Bangkok--12 Dec--UNISBKK
ENHANCING CAPACITY TO RESPOND TO NATURAL DISASTERS
UN agencies organize workshop in Bangkok
Issued jointly by UN/ESCAP and ITU
A Regional Workshop on Disaster Communications for the Asia and Pacific Region, co-organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) opened today at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok. The Workshop, scheduled for 12-15 December 2006, is supported by the Australian Government and Rohde & Schwarz GmbH.
The workshop is part of ITU’s and ESCAP’s respective efforts to build
capacity on preparedness for disaster communications, particularly in those countries which are prone to natural disasters. It aims to provide guidance on technical, policy and institutional issues in the development of networks, systems and possible regional cooperation in the future for communications to support disaster management. The event will focus on improving rapid response in emergency situations, especially in least developed, developing and small islands developing states in
Asia and the Pacific.
Delegates from Member States will discuss disaster threats, strategies and initiatives for improved disaster response as well as on assistance required to improve disaster management in their countries. Speakers will include experts from UN agencies, other international organizations, Government agencies, civil society, telecom companies, and members of ESCAP and ITU. Participants from least developed and low-income countries in the Asia-Pacific region are supported by the ITU fellowship programme, with additional financial support from ESCAP.
Specific objectives of the workshop are to:
review activities related to disaster communications in participating
countries;
assess the current status of disaster management communications with
respect to awareness of disaster risk, forecasting of potential
disasters, development and dissemination of disaster early warnings, and
responses to disasters;
enable donors to explain opportunities to potential recipients; identify suitable technologies, features and technical options for disaster communications;
enhance institutional and human capacity on utilizing telecommunications
for disaster management using case studies, lesson learned, and past experiences ;
develop a common framework for the development of a National Emergency
Telecommunication Plan;
explore possible regional cooperation for sharing information and practices, and for international response to major disasters based on the Tampere Convention;
explore the development of regional cooperative mechanisms for disaster
management, including communications aspects.
For further information, please contact:
Sanjay Acharya, Chief Wisit Atipayakoon
Media Relations and Public ITU Regional Office for Asia and the
Information, ITU Pacific
Tel: +41 22 730 6135 E-mail: Tel: +662 574 8565
[email protected] E-mail: [email protected]
Margaret Hanley, Information
Officer
UN Information Services Bangkok,
UN/ESCAP
Tel: +66-2 288-1861/ 62/ 66/ 67/
69, 1522
Fax: +66-2 288-1052
E-mail: [email protected]
About ITU
ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technology issues, and the global focal point for governments and the
private sector in developing networks and services. For more than 140 years, ITU has coordinated the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoted international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, worked to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world, and established the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems.
About UN/ESCAP
Headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand, The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is the regional development arm
of the United Nations for the Asia-Pacific region. With 62 members and associate members and a geographical scope that stretches from Turkey in the west to the Pacific island nation of Kiribati in the east, and from the Russian Federation in the north to New Zealand in the south, ESCAP is the most comprehensive of the United Nations five regional commissions. ESCAP seeks to overcome some of the region’s greatest challenges and carries out work in three main thematic areas: poverty reduction, managing globalization, and tackling emerging social issues.
United Nations Information Services Bangkok
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Rajadamnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Tel: (+66-2) 288-1861, 62, 66, 67, 69, and 288-1522? Fax: (+66-2)
288-1052 E-mail: [email protected]