ESCAP Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy

in Asia and the Pacific including North and Central Asia

Nikolay PomoshchnikovHead

ESCAP Subregional Office for North and Central Asia

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

• ESCAP is the regional development arm of the United Nations for the Asia-Pacific region

• 62 members and associate members• The largest United Nations body serving the Asia-Pacific

region • The Subregional Office for North and Central Asia

(SONCA) addresses subregional development priorities• ESCAP has more than five decades of experience

integrating disaster risk management with economic and social development at the regional level.

ESCAP resolution 64/1 established an intergovernmental Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction as a regional platform to formulate regional perspectives and facilitate discussions on collective efforts and actions required

Issues addressed by the Committee: • Policy options and strategies on multi-hazard disaster risk

reduction and mitigation• Regional cooperation mechanisms for disaster risk

management, including space and other technical support systems

• Multi-hazard assessment, preparedness, early warning and response to disaster risks

• ICT applications for disaster risk reduction Sessions of the Committee on DRR:First session was held on 25-27 March 2009Second session was held on 29 June-1 July 2011

Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction

Strategic framework for 2012-2013• To promote applications of information and

communications technology and to enhance regional cooperation for improved disaster risk reduction and management, as well as for improved management of the associated socio-economic risks, for inclusive and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific

Regional strategy

• Improve the capabilities of ESCAP members to create more disaster resilient societies and reduce the socio-economic impact of disasters.

• Integrate disaster risk reduction with development and through regional cooperation

ESCAP’s Subprogramme on ICT and disaster risk reduction

DRR with a socio-economic focus

• Socio-economic analysis of disaster risk reduction and assessment of the effects of disasters to development

• Promoting policies for mainstreaming disaster risk

reduction into economic and social development, putting people first

• Damage and loss assessment, including capacity building

• Regional advisory services and technical assistance to integrate disaster risk reduction into economic and social development, putting people first

ESCAP – Key Deliverables Evidence based Analytical Study - Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction, Strategic Investments- Climate Change Adaptation through DRR- Strategically using innovative technologies – ICTs, Space

Information/knowledge Sharing- Repository of best practices from region- - Focus on mainstreaming disaster risk reduction- - Policies, Standard Operating Procedures etc..

Capacity development and governance - AVA Module 9 & 10 disaster risk management and Climate change abatement

Asia-Pacific Gateway for disaster risk reduction and development

• Aggregate information and improve online access to DRR resources

• Provide analytical tools for mainstreaming DRR into development planning

• Provide regional and subregional online network for information sharing

• Profile ESCAP regional cooperation mechanisms and others

Central Asia DRR Knowledge Network

• Central Asia DRR Knowledge Network portal set up on the Gateway

• Network for sharing of information and knowledge to improve disaster risk reduction and management in the subregion

1957 - Mekong River Commission 1957 - Mekong River Commission

1968 - ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee 1968 - ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee

2008 - Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction2008 - Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction

2005 – ESCAP Tsunami Regional Trust Fund 2005 – ESCAP Tsunami Regional Trust Fund

1973- WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones1973- WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones

1994 - Regional Space Applications Programme (RESAP) 1994 - Regional Space Applications Programme (RESAP)

Regional cooperative mechanisms initiated by ESCAP

2010 – Asia-Pacific Gateway for DRR and Development2010 – Asia-Pacific Gateway for DRR and Development

2010 – Central Asia DRR Knowledge Network2010 – Central Asia DRR Knowledge Network

Asia Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Networks – support to DRR components, Regional Advisory Services

DRR aspects of CCA – Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

Capacity building for Damage and Loss Assessment (DaLA) – Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA)

DaLA/PDNA for low impact & high frequency disasters –focused on highrisk LLDC, LDCs and SIDs

• Investment Tracking on DRR promoting investment

• Risk Transfer and Resilient Sectoral Development

• Emerging Issues related to CCA and DRR

• Asia Pacific Disaster Report

ECLAC

Typhoon Committee, Panel on Tropical Cyclone

Partnership for DRR

• Economic and Social Issues of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)• DRR as entry point to Climate Change Adaptation (CCA)

