International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction

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The United Nations General Assembly designated the 1990s as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR).[1]

Its basic objective was to decrease the loss of life, property destruction and social and economic disruption caused by natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions, droughts, locust infestations, and other disasters of natural origin.

While the IDNDR followed a strictly techno-centric and scientific approach in the beginning, the Yokohama conference in 1994 put socio-economic aspects as component of effective disaster prevention into perspective. It was recognised that social factors, such as cultural tradition, religious values, economic standing, and trust in political accountability are essential in the determination of societal vulnerability. In order to reduce societal vulnerability, and therewith decrease the consequences of natural disasters, these factors need to be addressed. The ability to address socio-economic factors requires knowledge and understanding of local conditions, which can – in most cases - only be provided by local actors. A global strategy aiming at reducing the impacts of natural hazards therefore must include the development of national and sub-national mechanisms for disaster risk reduction. Within this context the IDNDR called on the UN-member states to establish National Platforms which would facilitate the adjustment of general disaster risk reduction objectives to national/local conditions, implement the agreed policies and expand the understanding and perception of the importance of disaster risk reduction on national levels. However, while some countries successfully established national networks many did not. In practice, there remains a pressing need to revitalize and strengthen these national structures.

The same resolution designated the second Wednesday of October as International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction.

Contents

[edit] International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR)

When it drew to an end, the IDNDR was replaced and continued by the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) [1]. The ISDR aims to pursue the initiatives and cooperation agreed on during the IDNDR, and developing new mechanisms as well as pushing for further commitments from policy-makers. The overriding goal is to reduce human, social, economic and environmental losses due to natural hazards (and related technological and environmental disasters). The building of disaster resilient communities is a main objective. The ISDR promotes the following four objectives as tools towards reaching disaster reduction for all:

  • Increase public awareness to understand risk, vulnerability and disaster reduction globally
  • Obtain commitment from public authorities to implement disaster reduction policies and actions
  • Stimulate interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral partnerships, including the expansion of risk reduction networks
  • Improve scientific knowledge about disaster reduction

ISDR Mission

Catalyze, facilitate and mobilize the commitment and resources of national, regional and international stakeholders of the ISDR System to build the resilience of nations and communities to disasters through the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action.


Recognizing that natural hazards can threaten any one of us, the ISDR builds on partnerships and takes a global approach to disaster reduction, seeking to involve every individual and every community towards the goals of reducing the loss of lives, the socio-economic setbacks and the environmental damages caused by natural hazards. In order to achieve these goals, the ISDR promotes four objectives as tools towards reaching disaster reduction for all:

Increase public awareness to understand risk, vulnerability and disaster reduction globally The more people, regional organizations, governments, non-governmental organizations, United Nations entities, representatives of civil society and others know about risk, vulnerability and how to manage the impacts of natural hazards, the more disaster reduction measures will be implemented in all sectors of society. Prevention begins with information.

Obtain commitment from public authorities to implement disaster reduction policies and actions The more decision-makers at all levels commit themselves to disaster reduction policies and actions, the sooner communities vulnerable to natural disasters will benefit from applied disaster reduction policies and actions. This requires, in part, a grassroots approach whereby communities at risk are fully informed and participate in risk management initiatives.

Stimulate interdisciplinary and intersectoral partnerships, including the expansion of risk reduction networks The more entities active in disaster reduction share information on their research and practices, the more useful the global body of knowledge and experience will progress. By sharing a common purpose and through collaborative efforts we can ensure a world that is more resilient to the impact of natural hazards.

Improve scientific knowledge about disaster reduction The more we know about the causes and consequences of natural hazards and related technological and environmental disasters on societies, the more we are able to be better prepared to reduce risks. Bringing the scientific community and policy makers together allows them to contribute to and complement each other's work.

Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction

It was convened on the basis of guidance contained in the resolution of the General Assembly on the ISDR that calls for the adoption by governments of the Hyogo Framework and that recognizes the Global Platform as a successor mechanism to the Inter-Agency Task Force for Disaster Reduction. National practitioners and other stakeholders have repeatedly expressed the desire to have a mechanism through which they can exchange their experiences in disaster risk reduction and access information on how other countries addressed particular challenges in the implementation of the Hyogo Framework. The Global Platform has been set up to serve this need, and it is expected to become the main global forum for all parties involved in disaster risk reduction, namely governments, United Nations agencies, international financial institutions, regional bodies, civil society, the private sector, and the scientific and academic communities. The Global Platform provides advocacy for effective action to reduce disaster risks, expands the political space devoted to the issue, and contributes to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals particularly in respect to poverty reduction and environmental sustainability.

