Bangkok--18 Dec--ESCAP
The world experienced theIndian Ocean Tsunami, one of the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded.At an event held at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand last week,panelists took stock of the progress made in building greater resilience todisasters in Asia-Pacific, and also highlighted outstanding gaps andpriorities for the way forward.
“Ten years after the Indian Ocean Tsunami, much has been done to fill gapsin risk reduction, disaster preparedness and early warning systems,” statedMs. Shamika N. Sirimanne, Director, Information and CommunicationsTechnology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division, United Nations Economicand Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
Ms. Sirimanne noted that a key lesson from the 2004 Tsunami was theimportance of early warning, and highlighted the establishment of theIndian Ocean Tsunami Warning System in 2011 as an important milestone towhich ESCAP had contributed through its Trust Fund for Tsunami, Disasterand Climate Preparedness.
Asia-Pacific remains highly disaster prone, despite progress being made inbuilding resilience. Critical gaps remain in early warning and additionalinvestments are required particularly at the local level. “Reaching themost vulnerable people and remote communities at the ‘last mile’ withtimely warnings is critical,” added Ms. Sirimanne. “An efficient end-to-endsystem is yet to be realized.”
Ms. Kanchana Patarachoke, Deputy Director-General, Department ofInternational Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand statedthat Thailand had come a long way over the past ten years and that theexperience of the 2004 Tsunami had taught countries to be prepared and toinvest more in disaster prevention.
Mr. David Oberhuber, Country Director, Deutsche Gesellschaft furInternationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH echoed the need for additionalinvestments in disaster preparedness, and highlighted Thailand as a goodxample of a country that had greatly strengthened its resilience at the
local level since 2004.
The panel discussion opened with the screening of the video, 'Tsunami: walking the Last Mile'. The Tsunami video and b-roll package will also be made available to broadcasters ahead of the December 26th commemoration.
About the ESCAP Trust Fund for Tsunami, Disaster and Climate Preparedness
ESCAP plays a significant role in galvanizing regional efforts, promotingnew technologies and supporting early warning projects through its TrustFund for Tsunami, Disaster and Climate Preparedness.
The Trust Fund was established in 2005 through a founding contribution ofUS$ 10 million from the Government of Thailand. Applying a multi-hazardapproach, it supports the development of an integrated regional earlywarning system. Since 2005, eight donors have joined the Trust Fund,
providing contributions totaling US$ 13.8 million.
The Trust Fund has made important contributions to the establishment ofeffective regional mechanisms such as the Indian Ocean Tsunami WarningSystem and the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System forAfrica and Asia (RIMES), as well as to the strengthening of warning systemsat the national and local levels. Since 2010, it has also supported earlywarning for multiple coastal hazards, including typhoons and storm surges.