emi

Members of ISDR Asia Partnership met last 23-24 March 2009 at Bangkok, Thailand in preparation for the Second Session of the Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction to be held in Geneva Switzerland come June this year. EMI’s Associate Technical Director Dr. Tabassam Raza represented the organization in the meeting.

On top of the meeting’s agenda was the development of a regional action plan that will facilitate the implementation of Kuala Lumpur Declaration on DRR in the Asia Pacific Region. The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), being the one selected by UN/ISDR to develop the draft action plan, presented a number of indicative activities covering nine thematic areas of KL Declaration listed below:

• Promoting public-private partnerships for DRR
• High Technology and Scientific Application (HTSA) for DRR and DRR and Climate Change Adaptation
• Involvement and Empowerment of Local Government and Civil Society in DRR
• Mobilizing Resources for DRR
• Engaging Media in DRR
• Public awareness in DRR and Education systems safe from disasters (School Safety)
• Health Facilities safe from disasters
• HFA Implementation
• Regional Action Plan on KL Declaration

The meeting was also a venue to review the role of IAP in relation to the Asia Regional Platform on disaster risk reduction and to discuss the plans for the 4th Asian Ministerial Conference on DRR to be held in Incheon, Republic of Korea in 2010. 

The Kuala Lumpur Action Plan is expected to be finalized by 24 April 2009.