4. Promoting Cooperation in Disaster Reduction

4. Promoting Cooperation in Disaster Reduction
4-1. Cooperation with the United Nations
With support from the Cabinet Office of Japan, ADRC has been promoting cooperation andcollaboration with various UN organizations such as, among others, UN/ISDR, UN/OCHA,UNESCO, UNU, UN/ESCAP, WHO and WMO.

4-1-1. Collaboration with UN/ISDR
ADRC is working in close collaboration with the United Nations Inter-Agency Secretariat ofthe International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) in promoting worldwide disaster
reduction activities.

4-1-1-1. International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR)
With a strong recognition of the need for international and regional collaboration in disaster
reduction efforts, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution in 1987,
designating the 1990’s as the “International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR)”
to promote disaster reduction activities in order to drastically reduce the negative impact ofnatural disasters. The activities of INDNR were supported by national committees of more than
140 countries. The Decade, however, was completed in 1999.
Following the Decade, the United Nations General Assembly put forth a proposal on
November 1, 1999, prepared by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to launch a newprogram “International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR)” to carry on with the efforts
made by IDNDR. The proposal included the establishment of an Inter-Agency Task Force andan inter-agency secretariat for the implementation of ISDR as well as the continuation andreinforcement of the national committees established through IDNDR.
The main objectives of the ISDR are 1) to increase the capacity of societies and communities
to cope with natural disasters, and 2) to shift from post-disaster response to disaster reduction
and risk management.
In addition, activities to 1) increase public awareness of disaster risks, 2) encourage active
participation of public authorities in disaster reduction, 3) stimulate inter-disciplinary andinter-sectoral partnership and networking at all levels, as well as to 4) improve further thescientific knowledge of natural hazards and disasters were proposed as the 4 core activities of
the ISDR.
The resolution was adopted at the UN GA in December 1999, and the Inter-Agency
Secretariat of the ISDR was established in January 2000 as the principal mechanism of the UN
to implement the strategy under the supervision of the Under Secretary-General (USG) for
Humanitarian Affairs.
The main roles assigned to the ISDR Secretariat were to: 1) act as the center of various
international disaster reduction activities implemented by the UN, 2) provide support to theInter-Agency Task Force, 3) promote a worldwide culture of prevention, 4) serve as aninternational clearing house for the dissemination and exchange of information and knowledge
on disaster reduction strategies, and 5) to provide assistance to national committees in eachcountry.
The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Disaster Reduction consists of members from UN
agencies, civil society and regional representatives, with the USG for Humanitarian Affairs of
the UN as the Chairman and the Director of the ISDR secretariat as the Secretary. The roles
assigned to the IATF include: 1) preparing proposals concerning disaster reduction strategies
and policies of the UN, 2) presiding over the results of each policy, 3) establishing inter-agency
coordination of policies implemented by different agencies, 4) providing guidance to the ISDR
Secretariat on the policies and 5) making arrangements for meetings of disaster reduction
professionals. ADRC became a member of the IATF as a regional representative in April 2002
and has been attending the Meetings held in Geneva twice a year, in spring and fall.
In addition to the promotion of the four core activities of the ISDR Secretariat mentioned
above, the IATF members are encouraged to: participate in working groups. Four working
groups were established in 2000: WG1 on Climate and Disasters, WG2 on Early Warning,
WG3 on Risk, Vulnerability and Impact Assessments, and WG4 on Wildland fires, to assess the

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relationships between these factors and disasters. ADRC participates in the activities of twogroups, WG2 and WG3, and is actively working on these issues. It is planned that three of thefour working groups, WG1, WG2, and WG4, will be dissolved soon while the WG3 will keep
its operation until the end of 2004. Instead, four new working groups will be launched asfollows: WG1 on World Conference on Disaster Reduction; WG2 on Reducing Urban Risk andVulnerability; WG3 on Reducing Risk for Adapting to Climate Change; and WG4 on Disaster
Reduction in Africa. ADRC will participate in the activities of the WG 1(World Conference on
Disaster Reduction) and WG2(Reduction Urban Risk and Vulnerability) .