• Economic and Social Issues of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)• DRR as entry point to Climate Change Adaptation (CCA)

ESCAP: Regional Coordination Role

Regional coherence, synergy and

maximum combined impact

from the efforts of UN agencies

ESCAP - the secretariat of the Asia-Pacific RCM

Post Cyclone ‘Nargis’ Response - • Tripartite Partnership UN – ASEAN and Govt of Myanmar • Expedited the flow of aid in desperate need and to begin quickly reconstruction• Part of Post Nargis Joint Assessment • Facilitation of Recovery/Rebuilding

ASEAN UN Agreement on Disaster Management

3rd ASEAN-UN Summit, Oct 2010, Ha Noi

ASEAN-United Nations Strategic Plan of Cooperation on Disaster Management (2011-2015) will address:

• Operational issues and capacity-building issues prioritised in the AADMER

• Risk and vulnerability assessment and risk reduction; preparedness, early warning and monitoring; prevention and mitigation; response and recovery; and aspects of reconstruction and development

• Collaboration between ASEAN and the United Nations following Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar..

ASEAN and the UN-RCM…

Risk knowledge

Systematically collect data and undertake risk assessments

Monitoring and warning service

Develop hazard monitoring and early warning services

Dissemination and communication

Communicate risk information and early warnings

Response capability

Build national and community response capabilities

ESCAP Trust Fund for Tsunami, Disaster and Climate Preparedness

Regional Architecture for Multi-hazard Early Warning

Regional Multi-hazards Early-Warning System (RIMES)

Regional watch

services

National capacity building

Community resilience

Earthquakes

And Tsunami

heavy precipitation

flooding

drought

flashfloods

landslide

dry spell

storm surge

Establishment of Regional

core observation networks

Provision of Regional

tsunami watch

R&D for hydro- met

disaster risk information

Enhancing capacities to

respond to early warning

information at national /localRIMES AgreementsSigned by countries

RIMES Member States

Uzbekistan and Armeniain North and Central Asia

Provides Hydro-met services to Afghanistan

RIMES operates from its regional early warning center located at the campus of the Asian Institute of Technology

Regional Cooperative Mechanism on Disaster Monitoring and Early Warning, Particularly Drought

The mechanism was launched by ESCAP in September 2010 and since then it is moving towards its operational phase with the efforts also on to expand the scope of the mechanism to cover floods , other disasters.

It aims at providing member countries substantive technical support, including satellite information products and services, an information portal and capacity-building activities, for the development of national drought disaster monitoring and early warning capabilities and services.

The mechanism draws the support expressed by China, India, Japan, the Philippines, the Russian Federation and Thailand as well as relevant international organizations, such as WMO and the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization

SONCA activities

SONCA will work on enhancing cooperation in disaster risk reduction for sustainable development in Central Asia in the following areas:

• Establishment of geo-reference portal for disaster risk management (Geo-DRM) in support of Rio+20 outcomes and as part of the implementation of the UN Development Account Project on “Improving capacity for disaster risk preparedness in the ESCAP region”

• Strengthening the Central Asia Disaster Risk Reduction Knowledge Network, established in 2010 as part of the Asia-Pacific Gateway on Disaster Risk Reduction and Development

• Developing further a compendium on water-related hazards and extreme weather events in Central Asia.

• Assistance in developing the Regional Disaster Statistics

SONCA activities

Implementation of the pipeline project on expanding ICT connectivity of North and Central Asia with the Asia-Pacific region.

• The project, seeks to analyze the status of the information superhighway infrastructure networks in North and Central Asia with the objective of creating an enabling policy environment that will deepen intra-subregional connectivity and expand connectivity of the subregion with the overall Asia Pacific region. The project aims to turn North and Central Asia into an ICT land-link connecting the Asia Pacific region with Europe and beyond, at improved speeds, affordability and reliability.

SONCA activities

Implementation of the project on “Strengthening cooperation for disaster risk reduction (DRR) in North and Central Asia”

• The project aims at building capacity of the Central Asian countries on DRR and strengthening cooperation and information exchange between them on forecasting of extreme weather events

THANK YOU !