JiscMail Logo
Email discussion lists for the UK Education and Research communities

Help for RADIX Archives


RADIX Archives

RADIX Archives


RADIX@JISCMAIL.AC.UK


View:

Message:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Topic:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Author:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

Font:

Proportional Font

LISTSERV Archives

LISTSERV Archives

RADIX Home

RADIX Home

RADIX  September 2013

RADIX September 2013

Options

Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Log In

Log In

Get Password

Get Password

Subject:

Beyond HF2 -- On Reforming the UNISDR

From:

Ben Wisner <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

[log in to unmask]

Date:

Sat, 28 Sep 2013 16:23:21 -0400

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (20 lines)

Dear Radix participants and others,

I am very pleased with the vigorous discussion of the last few days of the implications of the Mexico storms & landslides and Pakistan earthquake for HFA2.  (Even as I write the deaths in landslides in Mexican mountainous coffee growing zones has been revised upwards and another 'red alert' earthquake -- very strong aftershock -- has stuck the same zone in Pakistan).

However, thinking beyond HFA2, there is the question of institutional reform.  Is the UNISDR fit for purpose?

Tom Mitchell of ODI in London has published an essay on Thompson-Reuter's ALERTNET asks this question about the IPCC http://www.trust.org/item/20130925124953-ayjuo/?source=hpblogs .

Of course there are enormous structural and functional differences between IPCC and UNISDR; nevertheless, some passages in Tom's essay strike a familiar cord in the UNISDR context.

TOM M: "...the IPCC has demonstrated it can produce special reports on single topics in just two years, involving members of all Working Groups in joint assessments (for example, SREX - the  Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation). 

"The IPCC is perfectly capable of producing comprehensive, but shorter and more focused assessment reports every four years. This would also help ensure the assessment includes the very latest science. Further, the current Working Group structure means that scientists struggle to fully integrate physical science, impacts and mitigation assessments. Consequently, the review should ask whether separate working groups really make sense anymore, or whether they could be merged and streamlined to offer clearer messages, shorter processes and better collaboration."

What about UNISDR?  It's GAR reports (Global Assessment of Disaster Risk Reduction) are interdisciplinary and involve a wide range of scientists (social as well as natural scientists) and practitioners.  However, in the two year periods between GAR reports the UNISDR senior management simply does not modify messages, recommendations or in other ways changes its prescriptive or operational activities to reflect the evidence based recommendations of its own GAR.  For example, from GAR 2009 onwards through GAR 2011 and GAR 2013, there has been evidence presented that small and moderate disasters, many of them climate related, account for more economic loss and greater disruption of ordinary people's livelihoods than the large events that make it into the international data base EM-DAT -- the data source used and promoted by UNISDR. Similarly, GAR has brought up the issue of corruption, devolved funding, partnerships among local government and communities among many other concrete instances of what the UNISDR continues to hide under the bland term 'governance'.

TOM M: "A review should address this point, as in 30 years’ time the IPCC’s reputation may be dashed – not because of getting one or two facts wrong, but because it was inhibited from telling the whole truth." 

Here again, Tom is writing about the IPCC, but the question can and should be asked about UNISDR.  Is the UNISDR too conservative?  The relations UNISDR has with the 168 countries that signed HFA1 in 2005 is a typical UN stance: head no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.  The UNISDR does not even conduct quality control or fact checking of the reports countries provide on their achievements in implementing HFA1 every two years.  Moreover, UNISDR does not engage in 'naming and blaming'.  Is this truly the way that will produce the 'significant reduction in disaster losses' by 2015?nd Pakistan earthquake for HFA2.  (Even as I write the deaths in landslides in Mexican mountainous coffee growing zones has been revised upwards and another 'red alert' earthquake -- very strong aftershock -- has stuck the same zone in Pakistan).

Top of Message | Previous Page | Permalink

JiscMail Tools


RSS Feeds and Sharing


Advanced Options


Archives

March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
February 2013


JiscMail is a Jisc service.

View our service policies at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/policyandsecurity/ and Jisc's privacy policy at https://www.jisc.ac.uk/website/privacy-notice

For help and support help@jisc.ac.uk

Secured by F-Secure Anti-Virus CataList Email List Search Powered by the LISTSERV Email List Manager