September-October 2001 Vol IV, Issue 9 and 10 Dear Readers, The
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
September-October 2001 Vol IV, Issue 9 and 10 United Nations Secretariat • Message from the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the occasion of for the International Strategy the International Day for Disaster Reduction for Disaster Reduction 52 rue des Pâquis/Palais Wilson • 2001 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction CH-1201 Geneva - Address by Mr Vladimir Petrovsky, Director-General of the United Nations Tel: 41 22 917 97 06, Office at Geneva on the occasion of the 2001 Ceremony of the United Fax: 41 22 917 90 98 Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction Email: [email protected] - Address by Sálvano Briceño Director ISDR on the occasion of the 2001 Ceremony of the United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction • Meeting of the UN Administrative Committee on Coordination’s Sub-Committee on Water Resources • Meeting of Inter-Agency Task Force Working Group on Risk, Vulnerability and Impact Assessments • ISDR Secretariat Address the Fifth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) • World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), Johannesburg, September 2002 • ISDR National Platforms related news - Second forum on “Extreme Natural Phenomena: Consequences, Prevention, Tools” in Leipzig, Germany - 13th meeting of the UK Advisory Committee for Natural Disaster Reduction • Building Safer Urban Communities in the South Pacific • News from Latin America and the Caribbean - International Centre for Research on the El Niño Phenomenon (CIIFEN) To Be Set Up in Guayaquil, Ecuador - CARDIN Advisory Committee meeting in Jamaica - Third Meeting of the Special Committee on Natural Disasters of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) Dear Readers, On October 10th 2001 the international community celebrated the International Day for Disaster Reduction. On this occasion, numerous activities took place over the world; press releases were issued by the ISDR Secretariat and its partners, children produced risk maps, seminars were organized, training sessions, debates, television and radio shows, and the list goes on. The ISDR Secretariat will publish the detail of the activities undertaken by people involved in disaster reduction in all sectors and at every level. In Geneva on the occasion of the Day, the United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction was given to this year’s winner, the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) of Freiburg University in Germany.We have pasted below the message of the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the occasion of the International Day for Disaster Reduction. You will also find extracts of the speeches given by Mr Vladimir Petrovsky, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva and by the Director of the ISDR Secretariat, Mr Sálvano Briceño, on the occa- sion of the ceremony of the UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction. We would be grateful for any infor- mation on the celebration of the International Day for Disaster Reduction in your country, organization or ins- titution or for your entries to this year’s risk mapping context which is open until 31 December 2001. Please send your material to the ISDR Secretariat (52 rue des Pâquis, 1201 Geneva, CH, fax: 4122 917 90 98/9, email [email protected] or [email protected]).We wish you an informative read. The Secretariat for the ISDR. 1 THE SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR DISASTER REDUCTION "Countering Disasters, Targeting Vulnerability" 10 October 2001 The annual observance of the International Day for Disaster Reduction offers an opportuni- ty for the world community to focus its attention on preventing natural disasters and improving the way we deal with the consequences. The past year has seen no let-up in the growing incidence of natural disasters. Powerful earthquakes struck India, El Salvador and Peru; floods ravaged Africa and South Asia; droughts continued to plague Afghanistan, Central America, and Sri Lanka; and volcanic activity has again struck Ecuador. The global toll of devastation and death has left families and economies reeling. And in some cases, natural disasters can amplify man- made emergencies, as we are all too aware from unfolding events in Afghanistan. Along with the growing number of natural disasters, vulnerability is also increasing. While no country is entirely safe, poorer countries in particular lack the capacity to and prevent and prepare for disasters. With the urban population of developing countries having reached more than 1.3 bil- lion, people are forced to inhabit disaster-prone areas such as flood plains and deforested lands. Inadequate planning and land-use further raise the risks. The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) aims to limit the losses and suffering. The strategy calls on local communities to mobilize, for example by developing risk maps and early war- ning systems. It urges Governments to create and enforce strict building codes. And it seeks to exploit scientific and technical knowledge to devise responses that go beyond short-term humani- tarian assistance. United Nations agencies and their partners are strongly committed to carrying out this strategy by bringing people and expertise together in the search for solutions. Natural hazards will always challenge us. But it is within our power to ensure that poverty does not turn hazards into unmanageable disasters. And it is within our power to join forces, address the immense complexities of disaster reduction, and build a world of resilient communities and nations equipped to counter the adverse impact of natural hazards and related environmental and technological disasters. 2001 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction The annual ceremony of the 2001 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction took place on Wednesday 10 October 2001 at the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG), Palais des Nations, as part of the International Day for Disaster Reduction celebrations. The ceremony was chaired by Mr. Vladimir Petrovsky, Director General of UNOG and Guest of Honour. Present was also Mr. Tatsuya Tanami, Director for International Relations and Special Projects at the Nippon Foundation, the Japanese sponsor of the United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction. 2 Mr. Petrovsky handed over the Sasakawa Award and the cheque of 50,000 USD to the 2001laureate, the Global Fire Monitoring Centre (GFMC), which was represented by its Director, Mr. Johann Goldammer and members of his team, Ms. Blasel and Mr. Held. Together with Mr. Tanami and Mr. Briceño, the Director of the ISDR Secretariat, Mr. Petrovsky proceeded to present three Certificates of Distinction to Ms. Corazón de León, former Chair of the Civil Service Commission of the Government of the Philippines on behalf of the Philippines Institute of Volcanology (PHIVOLCS), to Mr. Terry Jeggle, on behalf of Mr. Brian Ward, one of the founding Directors of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) in Bangkok, and to Mr. Joseph Busiega, First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Kenya to the United Nations in Geneva, on behalf of Professor Isaac Nyambok, Professor at the University of Nairobi. Four Certificates of Merit were also presented; to Mr. Amod Dixit, Director of the National Society for Earthquake Technology of Nepal, to Her Excellency, Ms. Olmeda Rivera Ramirez, Ambassador of Honduras to the United Nations in Geneva, on behalf of the " Comisión Permanente de Contingencias (COPECO) " from Honduras, to Mr. Klaus Tietze, on behalf of the Nyos Monoum Degassing Project Advisory Committee, and to Mr. Felipe Ernst, First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Chile to the United Nations in Geneva, on behalf of the " Oficina Nacional de Emergencia (ONEMI) " in Chile. The 2001 laureate and the recipients of Certificates were congratulated for their innovative work in the field of disaster reduction, and encouraged to pursue their efforts. The Director General of UNOG, Mr. Petrovsky, reaffirmed UNOG’s full support to the issue of disas- ter reduction as a priority concern on the international agenda, and welcomed the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) as the unique international platform and mechanism part of the international institutions located in Geneva to promote disaster reduction activities worldwide. The ceremony was concluded by a presentation of GFMC’s activities in the field of wildfire reduc- tion at the international level, in cooperation with several UN agencies and other international sta- keholders. The ceremony was followed by substantive roundtable discussions on the ways to impro- ve disaster reduction in the twenty first century. A constructive discussion took place between the panelists (Sasakawa Laureate 2001 and the recipients of Certificates) and the floor, composed of representatives from universities and from the scientific community, who all agreed on sound awa- reness raising for successful disaster reduction initiatives. The United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction as well as the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction were recognized as appropriate international instruments and to bring together actors in disaster reduction for the bene- fit of vulnerable communities worldwide. For information on the United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction and the 2002 nomi- nation process, please visit the ISDR website (www.unisdr.org) or contact Ms. Christel Rose, tel. (41 22) 917 97 17, fax (41 22) 917 90 98/9, E-mail : [email protected] 3 Mr Vladimir Petrovsky Director-General