Conference Summary

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Closing Session

Summary of the Conferenceby Mr. Ki-Sung Bang, Director-General ofHeadquarters of Recovery and Relief, NEMA,
Government of the Republic of Korea

Closing Remarks delivered by Mr. Joseph Chung,
Senior Regional Officer,
UN/ISDR Asia and Pacific

Closing Remarks by Mr. Fumio Takeda, Deputy
Director-General for Disaster Management,

Closing by Mr. Won-Kyong Moon, Administrator,
National Emergency Management Agency,
Government of the Republic of Korea

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Closing Session◆Summary of Conference

To conclude the Conference, the Summary of theConference was read out by Mr. Ki-Sung Bang,
Director-General of Headquarters of Recoveryand Relief, NEMA, Government of the Republicof Korea◆Closing Remarks

In closing, message from Mr. Salvano Briceno,
Director, UN/ISDR was delivered by Mr. Joseph
Chung, Senior Regional Officer, UN/ISDR Asia andPacific.
Following the message, Mr. Fumio Takeda,
DeputyDirector-GeneralforDisaster
Management, Cabinet Office of Japan extended
his congratulations on the success of theConference and his expectation for further
promotion of the HFA implementation based on thediscussion during the 3-days Conference.
Finally, Mr. Won-Kyong Moon, Administrator,
National Emergency Management Agency,
Government of the Republic of Korea praised
the Conference for promoting the HFA andexpressed his gratitude to all the participants andpeople involved for the successful conclusion of theConference.

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Conference Summary
The Asian Conference on Disaster Reduction (ACDR) 2006 took place in Seoul, Republic of Korea on
15 to 17 March 2006. The focus was kept on the implementation of the outcome of the World
Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR), Japan 2005: Hyogo Framework for Action 2005 – 2015:
Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters (HFA).

146 participants comprising dignitaries from the Republic of Korea and Japan, government officials of25 countries, representatives of UN and international organisations, NGOs, and the civil society
participated in the conference. The current implementation status of disaster risk reduction initiatives inAsia was reviewed and innovative strategies, guidelines and tools in support of the implementation ofthe HFA were presented and discussed during the conference.

The ACDR 2006 was hosted by the Government of the Republic of Korea in partnership with theGovernment of Japan, the United Nations Inter-Agency Secretariat of the International Strategy for
Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN/OCHA), the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), and the Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC).

The unstinted support of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) of the Republic ofKorea, through Administrator, Mr. Won-Kyong Moon, the Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC),
through Executive Director, Mr. Masayuki Kitamoto, was largely responsible for the success of theconference. The Honorable Senior Vice-Minister Chiken Kakazu delivered a congratulatory message
at the opening ceremony on behalf of the Government of Japan.

The presentations and discussions demonstrated significant progress in implementing the HFA at thecountry and regional levels. However, much remains to be done in realizing the goal of resilient nationsand communities. Therefore, it was decided to pursue, among others, the following course of action toachieve the strategic goals of the HFA.

1.

Support the implementation of the HFA priorities for actions

The conference identified impediments to the implementation of the 5 priorities for action of the HFAand proposed strategies to overcome these. The participants of the ACDR 2006 expressed collective
support and commitment for the implementation of the HFA at the country level. The participantsemphasized the urgent need to translate the HFA into local languages to overcome the language
barrier.

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2.

Develop a strategic national action plan to implement the HFA.

The participants recognized the impediments and constraints to disaster risk reduction in theirrespective countries and the need to adopt concrete and practical measures for successful
implementation of the HFA. These measures should include development of appropriate and effective
disaster risk reduction mechanisms, tools and guidelines for implementing the HFA, includingorganizational development, strategic policy and planning, partnerships among stakeholders andcapacity development. The Guidelines for Implementing the Hyogo Framework “Getting Started”
developed by the ISDR secretariat will assist the countries and other stakeholders in taking practicalsteps to implement the HFA.

3.

Promote a comprehensive, integrated and holistic approach to disaster risk reduction throughthe following strategies:a)

Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in development and promoting multisectoral cooperation
among stakeholders

The participants acknowledged the importance of mainstreaming disaster risk reduction indevelopment and promoting collaboration among all stakeholders in order to achieve disaster risk
reduction goals. These stakeholders include key government ministries, NGOs, UN and internationalorganizations, donors, private sector, media, academia and research institutions, local governments,and community organizations. It was agreed to promote this to integrate disaster risk reduction innational development plans, programmes and strategies. A matrix to identify critical inputs in terms ofbudget, institutional resources and multisectoral partnerships was considered as a useful tool for
mapping the process of mainstreaming disaster risk reduction at national level. The Total Disaster Risk
Management (TDRM) approach developed in consultation with key stakeholders was articulated as ameans of supporting the implementation of the HFA.

b)

Integration of disaster risk reduction in all phases of the disaster risk management

The participants recognized the importance of integrating disaster risk reduction in development
activities and in all phases of the disaster risk management cycle. They recognized the need forconstantly strengthening disaster response and response preparedness as well as the reform currently
going on among humanitarian stakeholders, and the critical role of UN/OCHA in this field. They also
appreciated the efforts of the International Recovery Platform (IRP) to promote risk reduction in postdisaster recovery efforts. The overarching Early Recovery principles presented by UNDP, Post
Disaster Needs Assessment Methodologies by UN/ISDR, Vulnerability Assessment Mapping
presented by WFP, and post disaster livelihood strategies by ILO were taken note of as valuable
instruments for reducing risk in disaster response and recovery strategies.

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Enhancing early warning systems and efficient sharing of disaster risk information

The participants noted the importance of timely disaster risk information and multi-hazard early warning
systems for protecting the lives and livelihoods of populations at risk. The mapping of hazards andvulnerabilities with tools and promoting public awareness where considered important interventions insupport of the HFA at national and local levels. The participants were informed of the commitment ofWMO to the HFA, in particular, the priority area 2. In this context, WMO’s efforts to support theactivities of the national meteorological and hydrological services to ensure a better understanding of
hazard risks, warnings of hazards and the enhancement of public knowledge on natural hazards andtheir impacts were fully acknowledged by participants. Development of Disaster Reduction Hyperbase
offers an opportunity to systematically disseminate mitigation technology to governments andpractitioners. Application of indigenous knowledge, science and technology was considered crucial for
effective disaster prevention.

d)

Crosscutting Issues

Gender sensitive policies, community participation and involvement of NGOs throughout the cycle
were considered as critical for success of disaster reduction.

4.

Conclusion

The participants reaffirmed their commitment to implement disaster reduction policies in order toachieve the goals of the HFA.

The ACDR 2006 recommended to continue the momentum through mutual exchange and sharing ofcountry experiences and to review the progress of the implementation of the HFA priorities with respect
to benchmarks.

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