Bangkok--30 Mar--UNISBKK
Agreed to establish mechanisms to improve information sharing
Countries in Asia and the Pacific have agreed to take a series of measures to improve their cooperation in sharing information and experiences in disaster risk reduction — a key issue to be tackled in this most disaster-prone region in the world.
This was one of the main outcomes of the first meeting of the Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction (CDRR) which was established by the 62 member governments of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) last year.
The three day meeting, which ended today in Bangkok, brought together more than 200 delegates from governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.
Participants pointed out that while the Asia-Pacific region accounts for 42 per cent of the world’s natural disasters and a disproportionate 65 per cent of their victims, knowledge on disaster risk reduction is usually dispersed and out of reach of those who need to make decisions and take action. The Committee has asked ESCAP secretariat to launch a publication - Asia-Pacific Disaster Report - focusing on good practices and lessons learned, case studies of specific national efforts, trends and major events, economic and social analysis of the impacts of disasters, regional cooperation, among others.
The meeting also supported establishing an “Asia-Pacific gateway on disaster risk reduction and development” — an information-sharing platform.
The Committee called on the international donor communities to provide assistance to enable the gateway to be established as soon as possible.
The Committee requested the secretariat continue promoting regional cooperative mechanisms and knowledge-sharing arrangements to improve different aspects of disaster risk management, such as multi-hazard assessment, preparedness, early warning and response to disaster risks.
The Committee also requested that ESCAP further enhance partnerships and collaboration with the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and other UN entities as well regional and subregional organizations to provide better assistance to the member countries.
“The CDRR is very important for UNISDR as it ensures a close collaboration with ESCAP to facilitate the implementation of Hyogo Framework for Action in Asia and the Pacific, ” stated Mr. Salvano Briceno, Director of UNISDR, referring to the action plan agreed by 168 countries at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Japan in 2005. He said such collaboration “provides the opportunities to respond jointly to the needs of governments and communities to reduce the risks and vulnerability to extreme weather events, which is becoming more urgent with the impacts expected from climate change.”
Held at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok, the meeting was chaired by Mr.Muhammad Hatta Ab. Aziz, Secretary, National Security Council, Malaysia. The six vice-chairs were ministerial-level officials from China, Maldives, the Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Pakistan and Republic of Korea.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Zengpei Xuan
Director
Information and Communication Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction, ESCAP
Tel: (66) 2288 1466
Email: [email protected]
Ms. Ying Qiu
Associate Economic Affairs Officer
Information and Communication Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction, ESCAP
Tel: (66) 2288 2431
Email: [email protected] and [email protected]
Mr. Bentley Jenson
UN Information Services (UNIS), ESCAP
Tel: (66) 2 288 1869
Mobile: (66) 84 080 5025
Email: [email protected] and [email protected]