Asian Program for Regional Capacity Enhancement for Landslide Impact Mitigation (RECLAIM), 3-18 Jan, India A joint training course cum expert workshop on landslide inventory and hazard and risk mapping took place in Dehradun, India. Norwegian Geo-technical Institute (NGI), Geological Survey of Canada (CGS), Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), Central Building & Research Institute (CBRI), Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) and Road Development Authority (RDA)-Sri Lanka made presentations under the RECLAIM Phase II project. The course was jointly organized by the Geological Survey of India (GSI), the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), IIRS and ITC-The Netherlands, NGI and ADPC.  This workshop is under the Asian Program for Regional Capacity Enhancement for Landslide Impact Mitigation (RECLAIM), funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy.  Strengthening community-based approaches to the management of Avian and Human Influenza (AHI), 22-23 Jan, Vietnam ADPC will be on mission to Hanoi, Vietnam to raise awareness of the AHI project among stakeholders in Vietnam and to seek input to the development of the project from various key stakeholders. Key people and organizations to meet will be the officials from Academy for Educational Development (AED), Agronomes & Vétérinares sans Frontiéres (AVSF), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), CARE International in Vietnam, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC/RCS), World Health Organization and Asian Development Bank who provided valuable information on community-level AHI activities in the country. Collaborating Partners are Asian Development Bank, CARE, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, International Rescue Committee, many other stakeholders, and ADPC.   Meeting of the Regional Steering Committee of the Multi-hazard Early Warning System for Tsunami and Hydro-meteorological Hazards in Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia, 24-25 Jan, Thailand The members of the Regional Steering Committee of the Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Tsunami and Hydro-meteorological Hazards in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia facilitated by ADPC will meet with the following agenda: Review progress of the Regional Program Implementation Plan Present status of national early warning systems of participating countries Update the implementation plan for the next 6 months Develop a strategic plan to sustain Regional EWS operations The Regional Steering Committee consists of national early warning focal points for both geological and hydro-meteorological hazards from 14 countries. It was constituted in July 2006 to provide policy guidance, monitor, and evaluate the implementation of the ADPC-facilitated regional program on establishing end-to-end early warning for tsunamis and hydro-meteorological hazards for disaster preparedness and mitigation in the two regions. UN agencies, namely the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, World Meteorological Organization, and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific will also participate in the meeting.   ADPC implements new projects, Bangladesh Seismic hazard and vulnerability mapping of Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet city corporation area Contingency planning for Earthquake hazard Training, Advocacy and Awareness raising with regard to Earthquake andTsunami hazard Inception report for all the three projects were submitted in January 08 and Technical Advisory Group (TAG) meeting was held on 14 January 08 in Dhaka to review the reports presented. TAG meeting was organized by CDMP Bangladesh.  ADPC also organized a partners meeting on 13 January 08 in Dhaka, for all the partners involved in these projects as international and national consultants/counterparts. Partners presented were: AIT-Thailand, OYO International Corporation-Japan, NSET-Nepal, BDPC-Bangladesh,      NIRAPAD-Bangladesh, Dhaka University, Chittagong University of Engineering Technology and Sylhet University.  The projects are funded under the Bangladesh Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP).  Update on the Program for Hydro-Meteorological Disaster Mitigation in Secondary Cities in Asia (PROMISE), Pakistan The Program for Hydro-Meteorological Disaster Mitigation in Secondary Cities in Asia (PROMISE) has demonstration projects in Hyderabad (Pakistan) and Kalutara (Sri Lanka), as well as Chittagong (Bangladesh), Dagupan (Philippines) and Da Nang (Viet Nam).  The program is funded and supported by the US Agency for International Development-Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID-OFDA). PROMISE-Bangladesh conducted a school simulation on 22 January 08 to promote disaster preparedness initiatives. The script mainly focused on various disaster risk management issues, including pre-disaster preparedness activities, actions to be taken in emergency situation, rescue and evacuation, and shelter management. PROMISE-Pakistan organized a health and hygiene workshop in Maheshwari Colony on 17 January 08, an advocacy and mobilization seminar in collaboration with SAFWCO in Hyderabad on 23 January 08, and an orientation program for school children of Government High School, GOR Colony, Hyderabad. PROMISE-Philippines organized a Climate Change Orientation on 10 January 08, to make the city’s mitigation and preparedness plans more sustainable.  The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Government of the Philippines, held a follow-up activity validating the integration of the DRM into the Comprehensive Development Plan on 10 to 11 January 08; this is under the PROMISE Mainstreaming DRR project.  Dagupan City, the city demonstration site for PROMISE-Philippines, hosted a study tour by Oxfam from 17 to 18 January. For other activities, please refer to Disaster Mitigation in Asia Issue 55  Click here to view