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China, India, to Train Asia-Pacific Officials On Disaster Risk Management

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 20 2015 (IPS) - China and India will train government officials in the Asia-Pacific region on how to incorporate disaster management into national planning and finance measures.

The Regional Conference on Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction into Development Planning and Financing, held in Thailand last week, heard natural disaster response is still a pressing issue for development in Asia.

Disaster risk reduction is one of the key development challenges faced by the Asia-Pacific region, the world’s most disaster prone region, according to the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Despite economic and social advances, many nations are still extremely vulnerable to floods, tsunamis and more.

“The Asia-Pacific region continues to be battered by natural disasters with ever rising economic losses,” said Shamika Sirimanne, Director of ESCAP’s Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division.

“ESCAP research shows that disasters are already rolling back sustainable development gains. It is high time natural disasters are considered as a serious threat to development and poverty reduction in Asia and the Pacific.”

The Bangkok conference saw nations sharing experiences and strategies of responding to disasters.

Conference delegates spoke of concerns over a focus on disaster relief and response, rather than on risk management and other preventative measures.

ESCAP said many countries in the region do not have funds for necessary disaster risk measures or projects.

“The experience of the Government of Indonesia as one highly vulnerable country can be used as lessons learned and good practices for other governments and pave the way for promoting the mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction in the planning and financing of development in their respective countries,” said Suprayoga Hadi, Deputy Minister for the Development of Resources of Indonesia.

Risk management bodies from China and India pledged to serve as ESCAP’s Regional Network of Knowledge and Innovation Centres in Disaster Risk Reduction, providing training for Asia-Pacific on how to incorporate risk management into national planning and finance measures.

Agreements were also reached over national development plans and frameworks for disaster risk management.
The U.N. World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction will be held in Sendai, Japan from March 14 to 18.

 
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