Fig. 4-1-1-1 8th meeting of the IATF

4-1-1-2. Second International Conference on Early Warning(EWC II)ADRC participated in the Second International Conference on Early Warning (EWC II) held
in Bonn, Germany on October 16-18, 2003, hosted by the Government of Germany under the
auspices of the United Nations, supported by the Inter-Agency Secretariat of the International
Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR). The EWC II built upon regional consultations andworkshops which took place in various regions in 2003. Participants actively discussed how to
reduce the negative impacts of hazards through improving early warning systems, and defined
clear targets and accepted their respective responsibilities.
On this occasion, a session entitled “Effective Early Warning - use of hazard maps as a toolfor effective risk communication among policy makers and communities” was organized by theGovernment of Japan on October 17 and was chaired by ADRC. After the two keynote
speeches by experts from the Cabinet Office and the Infrastructure Development Institute of
the Government of Japan, Mr. Satoru Nishikawa, Executive Director, ADRC, moderated apanel discussion on the effectiveness of hazard mapping as a tool to raise awareness and toenhance early warning with the panelists invited from Bangladesh, Korea, Philippines and Viet
Nam. It was emphasized that hazard mapping is useful to raise awareness of the community
when it is conducted in cooperation with all the stakeholders and with the consideration of each
community’s context. It was also agreed that the development of hazard mapping manuals
adapted to local conditions and training would be useful to enhance early warning systems.

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4. Promoting Cooperation in Disaster Reduction

Fig. 4-1-1-2 Session on “Effective Early Warning - use of hazard maps as atool for effective risk communication among policy makers and communities”

4-1-1-3. Asian Conference on Disaster Reduction 2004
The Asian Conference on Disaster Reduction 2004 was held from 4 to 6 February 2004 in Siem
Reap, Cambodia, organized by the Governments of Cambodia and Japan, the UN Inter-Agency
Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR), and the Asian
Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC).
The conference was held as part of a series of international and regional events serving as
preparatory consultations for the World Conference on Disaster Reduction to be held in Hyogo,
Japan in 2005. The World Conference is expected to mark a major milestone of global efforts
towards a safer world. In this context, this meeting in Cambodia provided a unique platform to
identify challenges and concrete future action to mitigate the negative impact of disasters in our
region by way of important contribution to the Conference.
For more information, see Chapter 2-1-2.
4-1-1-4. World Conference on Disaster Reduction
On the occasion of the mid-term review of the IDNDR in 1994, the World Conference on
Natural Disaster Reduction was held in Yokohama. Since then, the “Yokohama Strategy for a
Safer World: Guidelines for Natural Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Mitigation and its
Plan of Action”, adopted by the participants, has served as the international blueprint fordisaster reduction. Since 1994 the human and economic losses due to natural disasters havecontinued to increase despite efforts by local, national, regional and international actors
undertaken during the last decade.
The review of the Yokohama Strategy was endorsed by the General Assembly in December
2001 (resolution 56/195) to examine thoroughly the Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action incooperation with Governments and concerned agencies and organizations. This review process
will help identify gaps and means of implementation in a way that will chart the course ofaction for the forthcoming decade, while taking into account the outcome of the World Summit
on Sustainable Development”.
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution A/RES/58/214 in December 2003 toconvene a World Conference on Disaster Reduction in January 2005 in Kobe, Hyogo designed
to foster specialized discussions and produce concrete changes and results in disaster reduction.
The main objectives are:a)
To conclude the review of the Yokohama Strategy and its Plan of Action, witha view to updating the guiding framework on disaster reduction for the twenty-first century;b)
To identify specific activities aimed at ensuring the implementation of
relevant provisions of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on
Sustainable Development (“Johannesburg Plan of Implementation”) on vulnerability, risk
assessment and disaster management;

