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Vol. 3, No. 1 February 1997 |
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Vol. 3, No. 1 February 1997 |
| From the ADPC director's
desk
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From the ADPC director's desk ...
Towards a community's newsletter Dear readers, ADPC is delighted to resume the publication of "Asian Disaster Management News" after an interval of nearly two years. Much has happened during this period. As the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) enters its second phase, new regional and international initiatives are coming up such as the recent announcement of the RADIUS project by the IDNDR secratariat. In addition, these two years have also seen the emergence of a regional networking initiative in Asia- Duryog Nivaran. ADPC also welcomes the setting up of a Disaster Mitigation Network, a coalition of NGOs working with the flood prone communities in Pakistan. Many exciting things are happening at ADPC as well. In the latter part of 1996, ADPC was recognized as a regional focal point for Asia and the Pacific by the IDNDR Secretariat in Geneva. At the same time, we have launched the Asian Urban Disaster Mitigation Program (AUDMP) which is by far the most comprehensive urban mitigation program in this region. We have also expanded and restructured our training and consulting activities to cater to the emerging needs of the region. In collaboration with the Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia, we have ventured into the area of "Distance Leaming for Disaster Management". Over the next few years, ADPC will continue to broaden its work to include a number of new courses such as our very successful technological hazard management and crisis management course. In the midst of all this activity, both at ADPC and in the region, we have designed a new plan for this newsletter. We think of it as a newsletter of the disaster management community. We envisage this newsletter as not only a medium for communicating about our work but also as an important networking tool. This newsletter provides you with an opportunity to share your views, experiences and value dilemmas. We have already set up an advisory panel. This will expand considerably from the second issue onwards to be representative of the disaster management community in the region. In the medium term, this newsletter will significantly facilitate networking among the specific interest groups. These networks could possibly act as "think tanks' which can facilitate each other's work and also help the advocacy work in the region, Possibilities are immense but the success of this venture depends on how much participation we are able to encourage from all of you. It is on this note that we offer you this 'new" issue of Asian Disaster Management News. Executive Director, ADPC |
