Bangkok--17 Feb--ESCAP
Hydro-meteorological disasters continue to take aheavy toll in the Asia-Pacific region. Today, in a landmark meeting hostedby the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and thePacific (ESCAP), representatives from 17 countries agreed to work togetherto build resilience to such disasters through enhanced regionalcooperation.
The joint session of the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee (TC) and the WMO/ESCAPPanel onTropical Cyclones (PTC) was the first the two groups had held in18 years. Experts in the fields ofmeteorology, hydrology and disaster riskreduction came together to share knowledge, reviewadvances in science andtechnology, and identify gaps across the region.
The experts agreed to implement collective operating plans for 2015, andalso approved a set of measures to enhance cooperation between the TC andthe PTC. These new measures include joint projects, information sharing,opportunities for sharing second generation meteorological satelliteproducts, state-of-the-art modeling solutions, advanced scientific researchand analysis, and training activities, with a particular aim of assistingleast developed countries at high risk of hydro-meteorological disasters.Specifically, TC and PTC members will partner to enhance the forecasting of
tropical cyclones, typhoons, flash floods and landslides, and integrateactivities in meteorology, hydrology and disaster risk reduction, which areessential steps to strengthen early warning systems.
The strengthened regional cooperation will be implemented with support fromESCAP, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the RegionalSpecialized Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) in New Delhi and Tokyo.
“The Asia-Pacific region continues to be battered by natural disasters,many of which are caused by hydro-meteorological hazards”, said Mr.Shun-ichi Murata, Deputy Executive Secretary of ESCAP, “Added together, thecollective expertise and resources of Typhoon Committee and Panel onTropical Cyclones members represent a world-class toolkit, which we canfurther enhance and share through regional cooperation.”
“The establishment of closer cooperation between the Typhoon Committee andthe Panel on Tropical Cyclones is a remarkable step forward in improvingthe capacity of Asia and the Pacific to address shared disaster risks,particularly those with hydro-meteorological origins,” added Mr. Olavo
Rasquinho, Secretary of the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee.
“Today’s agreement will lead to a more systematic cooperation among TyphoonCommittee and Panel on Tropical Cyclones members,” said Mr. Arif Mahmood,Secretary of WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones. “Countries in the regionhave much to learn from each other in addressing hydro-meteorological risk,and I am grateful for ESCAP’s support.”
Background
The Typhoon Committee is an intergovernmental body organized under theauspices of ESCAP and WMO in 1968 to promote and coordinate the planningand implementation of measures required for minimizing the loss of life andmaterial damage caused by typhoons in Asia and the Pacific.
The Panel on Tropical Cyclones is an intergovernmental body organized underthe auspices of WMO and ESCAP in 1973 to improve and coordinate programmesand measures of disaster prevention in the Northern Indian Ocean rimcountries and reduce the loss of lives and properties caused by tropicalcyclones related disasters.