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4. Promoting Cooperation in Disaster Reduction

c)
To share best practices and lessons learned to further disaster reduction, within
the context of attaining sustainable development, and to identify gaps and challenges;d)To increase awareness of the importance of disaster reduction policies, thereby
facilitating and promoting the implementation of those policies; ande)
To increase the reliability and availability of appropriate disaster-related
information to the public and disaster management agencies in all regions, as set out inrelevant provisions of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.
The upcoming World Conference on Disaster Reduction will represent a milestone event toincrease the international profile of disaster risk reduction and promote its integration intodevelopment planning and practice in order to strengthen local and national capacities toaddress the causes of disasters which continue to devastate and impede the development ofmany countries. A Programme of Action for the decade, 2005-2015, is expected to be producedby the Conference.
ADRC has been actively contributing and will continue to contribute to the preparatory
process of the World Conference on Disaster Reduction to be held on 18-22 January 2005 in
Kobe, Hyogo, including the review of the Yokohama Strategy.

4-1-2. Collaboration with UN/OCHA Kobe
With support from the Cabinet Office of Japan and Hyogo prefecture, ADRC has beenpromoting cooperation and collaboration with the United Nations Office for the Coordinationof Humanitarian Affairs (UN/OCHA) since February 2000. The OCHA Asian Disaster
Response Unit (OCHA Kobe since 2001) was established to jointly implement disastermanagement programs in Asia.

4-1-2-1. OCHA Asian Disaster Response Unit
ADRC has been working closely with the Unit through promoting the Total Disaster Risk
Management (TDRM) approach. ADRC and OCHA Kobe jointly organized a training
workshop (June) and an international conference (December), and carried out cooperative
projects with member countries in Cambodia (April-June), Philippines (October) and Vietnam(November) in the fiscal year 2003. For further details, see Chap. 2-2 and Chap. 4-2.
4-1-2-2. OCHA/ReliefWeb
The OCHA/ReliefWeb is an Internet-based clearinghouse operated by OCHA, over which itcollects and disseminates reliable disaster information in a timely manner to support
humanitarian activities. ADRC, since its foundation, has been providing a link to theReliefWeb on its own homepage for easy access to the UN information. The ReliefWeb also
has a link to the ADRC website to make better use of information collected from various
countries.

4-1-3. Collaboration with UNESCOADRC has been working in close partnership with UNESCO in the field of disaster
reduction. The main activities carried out in partnership in 2003 are described below.

4-1-3-1. UNESCO Mid-term Meeting on the Cross-cutting Theme
Initiative
ADRC participated in the Mid-term Meeting on the UNESCO Cross-cutting Theme
Initiative “Reduction of Natural Disasters in Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean,” held on
25-26 September 2003 at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. The goal of theInitiative was to promote sustainable development by reducing the impact of natural disasters,saving lives and reducing losses through the incorporation of risk management as an integral
part of public policy and development processes. The Meeting was held to report on the
progress of the project in the participating cities, Antofagasta (Chile), Dehradun (India),
Kathmandu (Nepal), and Tijuana (Mexico), and to share experience gained from the project andother similar efforts. Active discussion took place during the two-day meeting on how to apply
the project’s assessment and evaluation results in urban planning and public policy. A

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representative of ADRC served as the rapporteur of the last panel discussion"Recommendations for Future Activities".

