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The Asian Conference on Disaster Reduction (ACDR) was convened in Beijing, China on 27-29 September 2005 at the invitation of the Government of the People’s Republic of China. A total of 385 participants attended the conference, which included delegations from 42 Asian and Pacific countries, of which 33 were represented at the ministerial level, and 13 UN agencies and international organisations.

The conference provided a platform for Asian countries to share and exchange best practices and lessons learned in disaster risk reduction and elaborate priorities for action that may be considered by individual countries for implementation in Asia as identified under the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA). The “Beijing Action for Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia” was adopted as the main outcome document of the conference, calling for enhanced regional cooperation to implement the Hyogo Framework for Action. The next ACDR will be held in New Delhi, India in 2007.

Beijing Action for Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia
DRU - Asia and the Pacific

In an effort to understand the dynamics of the relief operation for the South Asia Earthquake and Tsunami and gather data to inform future relief efforts, the Fritz Institute conducted a study of NGOs and families in all the districts affected by the Tsunami in India and Sri Lanka. This report outlines the top-line findings of the study.

The NGO section of the study included interviews with the relief coordinators of 226 NGOs in India and 150 NGOs in Sri Lanka. The affected families' component included 802 interviews from 100 villages in India and 604 interviews from 97 villages in Sri Lanka. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used. All the interviews were conducted in March-April 2005 by trained, native, bilingual investigators using English and/or the local languages, as appropriate.

Full report

More than 242,000 people were killed last year mostly in December's Indian Ocean tsunami and 158 million people were injured by natural disasters, whose toll could have been mitigated through better planning, risk reduction and response, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new report. Economic damage from natural disasters last year totalled $94 billion, the report also says.

Full Story and UN report

A Disaster Relief Medal has been conferred to Lisa Singh, Assistant Resident Representative heading the Environment, Energy & Disaster Reduction Unit in UNDP Nepal on the occasion of His Majesty the King’s Birthday.

“The national acknowledgement is testimony to success of the UNDP Country Office and the work of the Environment Energy and Disaster Reduction Unit’s work in positioning and advocating for disaster risk mainstreaming in the development agenda”, says Lisa.

The disaster management programme supports the government’s efforts to improve disaster preparedness and management at both the national and local levels and also aims to enhance women’s participation. It has undertaken both capacity building for disaster preparedness and post disaster relief and rehabilitation. Over the past two years, the support in the sector has linked vulnerability reduction with conflict transformation approaches to address the livelihood-poverty-gender issues of the rural poor living in disaster areas.

UNDP Nepal Country Office

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called today for sustained political and financial commitment to disaster reduction, stressing that all human societies are vulnerable to natural disasters as last year's Asian tsunami and the recent tragedy that befell the United States Gulf Coast have demonstrated.

In a message to the Asian Conference on Disaster Reduction, delivered by Sálvano Briceño, Director of the UN disaster reduction body, he reminded disaster representatives from 29 Asian States gathered in Beijing that it is their job to see how political and financial commitments can be translated into concrete action at the regional, national and local levels.

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Message of UN Secretary General to Asian Conference on Disaster Reduction

A trust fund to help establish a tsunami early-warning system for the Indian Ocean region got under way today with a $10 million contribution from the Government of Thailand, with the aim of preventing a repetition of last December's disaster, a United Nations regional commission announced.

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Experts from 14 Southern African countries are meeting in Windhoek this week to discuss measures for strengthening their response to disasters in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the region.

In 2001, Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of state agreed to map out a framework for cooperation in managing disasters like floods and droughts, as an integral part of their overall regional development initiatives.

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Convened by former United States President Bill Clinton, the United Nations tsunami recovery envoy, key players in the reconstruction of areas devastated by last year’s giant waves today endorsed stepped-up measures to improve transitional shelters, replace livelihoods and build local government capacity.

“Nine months after the devastating tsunami, we must sustain and strengthen our collective efforts at recovery throughout the region,” Mr. Clinton said at a meeting in Washington of his Global Consortium on Tsunami Recovery that included World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, heads of UN agencies, the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), members of the non-governmental (NGO) community, and ministers and senior representatives from the affected countries and donor countries.

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Eight months after the tsunami, signs of change and renewal in Aceh are becoming clearer by the day. Houses are going up, children are back in school and even those still in temporary housing are starting to return to work.

After initially supporting short-term employment through a cash-for-work programme, UNDP has now shifted its focus toward long-term employment opportunities. A key part of this is skills training. The Mulia Hati centre in Meulaboh is just one of the UNDP programmes set up to specifically cater to the needs of women, giving training in tailoring techniques and catering.

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Hurricane Emily struck the island of Grenada some ten months after the passage of Hurricane Ivan. Infrastructure, including housing, roads and bridges, and agricultural land suffered the worst of the damage, estimated at about USD140.m, or approximately 13% of GDP.

This report by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) gives a sector-by-sector analysis of the impact of Hurricane Emily, looking at its effect on overall macro-economic performance and identifying recommendations as the basis to guide the continued rehabilitation and recovery efforts.

Full Report

Tens of thousands of Sri Lankan tsunami survivors are still living in basic shelters and shacks over eight months on and frustration is mounting, but rebuilding communities takes time and must not be rushed, a senior UN envoy said on Tuesday.

Eric Schwartz, former U.S. President Bill Clinton's deputy United Nations special envoy for tsunami recovery, said he was encouraged by Sri Lanka's tsunami reconstruction and recovery efforts, but said there was a long road ahead.

Sri Lanka has built about 50,000 temporary shelters for families displaced by the tsunami, while tens of thousands of people are still living with family and friends, but fewer than 5,000 permanent houses have been completed.

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Worldwide preparedness for major disasters and the ability of the international community to respond quickly, provide fresh water, sanitation, food, shelter, and security are inadequate, says a review commissioned by top United Nations emergency relief official, Jan Egeland.

Commissioned even before the effects of the hurricane Katrina disaster on the Gulf Coast of the US, the report identifies major weaknesses in the international relief system including among non-governmental agencies (NGOs), donor organizations and UN agencies.

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This issue of the “Post-tsunami update” continues to highlight some of the successes in the relief and recovery process as well as touching on a number of themes and articles that address social concerns that are critical to a return to normality and to the restoration of dignity of the lives of tsunami survivors.

There are special features on initiatives to address special psycho-social concerns; efforts to increase the participation of women in the decision-making process and an initiative in 1,100 tsunami-affected communities to deal with the concerns of local people in the reconstruction of their lives and livelihoods.

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