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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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Theme ...
Networking- beyond Conferences and Meetings To a great extent, networking in the development field has followed the 'conference and meeting' model. A newcomer to the world of networking, the disaster management community, on the other hand, has the opportunity to try more innovative approaches and move towards a new paradigm of organizational information sharing. New forms of networking are emerging, which offer exciting possibilities for strengthening disaster management. A need for networking Networking has long been an important theme among development professionals. Sharing information, experiences, and "lessons learned" as well as the collaboration which has emerged through connections between organizations and individuals with similar interests has proven very valuable to the field. Although networking initiatives of all kinds have multiplied worldwide, the disaster management community has been slow to follow. National committees of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) and their subgroups potentially provide an institutional vehicle for developing more active networks, but so far do not appear to be pursuing this goal. Specialist professional associations which could also play an important networking role in disaster management have tended to remain within narrow fields of interests, often confined to particular hazards or scientific approaches. This of absence of active networks reflects both the newness of disaster management as a "field" as well perhaps as a lack of urgency, particularly among those working on preparedness and mitigation issues, to find common solutions. Evidence of a new commitment Fortunately, there seems to be a growing recognition of the power of networking among disaster management professionals. John Twigg of Intermediate Technology Development Group, UK points out that, "within the disaster community the impetus for networking is most apparent among agencies involved in emergency aid, who are under considerable pressure to coordinate their efforts more effectively and share ideas about good practice". Now networking is spreading to those working on the disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness issues as well. David Hollister, senior manager of the Asian Urban Disaster Mitigation Program (AUDMP) at ADPC, notes that networks play a very important role in the "... exchange of knowledge, skills, expertise, technology and information". Since he considers this exchange crucial to AUDMP's goal of replicating successful mitigation measures throughout the Asian region, significant resources have been allocated to an Information and Networking component. Rob Stephenson, a UK-based disaster and information systems expert who helped design this component of the program, said that it is now clear that networking and information exchange is critical to preventing the loss of knowledge which has plagued the disaster management field, where lessons learned in one place often never reach others who need it. A growing enthusiasm for and commitment to increasing networking opportunities is becoming evident not only at the project level, but across countries as well. hi fact some of the most prominent regional disaster management networks have emerged only within the past five years or so. Some of these networks have a global agenda, such as the UK-based Relief and Rehabilitation Network which has over 260 members from donor and United Nations agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs), academic institutions and the media, in more than 50 countries. Other organizations have set up on a more ad hoc basis within countries where there is significant humanitarian work taking place - for instance the NGO Consortium on Relief and Rehabilitation in Sri Lanka, which is a loosely-organized group of relief and development agencies that meets regularly to exchange information. The strategy and plan of action drawn up at the mid-term conference of the IDNDR in Yokohama in May 1994 also called for a range of network-related activities. Representatives of NGOs present at that conference have already established the Global Forum of NGOs for Disaster Reduction, an international network to further the aims of the Yokohama strategy. Although still at a relatively early stage in its existence, this network represents an important step forwards. The participants at the Yokohama meeting were particularly concerned to strengthen links at regional and sub-regional levels. Two regional networks - LaRed in Latin America and Duryog Nivaran (see Box) in South Asia - are endeavoring to achieve this. Taking a much-needed multi-disciplinary approach, these organizations are broadening our collective under-standing of disasters and vulnerability through comparative research and by providing information, professional advice and training materials with the goal of developing the capacity of national and local organizations to deal with disasters within these disaster-prone regions.
Where from here? Although the upsurge in interest in networking is encouraging, we must be careful to direct activity in the most effective directions, so that it can achieve and maintain a vibrancy and usefulness. The fledgling disaster management community has an opportunity to move beyond the traditional conferences and meeting" model by channeling the burgeoning interest in networking in new and innovative directions. One of the most prominent issues emerging for networking today is the use of technology. Advances in information technology, in particular, have opened up a whole new world of networking possibilities to the disaster management community. Examples of recent initiatives include: LA RED's development of a pioneering disaster and vulnerability database, called Des Inventar , the recent and successful IDNDR "Cities at Risk" Internet Conference, the PAHO/NASA Internet project, GEMINI computer networking project, not to mention a myriad of homepages and list serves which have sprung up around disaster management issues. In Asia and the Pacific, ADPC and its collaborators are exploring the idea of developing a regional disaster management information network. Internet applications are going to be a major component of this initiative (see Box on the next page). As exciting as high technology is, however, it should not be adopted at the expense of more traditional forms of communication. Relying too heavily on computers, for example, can be exclusive. Technical capabilities vary dramatically between countries, particularly in the developing world, and we run the risk of neglecting organizations and individuals which rely on telephones, letters and faxes. Joseph Chung, of the UNDHA Office, South Pacific, noted that in his region, although the value of quick communication and easy information storage is recognized, computer technology is not very advanced. He anticipates that in the next few years, this kind of networkmg can become more effective once the costs of the electronic transfer come down. Mr. Chung cautions, however, that even with the advent of electronic media, meetings and conferences will remain important in the Pacific: "Virtual workshops. . . are fine but they can not always replace the role of face-to-face personalized communication." In conclusion, networking is crucial to building bridges across disciplines and within the broad spectrum of the disaster management field, from prevention to response. We are well-placed to capitalize on new opportunities to work together and by recognizing the opportunities and limitations embodied in the information technology revolution, we can move from a networking late-comer to a networking leader. -Erika Lund Erika Lund works on the information and networking component of the Asian Urban Disaster Mitigation Program of ADPC. Material on Duryog Nivaran and La-Red were drawn significantly from John Twigg's article: 'Partnerships Against Disasters: the Role of Regional Networks' |
Duryog
Nivaran (roughly meaning 'disaster mitigation' in Sanskrit) is a South
Asian networking initiative, launched in November 1994. At the moment,
five countries are represented in the network: Bangladesh, India, Nepal,
Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Overseas Development Administration (ODA)
has been the network's principal donor, with additional support coming
from European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO). Duryog Nivaran
intends to promote a holistic perspective on disasters (vis-a-vis ongoing
development processes) through research and different forms of information
sharing and advocacy. Duryog Nivaran's research is organized around five
key themes: the links between disasters and society; the limitations
of conventional scientific and technological approaches; accountability;
regional co-operation; and communities'vulnerability and capacity.