The UN/ISDR is the focal point in the UN System to promote links and synergies between, and the coordination of, disaster reduction activities in the socio-economic, humanitarian and development fields, as well as to support policy integration. It serves as an international information clearinghouse on disaster reduction, developing awareness campaigns and producing articles, journals, and other publications and promotional materials related to disaster reduction. The UN/ISDR headquarters is based in Geneva. It conducts outreach programmes through its regional units in Panama for the Americas, Nairobi for Africa, Cairo for Western Asia & North Africa.

[edit] ISDR Regional Office for Asia & Pacific

With over 50% of the total world disasters, the Asia and Pacific Islands region represents the widest and most disaster prone continent in the world, beyond Africa, with a regular and increased frequency of typhoons, tsunamis, floods, droughts, fires and other natural hazards. Despite the wealth of expertise, knowledge and know-how in disaster risk reduction, the increasing population growth, widespread poverty, environmental degradation, rising pollution and wild human settlements keep increasing the vulnerabilities of most communities in Asia and the Pacific Islands, thereby creating a favorable terrain to allow the above natural hazards to transform invariably into devastating disasters wiping out all human lives and economic lifelines on their way, and setting back years of continued development efforts.

In December 2004, the tragic tsunami in the Indian Ocean has heightened the level of awareness of the communities in Asia and the Pacific about the importance of integrating disaster risk reduction into national development planning and reminded them of the need to work together in a coordinated manner to respond to the threat of disasters.

In that spirit, as a direct follow-up to the World Conference on Disaster Reduction (January 2005, Kobe, Japan) and at the request of the 168 UN Member States grouped together on the occasion, the UN/ISDR established a regional presence to cover the whole Asia and Pacific Islands region. The UN/ISDR regional Unit for Asia and the Pacific was set up in June 2005 in Bangkok, Thailand, hosted by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

The UN/ISDR Asia & Pacific is currently divided into two separate bodies:

(i) A regional unit, based in Bangkok, Thailand, which covers the whole Asia and Pacific Islands region. It includes a Senior Regional Coordinator and a Regional Programme Officer, as well as two local support staff

(ii) A sub-regional liaison office for Central Asia, based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan and covering Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, is coordinated by a Junior Professional Officer

Our mandate

The core mandate of the UN/ISDR Asia & Pacific includes awareness-raising activities in disaster risk reduction, including the promotion of the World Disaster Reduction Campaign and the annual UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction, advocacy through policy formulation, the dissemination of guidelines to assist in the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), promote the establishment of national platforms for disaster risk reduction, enhance networking and partnership-building to contribute to an effective culture of safety and protection of all communities in the Asia and Pacific Islands region.

Three specific areas of focus have been identified to guide the work of the UN/ISDR Asia and the Pacific. They include:

(i) The promotion of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) throughout the whole Asia and Pacific Islands region and the forging of partnerships at the regional level to facilitate its implementation, with the effective operational support and expertise of members of the ISDR Asian Partnership on Disaster Reduction (IAP) and other relevant players.

(ii) The follow-up and strengthening of the projects carried out under the United Nations Flash Appeal for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Early Warning System (IOTWS), including an increased cooperation and coordination with relevant technical partners and the donor community. (iii) The development of an effective information management system with comprehensive databases, the maintenance of a regional website, the production of a bi-annual publication “Disaster Reduction in Asia and the Pacific - ISDR Informs”, the dissemination of regional highlights promoting regional partners’ initiatives and relevant events among other.

The UN/ISDR Asia and Pacific Islands works through a growing network of national platforms to mobilize governmental actions in disaster risk reduction as well as directly with the governments in the region, as mandated though the HFA, to assist them in identifying their priorities and in formulating their national action plan on disaster risk reduction towards its integration in national development plans. It also makes an effective use of regional partners’ networks at the national level, in particular the UN Country Team members, to facilitate the effective implementation of DRR strategies.

[edit] ISDR Regional Unit for the Americas

Disasters in the Americas

The entire western part of the American continent, from Alaska to Chile, forms part of what is referred to as the Pacific Ring of Fire, implying that the earth’s crust is in a constant process of transformation. The volcanic and seismic activity, characteristic of Andean and Central American countries as well as of North America’s western coast provide tangible evidence of this process. This is also true for the geological dynamics of the Caribbean Basin and of the Antilles in particular. While dynamics of geological origin can be said to have remained constant, climate and weather-related hydrometeorological phenomena have increased in magnitude and frequency.

