Focus on disasters in Southeast Asia and the Pacific
UNDP boosts recovery in earthquake-hit Padang Padang, 4 November — As people in earthquake-hit West Sumatra look to rebuild their lives, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) boosted its recovery support here this week, bringing in more heavy equipment to remove badly damaged homes, schools, mosques, and by fielding experts to work alongside government to reduce the impact of future earthquakes. Read more...
UNDP continues recovery operations in disaster-affected Asia-Pacific countries New York, 1 November - In just 13 days, beginning on 29 September 2009, more than 2,000 people in Southeast Asia and the Pacific were killed by a relentless barrage of typhoons, tsunamis, and earthquakes. In the ensuing weeks, the UNDP/BCPR channeled human and financial resources to the region, aiding in recovery activities and seeking to reduce the affected countries’ exposure to future such disasters. Read more...
UNDP Aids Disaster Stricken Countries in the Asia-Pacific Region New York, 8 October - As search and rescue operations in Sumatra conclude, the death toll from the 30 September earthquake stands at more than 600, with hundreds more still missing. More than 80,000 homes were destroyed in the quake, and government offices were also severely compromised. Read more...
UN's response to help countries battered by disasters across Asia Bangkok, 5 October - UN Development Programme Administrator Helen Clark said today that in reaction to the widespread disasters that struck Asia and the Pacific last week, the United Nations is responding with rapid support teams in Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, Samoa and Tonga to support governments helping millions of people hit by a relentless barrage of tropical storms, earthquakes and tsunamis. Read more...
UNDP Responds to Disasters in Southeast Asia and the Pacific New York, 2 October - The last days of September brought destructive havoc to three countries in the Pacific rim. On 29 September a powerful undersea earthquake sent multiple tsunami waves speeding toward the island nation of Samoa, killing more than 100 people and destroying homes and businesses. Read more...
Preparing for Elections in Iraq—A member of the Governance and Civil Society Programme shares her experience working in Iraq as part of the International Election Assistance Team (streaming audio or mp3)
Early recovery in Gaza
A relatively new concept, early recovery addresses a critical gap in coverage between humanitarian relief and long-term recovery—between reliance and self-sufficiency. While working within a humanitarian setting, early recovery team workers have their eyes on the future—assessing damages to infrastructure, property, livelihoods, and societies. Their goal is to enable a smoother transition to long-term recovery—to restore livelihoods, government capacities, shelter—and offer hope to those who survived the crisis.
The Cluster Working Group on Early Recovery (CWGER) has developed a guidance note designed for colleagues working at the country level on early
recovery in natural disasters and complex emergencies. You can access the full note here (pdf).
Video
Watch a video about UNDP recovery initiatives featuring Jennifer Worrell, Leader of the Early Recovery Team, to learn more about how early recovery efforts provide hope for communities and help people not only recover from disasters, but also rebuild for a better future.
UNDP Aids Disaster Stricken Countries in the Asia-Pacific Region
Find out more about UNDP Early Recovery efforts in our 
