GDRC invited to International Conference
Fri, 14 Nov 2014 12:38:00 GMT
Professor Richard Haigh Global Disaster Resilience Centre (GDRC) has been invited by IOC UNESCO to present at the International Conference to Commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami in Indonesia, Sponsored by IOC UNESCO and the Government of Indonesia. This is entitled: “The Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System 10 years after the Indian Ocean Tsunami: Achievements, Challenges, Remaining Gaps and Policy Perspectives” and will be held from 24 - 25 November 2014 in Jakarta, Indonesia
The Indian Ocean Tsunami on 26th December 2014 resulted in the loss of over 230,000 lives including over 2,500 foreign tourists, and the displacement of over 1.6 million people around the Indian Ocean, with estimated economic losses of $14 billion. The catastrophe brought renewed focus on the need for a regional tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean. Following the disaster, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO was given the mandate to develop and implement an Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWS). The IOC Assembly established an Intergovernmental Coordination Group (ICG) for the IOTWS in July 2005. The IOTWS has been designed and implemented through the joint efforts and contributions of its Member States and other partners under the coordination of IOC UNESCO. To ensure its long-term sustainability, the IOTWS will require policy support at the intergovernmental and national level within the framework of global, regional and national disaster risk reduction policies. Herein lies one of the key objectives of this important conference. Other objectives include:
- To report on and document the achievements of the last 10 years.
- To highlight gaps in the system and work that still needs to be done.
- To seek re-commitment of Member States and other partners to continue investing in the IOTWS to ensure its long-term sustainability.
- To launch the Indian Ocean Tsunami Information Centre.
- To provide input to the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction to be held in Sendai, Japan from 14-18 March 2015.
In achieving the above objectives, conference will have the following sessions:
- Development of the IOTWS since 2004. What has been achieved? What is different? Is the Indian Ocean region safer than it was in 2004?
- Outstanding needs and future developments. What still needs to be done? What future developments are planned?
- Donor perspectives. What have been the outcomes and impacts of donor interventions?
- Sustainability of the IOTWS. What is the way forward for sustaining the IOTWS in the long term?
- Strengthening international cooperation: the role of international organisations in tsunami warning.
- Towards the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan, 14 to 18 March 2015.