In recent years, the Americas have experienced a significant number of disasters such as floods, hurricanes, storms, earthquakes, avalanches, volcanic eruptions and wildfires and others which have resulted in the loss of thousands of lives and hundreds of millions of dollars in material damages. Developing countries in particular have had a terrible price to pay in that disasters draw attention and resources away from other areas where they are desperately needed in order to overcome poverty.

At the global level, the number of people at risk has increased by 70 to 80 million per year. More than 90 percent of global demographic growth is taking place in developing countries and among population with the least access to resources and with greatest exposure to risk. Over the last three decades alone, an estimated 160 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean were affected by disasters triggered by natural hazards.

At present, many people in the Americas live in cities located in areas of seismic activity. As a consequence of poverty and demographic pressures, ever more people are living in areas prone to flooding and landslides. Poor territorial planning and environmental management as well as a lack of regulatory mechanisms increase risk, while at the same time exacerbating the negative effects of disasters.

About the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction secretariat (UN/ISDR)

Who we are

The secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) is the UN interagency secretariat with the mandate to coordinate, promote and strengthen DRR on a global, regional, national and local level. UN/ISDR secretariat is working towards a world without needless losses from disaster – following a guiding mission to catalyze, facilitate, and advocate for action that will protect lives and livelihoods from the impact of natural hazards.

The UN/ISDR headquarters is based in Geneva, Switzerland. It works through regional offices in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe.

In keeping with the mandate of the UN/ISDR secretariat, the Regional Unit for the Americas, strives to provide support to actors throughout the region, including North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, in fostering a culture of disaster prevention and contributing to build disaster resilient nations and communities. Our office is located in Panama City, Panama.

What we do

We build and support partnerships and networks with development and humanitarian groups worldwide, to build disaster resilience and promote DRR. Partners include UN agencies, governments, international organizations, regional actors, NGOs, civil society and the private sector.

We advocate for increased government action on DRR. We promote the integration of disaster reduction policies and legislation into sustainable development planning, for example by supporting multi-stakeholder national, regional and thematic platforms on DRR.

We inform people by producing information and education materials, and promoting scientific and technical research, including guidance on DRR strategies, protection and preparedness measures. We develop tools to make information available to a wide public, such as the journal ISDR Informs and the online resource HFA-Pedia.

We communicate with all stakeholders in society who are concerned with disaster prevention. We work with journalists to raise awareness of the importance of disaster prevention – often neglected by the media in the aftermath of disasters. We reach out to communities that are potentially at risk from the impact of natural hazards, by communicating about disaster prevention at a local level.

We campaign, together with partners, to build awareness of DRR, and reduce communities’ vulnerability to the impact of hazards. Our campaigns aim to strengthen DRR policies and to influence the attitudes of decision-makers and society at large, towards dealing with disaster risk.

We promote the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) – a set of guidelines, adopted by 168 countries worldwide, on how to integrate DRR policies into national development agendas. We work to build a common understanding of the HFA and to make its priorities of mitigating the impact of natural hazards and reducing vulnerability a political and socioeconomic reality.

REGIONAL PARTNERS PNUD/BCPR, World Bank , OCHA,ILO/ITC, OAS, ACS, CEPREDENAC, CARICOM, CDERA, CAPRADE, PREDECAN, FEMICA, CIIFEN, CRID etc.

For more information please visit http://preventionweb.net

NATIONAL PLATFORMS

National Platforms are coordination mechanisms consisting in a forum, committee or network that addresses disaster risk reduction goals through a coordinated, participatory and cumulative process of initiatives and actions. National platforms work towards better resourced, more effective and integrated efforts of risk reduction among stakeholders at the national, regional and international level. The UN/ISDR secretariat, in coordination with other UN agencies – in particular the UN Development Programme (UNDP) – and relevant regional organizations, actively promotes the development and strengthening of national platforms.

THEMATIC PLATFORMS

Thematic platforms are clusters, groups and networks working on specific topics of the disaster risk reduction agenda, such as climate change adaptation, early warning, education, urban risk, recovery and capacity development. The overall aim of thematic platforms is to mainstream disaster risk reduction into different related areas such as development and humanitarian work, urban and territorial planning, education, environment and climate change agendas.

[edit] References

  1. ^ United Nations General Assembly Resolution 236 session 44 on 22 December 1989 (retrieved 2008-09-18)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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