Fig. 4-1-3-1 Opening Ceremony of the UNESCO Meeting

4-1-3-2 Session on Disaster Reduction for the Caucasus and Central
Asia
On the occasion of the International Conference on TDRM held in Kobe on 2-4 December
2003, ADRC, with support from UNESCO and in cooperation with UN/ISDR, organized ameeting on disaster reduction for the Caucasus and Central Asia 1) to introduce the basic
concept of TDRM to be promoted in the Caucasus and Central Asia; 2) to discuss how better toapply TDRM in the Caucasus and Central Asia and how ADRC, ISDR and UNESCO could
encourage the process; 3) to establish a collaborative network of participants from the Caucasus
and Central Asia and of those interested in the region for information.
The status of disaster management in the following framework was reported and discussed.
•
Current trends and impact of disasters in each country• Major obstacles and major challenges in disaster management based on the experienceof the participant• Possible ways to apply TDRM with the context of the Caucasus and Central Asia
• Concrete actions that should be taken after this meeting for the adaptation of TDRM in
the Caucasus and Central Asia
An active exchange of views about the topics above produced the conclusion as follows:
The participants recognized the current status, exiting problems as well as future challenges
in promoting comprehensive disaster risk management in their respective countries. It wasmade out that lack of awareness and preparedness is a common concern in the Caucasus andCentral Asia. In order to raise awareness of societies and communities, the adoption of TDRM,
taking the local context into consideration, would be the key to success. Another problem
shared in the region seems to be lack of coordination mechanism and enabling instruments at
different levels, for which TDRM advocates. A need for the enhancement of collaboration
among all sectors and disciplines was also stressed. However, not many concrete measures toapply TDRM in the regional and local context were proposed during the meeting. This would
be the area that needs to be further discussed and where UNESCO, UN/ISDR and ADRC could
assist. Recognizing the current status and problems is a starting point of implementing TDRM.
It would be important to further discuss among the concerned bodies to find the best way ineach country to introduce and adapt TDRM in the pursuit of sustainable development of theregion.

4-1-4. Collaboration with UNU
ADRC has been working closely with the United Nations University(UNU) and has
strengthened partnership through the joint organization of two public forums the United
Nations University in the fiscal year 2003.

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4. Promoting Cooperation in Disaster Reduction

4-1-4-1. Public Forum on Earthquake Risk Reduction
On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake and the 2003
International Disaster Reduction Day, ADRC organized a public forum, "Living with Risk - arewe prepared for the next big one?”, on October 4 (Sat) at UNU in Tokyo. The forum wasco-organized with the United Nations University (UNU), Cabinet Office of Japan, ISDR
Secretariat, World Seismic Safety Initiative (WSSI), and ADRC, and with great cooperationfrom NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation).
The forum provided an opportunity to discuss the current status and challenges of earthquake
disaster preparedness in Japan. Speakers were Dr. Tsuneo Katayama, President, National
Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED), and Dr. Kimiro Meguro,
Associate Professor, University of Tokyo, and Prof. Haresh Shah, Professor of Stanford
University, as well as Dr. David Mammen, President, Institute of Public Administration (IPA).
Mr. Tsuyoshi Matsuo of NHK played a crucial role as a coordinator of the forum.
4-1-4-2 Public Forum on Catastrophic Flood Disaster Reduction
Commemorating the World Water Day, on March 22nd and the World Meteorological Day on
Mar 23rd, a Public Forum titled “Catastrophic Floods: Hidden Vulnerability of Mega Cities”
was held at UNU in Tokyo on March 23, 2004, co-organized by the United Nations University(UNU), Cabinet Office of Japan and ISDR Secretariat as well as ADRC, and supported byNHK. The objectives of the forum were to address the important issue of how to shift a‘fail-safe’ approach to ‘safe-fail’ mechanisms in flood control, and to raise public awareness ofinternational cooperation in disaster reduction toward the UN World Conference on Disaster
Reduction to be held in 2005.
Speakers were: Prof. Masaru Morita, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Mr. Koji Yamamoto,
Former Director-General, Japan Meteorological Agency, and Prof. Keiichi Toda, Kyoto
University, as well as Ms. Lorna Victoria, Director of Center for Disaster Preparedness
Foundation, Philippines. They delivered presentations titled “Community role for flood
management: Learning from the history”, “Flood related prediction technology and trends ofglobal warming”, and “Community participation for flood loss reduction” respectively.

Fig. 4-1-4-2 Panelists of the Public Forum

4-1-5. Collaboration with UN/ESCAPADRC has been working closely with the United Nations Economic and Social Council for
Asia and the Pacific(UN/ESCAP) in the pursuit of reducing disasters in Asia, in particular,
climate and water related disasters. ADRC participated positively in the activities of the
ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee in the fiscal year 2003, in collaboration with theGovernment of Japan, to promote hazard mapping in member countries as a tool for risk
communication for disaster reduction. ADRC also contributed to the activities of the
WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones as described above.

