PRIORITY AREAS TO IMPLEMENT DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
"Building disaster resilient communities and nations"
HELPING TO SET A NEW INTERNATIONAL AGENDA
INVITATION TO AN ONLINE DIALOGUE

The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) through its
Secretariat invites you to an on-line dialogue from 15 June to 15 July
2004 to discuss priority areas for further action to implement disaster
risk reduction 2005-2015.

Purpose of the on-line dialogue:
To provide a wide forum for inputs to the conclusions of a review of
current implementation of disaster risk reduction and to identify future
priority action areas, including support mechanisms.

Target audience:
The on-line consultation will provide space for a global dialogue between
government representatives, experts and interested stakeholders on
reducing vulnerability to natural hazards. This should impact on the
discussions and outcomes of the Conference. We invite participation by
experts in all development, sustainable development and disaster
management sectors.

The results of this dialogue will provide inputs to the preparations for
the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in January 2005.

The World Conference on Disaster Reduction, 18-22 January 2005, Kobe,
Hyogo, Japan (WCDR), is a milestone event to increase the profile of
disaster risk reduction in development planning and practice as well as in
humanitarian work and to provide guidance to reduce risk to natural
hazards.

The first Preparatory Committee session for the WCDR was held in Geneva, 6-
7 May 2004, which brought together UN Member States, UN agencies, Inter-
Governmental Organizations and NGOs. One of the recommendations was for
the ISDR Secretariat to provide a list of elements for a strong action-
oriented outcome document to contribute to the inter-governmental
negotiations on priorities to implement disaster risk reduction in the
coming ten years. See: http://www.unisdr.org/wcdr


Tentative agenda:
15 - 25 June - Topic 1: Core objectives and areas for action, stemming
from preliminary conclusions of the review of implementation of disaster
reduction

26 June - 4 July -Topic 2: Implementation mechanisms at local, national,
regional and international scales. Links with existing developmental
mechanisms and frameworks. Support to national and local implementation
and follow-up.

5 - 11 July - Topic 3: Voluntary partnerships to support implementation,
at all levels. Operational criteria and modalities. Links with relevant
WSSD partnerships and other existing ones.

12 - 15 July: Wrap up and summary


How to participate:
You are welcome to join the ON-LINE dialogue at http://www.unisdr.org/wcdr-
dialogue

Please register by clicking here http://www.unisdr.org/wcdr-
dialogue/registration.htm (or send a message to [log in to unmask]) or
enter the website.

All of the discussion will take place via email. The moderator receives
the messages and he will pass them on for circulation to all as it fits
the discussion. The messages will also be posted on the website, but no
inter-active discussion will take place there.

You will find guidelines for the participants on the website address
indicated above. If needed, those who wish to contribute to the discussion
are welcome to contact the moderator for advice on the form and content of
their contributions

The moderator for the dialogue is John Twigg on behalf of the ISDR
Secretariat. All messages shall be directed to the moderator at email
address: [log in to unmask]

John Twigg is an independent researcher/consultant and honorary research
fellow at the Benfield Hazard Research Centre, University College London,
specialising in the social and institutional aspects of risk reduction.
His recent projects include a study for the ProVention Consortium on
methodologies for assessing natural hazard risks and the net benefits of
mitigation, and a review of good practice in disaster risk reduction
(Disaster Risk Reduction: Mitigation And Preparedness In Development And
Emergency Programming. London: overseas development institute, 2004)

UNDP is co-sponsoring the on-line conference and the Regional Disaster
Information Centre (CRID) in Costa Rica is providing technical support.

Please circulate this invitation to your colleagues and other relevant
networks.


Background document for discussion:
Elements for programmatic action plan and mechanisms for implementation,
WCDR (available in June 2004), is the background document for the on-line
consultation, supported by the Progress report draft review of the
Yokohama Strategy.
Additional reference information:

On-line dialogue on the framework for guidance and monitoring of disaster
risk reduction (August 2003), UN/ISDR-UNDP (http://www.unisdr.org/dialogue)
World Conference on Disaster Reduction website (http://www.unisdr.org/wcdr)
Summary background:

Starting point:
The Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action for a Safer World in the 21st
Century (http://www.unisdr.org/eng/about_isdr/bd-yokohama-strat-eng.htm),
adopted in 1994 during the International Decade for Natural Disaster
Reduction, outlines the principles for disaster reduction.
The on-going review of the Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action identifies
gaps in its implementation and concludes on areas which need further
strengthening. It also provides a consolidated guiding framework for
disaster reduction (http://www.unisdr.org/wcdr-dialogue/docs/working-doc3-
IATF9-Yokohama-review.pdf), developed through the International Strategy
for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) in collaboration with UNDP.

The preliminary conclusions of this review formed the basis for a first
draft of Elements for Programmatic Outcome for the WCDR
(http://www.unisdr.org/wcdr-dialogue/docs/working-doc2-IATF9-WCDR-elements-
for-outcome.doc). It was discussed at the ninth session of the Inter-
Agency Task Force on Disaster Reduction (4-5 May 2004) and made available
to Member States at the first session of the Preparatory Committee for the
WCDR (6-7 May 2004).
Expected result:
Definition of priority areas for further action to implement disaster risk
reduction 2005-2015 (to coincide with the review in 2014-2015 at the
Commission for Sustainable Development on "Vulnerability and disaster
management" as defined by the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, as well
as with the Millennium Development Goals to be achieved by 2015)

The WCDR is expected to launch a programmatic action plan for disaster
risk reduction, focusing on national needs - 2005-2015 - under the lema of
building disaster resilient communities and nations. This plan should be
based on priorities defined as objectives, and areas for action, which can
serve to define voluntary targets at local, national and regional scales.

It should also agree on a mechanism for follow-up and implementation with
elements for local and national implementation, as well as regional and
international support to that implementation.

The thematic sessions at the WCDR will be based on these priority areas,
and will focus on discussing good-practices and ways forward to ensure
implementation.

The second session of the Preparatory Committee will meet 11-12 October
2004 where the WCDR outcomes will be negotiated. The ISDR Secretariat has
been asked to prepare an updated draft of the elements for a programmatic
document to implement disaster reduction for the consideration of Member
States, based on the recommendations of the Task Force and the first
Preparatory Committee session and for further, wide consultation.