction 2004 held in Siem Reap Cambodia
(4-6 February) and the Regional Consultation on
Disaster Management held in Dhaka, Bangladesh (29-31
March).
The Conference declaration will be available shortly
on the ISDR website.
Latin American experts from health sector prepare
agenda for disaster mitigation
Over 100 experts from 18 Latin American countries
met in Nicaragua on April 21-23 to review the current
state
of disaster vulnerability in the region in preparation
for the WCDR. The meeting noted achievements in
risk reduction and prepared an action plan to reduce
vulnerability
in health facilities and water systems over the
next 10 years, stressing the need for these issues
to be
addressed in national agendas and allocated the
necessary financial resources and legal frameworks,
to be presented
at the WCDR.
For more information on health facilities workshop
please contact mitigacion@ecu.ops-oms.org; on the
drinking water infrastructure workshop, contact:
desastre@cepis.ops-oms.org.
Further information is available at http://www.paho.org/desastres
Caribbean meeting on mitigation in health facilities
More than 34 representatives from Caribbean countries
as well as from the Association of Caribbean States
(ACS), Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency
(CDERA), Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance
(OFDA), UN/ISDR and PAHO/WHO participated in the
Caribbean
Meeting on Mitigation in Health Facilities held
in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago from 27-28
May 2004
sponsored by PAHO and ISDR in preparation for the
WCDR. The rich open discussion helped to better
identify
central issues and recognized achievements to date
in risk reduction and health, noting that there
is a need to incorporate disaster mitigation into
decision
making beyond the health sector alone to enable
the development of national risk reduction policies.
Participants
also agreed that hospital vulnerability reduction
should be included as a national indicator of risk
reduction.
Further information is available at http://www.paho.org/desastres
National inputs for the WCDR - reminder
National reporting and inputs is an essential component
in the lead up to and for the elaboration
of outcomes of the WCDR. UN Member States are
urged to participate
and submit their inputs to the ISDR secretariat
by 15 June 2004. Numerous countries have
indicated their
preparation of reports, with India being
the first to submit its input to the secretariat.
For further information and the outline for
national inputs, please refer to http://www.unisdr.org/eng/wcdr/national-inputs/wcdr-national-imputs.htm
For any enquiries relating to the Conference,
please contact the WCDR Special Unit on isdr-wcdr@un.org |
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Learning to live with risk: 2005 World Disaster Reduction Campaign
In the lead up to the WCDR as well as the UN Decade of Education
for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), this year's World Disaster
Reduction Campaign highlights the importance of learning in disaster
reduction to raise public awareness and understanding, reflecting
on past experience, sharing information and conducting educational
activities. The Campaign will build momenturm until its culmination
on the International Day for Disaster Reduction (Wednesday 13 October).
More information on the Campaign will soon be available on the
ISDR website...so stay tuned!
OCHA-UNEP Environmental Emergencies Partnership delivering practical
results
The Environmental Emergencies Partnership (EEP), founded by OCHA
and UNEP with support from a range of national and international
stakeholders including the ISDR, is now in a results-focussed implementation
phase. The Partnership was launched in 2002 at the World Summit
on Sustainable Development, with the goal of reducing the frequency
and severity of environmental emergencies through more effective
and integrated preparedness, prevention and response.
The Partnership welcomes new partners to expand its outreach and
explore possible initiatives with a range of countries and stakeholders,
including the private sector. Anyone wishing to engage in the Partnership
is invited to contact the EEP Secretariat, c/o UNEP/OCHA Joint
Environment Unit at +41 Partnership is invited to contact the EEP
Secretariat, c/o UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit at +41 22 917
3484 or to visit the pilot website at http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/eep
Environmental Vulnerability Indicator (EVI) launched at SIDS meeting
The South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) launched
the EVI at a special session of the Preparatory Meeting for the
10-year Review of the Barbados Programme of Action for small island
developing states (SIDS) in New York in April. The EVI was initiated
in response to a call for the development of a composite vulnerability
index that incorporates both ecological fragility and economic
vulnerability, enabling SIDS to better understand their vulnerability
and move towards sustainable development.
More information on the EVI is available at http://www.sopac.org
Ghana workshop unites representatives from 15 ministries
On 20-22 April a national workshop on disaster risk reduction
for sustainable development was held in Accra, Ghana. The
workshop demonstrated the clear cross-cutting nature of
the subject,
bringing together a range of participants who reviewed national
policies
and activities in disaster risk management. Thomas Broni,
Deputy Minister of the Interior spoke on behalf of President
J.A.
Kufuor informing participants that "the president of the
Republic of Ghana regards issues of disaster risk as very important
for
our development. The government has therefore explicitly
included disaster management as a focal area of Ghana's poverty
reduction
strategy."
For further information on the meeting, please contact isdr-africa@unep.org
Health and disasters: Risk of infection from dead bodies negligible
after natural disasters
The May 2004 issue of PAHO's journal "Pan American Journal
of Public Health/Revista Panamericana de Salud" presents
a scientific article that argues that fears that dead bodies
will
cause widespread infection following a disaster are largely
baseless and often lead to mistreatment of the bodies.
Written by Oliver
Morgan studying at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine, the article breaks new ground and is available
on the PAHO publications
website http://publications.paho.org/english/dead_bodies.pdf
2004 UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction
Nominations are still being accepted for the 2004 UN Sasakawa Award
for Disaster Reduction until 18 August. Join us in rewarding individuals
and institutions from around the world who contributed, through
innovative practices and outstanding initiatives, to reducing the
risk and vulnerabilities of communities to natural hazards!
To download the nomination form (available in English/French/Russian/Spanish),
please refer to http://www.unisdr.org/
For further information on the UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction,
please refer to http://www.unisdr.org/eng/sasakawa/sk-about-eng.htm
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ISDR
Highlights is a monthly email update on current news in disaster
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International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR).
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