Thu, Aug 23, 2012
Events like the recent floods in Thailand
demonstrates how the impact of land-use
change on ecosystems can lead to disasters,
and highlight the importance of an ecosystem-based
approach to reducing disaster risk.
Geneva, 23 August 2012
- The need to overcome slow progress in
putting the theory of disaster risk reduction
into practice is among the topics to be
covered at a global biennial forum on disaster
risk taking place in Switzerland this weekend.
The United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) is a patron of the 4th
International Disaster and Risk Conference
2012 (IDRC Davos 2012), which will bring
together more than 1,000 risk and disaster
experts, practitioners and government officials
from 100 countries.
Further Resources
UNEP and Disaster Risk ReductionIDRC Davos
2012With the theme 'Integrative Risk Management
in a Changing World', the four-day event
will focus on the transfer of cutting-edge
knowledge, strategies and good practice
across the diverse sectors, disciplines
and end users involved in risk reduction
and disaster management.
Among the activities,
the Partnership for Environment and Disaster
Risk Reduction (PEDRR) will host a special
session on 28 August entitled, 'Environment
and Disaster Risk Reduction: Moving from
Theory to Practice'.
To be moderated by UNEP's
Chief of Disaster Risk Reduction, Muralee
Thummarukudy, the session will explore why
disaster risk reduction has been slow to
shift from theory into practice, and focus
on mainstreaming disaster risk reduction
into development planning, in particular
the role of improved ecosystems management.
"Although there
is growing awareness that improving the
management of ecosystems and natural resources
plays an essential role in reducing human
vulnerability to disasters, there has been
a lag investing in disaster risk reduction
in general, and in ecosystem-based solutions
for risk reduction in particular,"
Mr Thummarukudy said.
The other speakers include
the National Coordinator for Disaster Risk
Reduction from Côte d'Ivoire's Ministry
for Environment and Sustainable Development,
the Hon. Abé Delfin Ochou; the Director
of the Institute for Management in Government,
Kerala, India, Dr Nivedita Haran; the Project
Manager of World Bank's Global Facility
for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, Mr
Daniel Kull; and IUCN Ecosystems Management
Programme Coordinator Ms Radhika Murti.
UNEP will also take
part in the Plenary Session on 'Mega-disasters
with Cascading Effects' where the speakers
- including Margareta Wahlström, the
Special Representative of the Secretary-General
for Disaster Risk Reduction - will explore
the issue of major disasters and how the
world community can be better prepared for
such events.
UNEP is a long-standing
advocate of the concept of Ecosystem-based
Disaster Risk Reduction (Eco-DRR), an integrated
approach to address both disaster and climate
change-related risks.
