Media Monitoring Report 2 WCDR Overview The World Conference on Disaster Reduction took place in Kobe, Japan (Hyogo prefecture) from 18 to 22 January 2005. The Conference addressed a broad range of issues aimed to reduce the risks facing millions of vulnerable people worldwide to natural hazards. Taking place just three weeks after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami, participants at the world gathering agreed to set up a global early warning system for all types of natural hazards and, more specifically, a system for Indian Ocean countries in the event of future tsunamis which was expected to be in place next year. At the end of the week-long event, the 168 delegations in attendance adopted a framework for action calling on States to put disaster risk at the center of political agendas and national polices. The ten-year action plan - “Hyogo Framework for Action: 2005 – 2015” – will aim to strengthen the capacity of disaster-prone countries to address risk and invest heavily in disaster preparedness. The Conference also adopted a declaration recommending, among other things, that a “culture of prevention and resilience” must be fostered at all levels and recognizing the relationship between disaster reduction, sustainable development and poverty reduction. A number of side events were also held which attracted extensive media attention. Thematic segments brought together experts from United Nations agencies, governments and international organizations to discuss issues such as good governance, environmental management, community education and the role of the media in disaster prevention. The World Conference has been labeled as the biggest venue ever to discuss and commit to disaster reduction with almost 4,000 participants in attendance; 168 States; 78 observer organizations from the UN and other inter-governmental organizations; 161 NGOs; and remarkably, 154 media organizations represented by 562 journalists. Summary A total of 395 articles (108 English, 253 Japanese, 18 French, 16 Spanish) were collected between 17 to 28, January which focused exclusively on the Conference (Japanese clippings not included in this report). Among the mainstream media covering the Kobe Conference were the BBC, CNN, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the Guardian, Le Monde, Liberation, Le Figaro, the Voice of America, all major Japanese dailies and all major international news wires. In addition to the four languages mentioned above, media monitoring generated articles in the following languages (not included in this report): Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Chinese, Danish, Farsi, German, Italian, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swahili and Turkish. The 142 articles included in this report only represent a portion of overall print media coverage stemming from the Conference and, with a few exceptions, do not represent radio or television transcripts. Wire reports, for example, were reproduced in at least 60 newspapers worldwide (please see complete list of media outlets which carried stories on the WCDR; page 7). 3 Key Issues With the Indian Ocean tragedy on the forefront of global attention, nearly all of the opening day articles spoke of the Conference as a means to reduce the tolls of such disasters. Some referred to the gathering as the “tsunami conference” and a “global conference on the tsunami catastrophe”. Several articles portrayed the event as an opportunity for the United Nations to urge “experts to move quickly and donors to be generous in the wake of the Asian tsunami”. (AP, DPA, AFP) The majority of the media coverage focused on the creation of a tsunami- early warning system for the Indian Ocean with many referring extensively to UNESCO’s International Tsunami Warning System for the Pacific to serve as an example. Such a warning system, several articles state, could have saved thousands of lives in the Indian Ocean region when December’s disaster struck. The media also underlined the the United Nations’ central role in setting up and coordinating such a system. Most round-up stories printed on the final day of the Conference led with the creation of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Early Warning System as being the major breakthrough of the week-long event. The announcement to create a global early warning system for all types of natural hazards - International Early Warning Programme (IEWP) – on the second day of the Conference received significant coverage in the media. Again, articles picked up on the central coordinating role the United Nations would play on the project while at the same time drawing attention to the multiple national initiatives with similar intention, namely those from the United States, Japan, Germany, France, China and India. Articles also expressed the concern of some officials “that too many states and agencies were vying for the limelight”. (AFP, FT) The United States’ position on global warming and references to climate change in the outcome document was also focused on by several media. “The United States, which opposes the Kyoto protocol on global warming, is trying to remove references to climate change in UN talks aimed at setting up a disaster early warning system, a US official said Wednesday. The US has voiced objections to ‘multiple’ references to climate change in drafting documents for the global conference in Kobe”. (AFP) Another key issue raised was that of “megacities” and their special vulnerability to natural hazards. These overpopulated urban centers, the press stated, are where the “poor were most at risk from a lack of investment and planning”. Tokyo, in particular, was singled out as one of the most vulnerable cities on the planet. (Reuters, FT) Key Personalities Speaking at the opening press conference, Jan Egeland, UN Under- Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said the Conference would focus heavily on building up the resilience of nations and communities to disasters. Several stories carried his opening remarks to the Conference plenary quoting his remarks made in the context of the Indian Ocean tsunami; “The best way we can honor the dead is to protect the living” (AP, Xinhua). Reporting on the closing press conference, several media picked up on Mr. Egeland’s expressed hope that the number of deaths caused by natural disasters would be halved over the next decade. A number of articles also mentioned his 4 proposal to have “10 percent of all funds spent as emergency aid should be spent for disaster risk reduction" (AP, Reuters, FT). On the proposed global warning system, Sálvano Briceño, Director of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, said, “this new programme will help bring safety, security and peace of mind…millions of people worldwide owe their lives to effective early warning systems” (AP, AFP, UPI, Xinhua). He was also quoted widely in response to questions on the Indian Ocean system stating that it would “be running in 12 to 18 months” (New York Times, AFP, DPA, Reuters, the Australian, Swiss Info). The proposed system, he added, “would integrate regional disaster reduction strategies.” (AFP). His comments on eduating local communities were also picked up by media. “Educating people to the dangers of a tsunami, and what to do in case one strikes are a crucial part of the tsunami warning process…We have to respond to the dangers of tsunami as soon as possible so we have to use what we have to hand” (Reuters). The video message of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, which was screened at the opening ceremony, was picked up widely in the press. Several opening day articles, in the context of the December tragedy, opened with his quote “we must draw on and act on every lesson we can to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future” (AP, Reuters, Xinhua). Reuters also published that he was urging the “world to learn from the killer Asian tsunami, saying spending now could limit the loss of life and damage from inevitable natural disasters”. Yoshitaka Murata, WCDR Chairman and Japanese State Minister for Disaster Management, was quoted broadly throughout the Japanese language newspapers. Most of them ran stories at the opening of the Conference quoting his statement referring to Japan’s culture of disaster prevention and long experience in dealing with natural disasters; “In the devastated and vulnerable land after World War II, every major typhoon cost us thousands of lives…Japan has since reinforced the systems for disaster management and invested in disaster reduction. Today, the number of victims from typhoons has been greatly reduced" (AP). Most first-day stories quoted Emperor Akihito of Japan who addressed the opening seremony. The AP reported on the Emperor’s speech where he said "The most important factor in disaster reduction is to learn lessons from past disasters and to take measures in response." The German Press Agency - DPA - stated his hope that “Japan's knowledge and skills for preventing natural disasters, gained through its own experiences, would help diminish damages caused by natural disasters around the world”. Also published was the Emperor’s call to “cross natural boundaries” to assist more vulnerable communities in preparing themselves. The pledges made by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at the opening ceremony for Japan to support other countries in disaster preparedness measures was also picked up by Japanese and international media; Reuters quoted him saying ”As a result of our experience, we have learned many disaster reduction lessons we can share with the international community”. Articles on the Indian Ocean Tsunami Early Warning system spoke extensively of UNESCO’s Pacific Ocean system and quoted the Secretary-General of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, Patricio Bernal who underscored the importance of community education; he said that an effective warning system required ``long-term efforts aimed at teaching people about tsunami and at increasing awareness of them'' (DPA). 5 Also of UNESCO, Laura Kong, Director of the agency’s International Tsunami Information Centre in Hawaii, was quoted by the AP as saying “Many governments are talking about early warning systems.