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4-1-5-1. ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee
ADRC participated in the 36th ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee (TC) held on 15-20
December 2003 in Malaysia. In the Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Component, which isone of three components of TC, ADRC circulated an updated list of Internet web sites that TC
Members can access for meteorology, hydrology and disaster prevention and preparedness
information and invited the Committee Members to provide additional information or
correction to enable it to update the list.
In addition, at the request of the TC hydrology component, ADRC participated in themeeting of Typhoon Committee Working Group on Hydrology held on 27-28 February 2004 in
Korea. This meeting was conducted for the preparation of the 2004 Seoul Workshop in
September 2004. ADRC will organize a training programme on flood hazard mapping in theworkshop.

4-1-6. Collaboration with WMO
Collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has been strengthened
through the promotion of the GLIDE initiative (GLobal unique disaster IDEntifier number) as
well as through the activities of the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclone and the
ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee.

4-1-6-1. Collaboration in the GLIDE initiative
WMO has been involved actively in the GLIDE initiative, which ADRC had developed incooperation with CRED and ReliefWeb, as a tool to enhance disaster information sharing, inparticular, information sharing of meteorological disasters such as typhoons, hurricanes andcyclones. WMO agreed to apply GLIDE for new tropical cyclones (including typhoons,hurricanes and cyclones) and proposed hazard codes for hydro-meteorological disasters for theapplication of GLIDE. For further details regarding the GLIDE initiative, see Chapter 3-3-3.
4-1-6-2. 31st session of the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones
ADRC participated in the 31st session of the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones heldon 1-6 March 2004 in Colombo, hosted by the Government of Sri Lanka. The main objective of
the session was to promote and coordinate measures designed to reduce the negative impact
caused by tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. Despite modern
technological advances, countries in the region continue to suffer from violent vagaries oftropical cyclones. Therefore, capacity building of Panel Members aiming at enhancing regional
cooperation and coordination of activities for mitigation of tropical cyclones is crucial. A
representative of ADRC presented its activities in the field of disaster reduction and proposed
the areas of possible cooperation with the Panel.

4-1-7. Collaboration with WHO/WPROADRC and the World Health Organization Regional Office for the West Pacific(WHO/WPRO) have been closely working in the field of disaster reduction. The activities
jointly carried out are described below.

4-1-7-1. Training on Supply Management (SUMA) and Logistics
Management of Humanitarian Supplies
ADRC jointly organized the Training on Supply Management (SUMA) and Logistics
Management of Humanitarian Supplies with the World Health Organization Regional Officefor the West Pacific (WHO/WPRO), and the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC)
of the Philippines in Manila on October 20-24, 2003. It was innovative in a sense that it was thefirst of its kind in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, and the training was geared towards
improving the management of humanitarian assistance by strengthening national capacity to
manage effectively the aid supplies and bring them to the affected people in an adequate andconvenient way. For further details regarding the Training on SUMA and Logistics
Management of Humanitarian Supplies, see Chapter 4-2-3.

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4-1-7-2. Third Regional Consultative Meeting
Based on the results of the Second Regional Consultative Meeting held in Bangkok on XXX
June 2002, the third Regional Consultative Meeting with a theme “Mainstreaming Disaster
Risk Management into Development Practice in Asia” was held in Makati, Philippines on
24-25 February 2004, co-organized by WHO/WPRO and the Asian Disaster Preparedness
Center (ADPC). The meeting aimed to review the activities carried out by the regional andinternational organizations actively involved in disaster reduction in the region and to planfurther collaborative work, especially in view of the World Conference on Disaster Reduction
to be held in Kobe, Hyogo in January 2005. ADRC contributed to the deliberations of themeeting through emphasizing the promotion of the TDRM approach, in particular, the result of
the International TDRM Conference held on 2-4 December 2003 in Kobe.

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