ON
THE ROAD TO KOBE, HYOGO
World Conference on Disaster
Reduction (WCDR), Kobe, Hyogo,
Japan, 18-22 January 2005
Updated WCDR programme outcome document
The proposed WCDR programme outcome document "Building
the resilience of nations and communities to
disasters, in support of sustainable development" is
now available on-line. This version will be
discussed and further refined at the upcoming
PrepCom 2.
The programme outcome document is available
on-line at http://www.unisdr.org/wcdr
PrepCom 2 - 11-12 October, Geneva
Advance copies of documentation to be discussed
at the Second session of the preparatory committee
for the WCDR (PrepCom 2) are now available
on-line. Translations of official documents
will be made available by the end of September.
Further information on PrepCom 2 is available
at http://www.unisdr.org/eng/wcdr/preparatory-process/pc2-participate.htm
Deadline for applications for WCDR thematic
segments and public forum over
31 August was the deadline for applications
for the organization of thematic sessions and
public forum at the WCDR. A listing of all
WCDR sessions will be made available in October
on the WCDR website.
Upcoming meetings in preparation for the WCDR
The on-line forum on community based disaster
management (CBDM) organized by the UN Centre
for Regional Development commenced on 13 September
and will continue until 6 October 2004. The
forum is intended to expand ideas of governance,
civil society and education in the context
of CBDM for further discussion at the WCDR.
Further information is available at http://www.hyogo.uncrd.or.jp/e-forum/
The European Commission Joint Research Centre
and the Swedish Rescue Services Agency in collaboration
with the OECD International Futures Programme
is organizing a seminar on systematic risks
and lessons learned on 20 September in Karlskoga,
Sweden. For further information on this meeting,
please contact ana.vetere@jrc.it or visit the
password-protected web site (User name: lessons/Password:
learned) http://webdomino1.oecd.org/comnet/env/Workshops.nsf/Documents/lessons/$File/index.htm
For any enquiries relating to the Conference,
please refer to the official WCDR website http://www.isdr.org/wcdr or contact the WCDR Special Unit on isdr-wcdr@un.org
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"Recovery from Catastrophic Disasters" public
forum
Transitional recovery from major or medium size disasters is
a grey area which represents the opportunity to focus on introducing
risk reduction measures. Media attention and interest from
authorities and the international community is great in the
early aftermath of a major disaster; however, lessons from
the past show that the opportunity is quickly lost if not acted
upon based on previous planning. On 24 August a public form
on recovery on catastrophic disasters was held at UN University
in Tokyo (Japan), attracting over 250 participants, including
H.I.H.the Crown Prince of Japan, and held on the occasion of
Japan's Disaster Prevention Day and the Disaster Prevention
Week. The event was organized by ADRC with the Cabinet Office
of Japan, UNU, UN/ISDR UNDP in cooperation with USAID, NHK
and Hyogo Prefectural Government.
For further information on the public forum, please contact
tsunozaki@adrc.or.jp
Education and disasters
On 7-9 September OAS, UNESCO, UNICEF and UN/ISDR organized
a regional meeting on education for disaster risk reduction
in San Andrés, El Salvador. Over 100 participants from
17 countries in the region attended the meeting, requesting
that the resulting declaration be taken into consideration
at PrepCom 2 and at the WCDR.
The San Andrés Declaration is available at http://www.eird.org
The Regional Disaster Information Center for Latin America
and the Caribbean (CRID) produced a CD with information on
education and disasters that was presented at the Latin American
Meeting on Education and Disaster Risk Reduction.
To access the CD on-line, please refer to http://www.crid.or.cr/crid/CD_Educacion/index.htm
UNESCO, in collaboration with Kyoto University, and other partners
is working on the identification of best practices and case
studies on education for disaster reduction. A compilation
of such studies will be prepared for the WCDR as well as in
the lead up to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.
Submissions should be sent to cluster3wcdr@yahoo.com by 31
October 2004.
For further information, please contact B.Rouhban@unesco.org
Communication and public information in the Americas
On 24-26 August a regional meeting on communications and public
information for disaster reduction was held in Antigua, Guatemala)
co-organized by PAHO, UNESCO, IFRC and the UN/ISDR regional
office for Latin America and the Caribbean. The meeting reviewed
the current situation in the region and highlighted areas for
attention such as the development and implementation of communication
policies and strategies; the role of the media; and science,
technology and communication, which in turn will contribute
to the discussions to be held at the WCDR.
Further information on the meeting including the final proceedings
are available on request from eird@eird.org
Gender equality and disaster risk reduction
On 10-12 August a workshop was held in Honolulu, Hawai'i that
provided a forum for dialogue and strategizing across disciplines,
sectors, regions and all other boundaries that divide those
with shared concerns about women's empowerment, social equality
and the risk of disaster.
For further information on the meeting,
please contact eenarson@earthlink.net
El Niño and its global
impact
The International center for research on the El Niño
phenomenon (CIIFEN) and the European Geosciences Union are
organizing on the El Niño phenomenon and its global
impact on 16-20 May 2005 in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Further information is available at
http://www.ciifen-int.org/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=27
Hurricane season continues
Early warning demonstrated its value in recent major storms
and hurricanes affecting the Caribbean, with losses of lives
a tiny fraction of what they might have been. As hurricane
Ivan continues its destructive path across the Caribbean, media
reports demonstrate the value of investing in disaster risk
reduction thanks to measures taken by populations living in
Ivan's and future hurricanes' paths.
For more on risk reduction and early warning see
http://www.unisdr.org/eng/risk-reduction/early-warning/rd-early-warning-eng.htm
Up-to-date news on this season's hurricanes is available at
the following websites:
http://www.reliefweb.int
http://www.noaa.org
http://www.cdera.org
New national platforms for disaster reduction
The month of August saw the creation of three new national
platforms in Africa: Gabon, Republic of Congo and Kenya. The
Congolese, Gabonese and Kenyan ISDR National Platforms will
join the worldwide network of platforms that along with the
Inter-Agency Task Force on Disaster Reduction, the ISDR secretariat
and ISDR regional offices and partner organizations, form part
of the global implementation of the ISDR.
For further information on national platforms, please refer
to
http://www.unisdr.org/eng/country-inform/ci-guiding-princip-eng.htm
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