Training and Learning
National course on Governance and Disaster Risk Reduction, 3-6 Jun, Manila, Philippines The first National Course on Governance and Disaster Risk Reduction was held at Quezon City. The course was one of the last activities of the Program for Hydro-Meteorological Disaster Risk Mitigation in Secondary Cities in Asia (PROMISE)-Philippines project. The course was customized version of the Regional Course designed and facilitated by the ADPC-Urban Disaster Mitigation team together with the five PROMISE country partners.  Course objectives were to strengthen the capacity of local government officers in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and to provide the framework and tools in integrating DRR in local governance. The participants learned basic concepts in disaster risk management and governance, designing framework for integrating disaster risk reduction in development planning and implementation, applicable strategies, methods and tools in risk sensitive development planning and implementation. They also related experiences and practices in integrating disaster risk reduction in local governance to applications in back to workplace/local conditions.  Back-to-back training activities for ADPC partner organizations, 11-14 Jun, Timor-Leste, Dili, and East Timore Under the Climate Forecast Applications (CFA) for Disaster Mitigation in Southeast Asia Program, ADPC conducted training on location-specific weather forecasting for forecasters working with the National Directorate of Meteorology and Geophysics (NDMG) of Timor-Leste from 12 to 14 July 2008 in Dili. Eighteen forecasters successfully completed the training. A basic training on using GIS tools and satellite imageries for agro-meteorological applications was also conducted for the Ministry of Agriculture and other ADPC partner organizations in Timor-Leste, such as the NDMG, UN World Food Program, CARE and CONCERN. Ten participants completed the training, which aimed at assisting them use freeware GIS tools for mapping and maintaining agro-meteorological databases at their home organizations.       ADPC conducts training in Nepal, 17-22 Jun, Nepal Training on "Landslide Risk Management" was organized in Chitwan district of Nepal. 50 Participants from Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Physical planning and Works, Department of Roads, Department of Water Induced Disaster Prevention, Department of Local Infrastructure Development and Agricultural Roads, Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management, Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, Department of Geology, Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Engineering College, Department of Environmental Science, Amrit Science Campus, Roads Board Nepal, participated in the three days of training. The training discussed policy environment for land risk management, landslide risk assessment approaches in Nepal, facilitated the landslide mitigation (structural and non-structural) measures in Nepal and facilitated onsite experience to develop the mitigation measures to reduce landslide impact. The training was part of Asian Program for Regional Capacity Enhancement for Landslide Impact Mitigation (RECLAIM) under RECLAIM II and jointly organized by ADPC and Geo-environment Unit, Department of Roads, Nepal. ADPC conducts Disaster Risk Management training, 30 Jun-4 Jul, Kabul, Afghanistan  26 participants from NGOs and international organizations in Afghanistan namely, United Nation Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA), Tearfund, CHA, FOCUS Humanitarian assistance, Concern Worldwnaizaide, Save the children, COAR, Oxfam GB, SERVE, IAM, SNI and Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) undertook the DRM training. The training program was supported by Tearfund UK.   Community Basic Emergency Response Course (CBERC), 5-7 Jul,  Quang Tri, Vietnam Under the DANIDA-supported Enhancing Community Resilience to Natural Disasters in Southeast Asia” project, ADPC and the Vietnam National Red Cross (VNRC) organized a CBERC training course in Thanh Hoa and Quang Tri provinces in Vietnam from 30 Jun- 11 Juy 2008. This training is part of a larger capacity building effort to support the implementation of risk reduction activities in Vietnam. Other activities conducted during this period included the establishment of a community early warning center in Ngu Loc Commune, Thanh Hoa Province, installation/upgrading of public address system for last mile communication in Trung Giang Commune, Quang Tri, and provision of support for the implementation of priority risk reduction activities in Trung Giang and Triue An Commune, Quang Tri. National study tour mission, 8-12 Jul, Hanoi, Vietnam The study tour is part of the project on ‘strengthening community-based approaches to management of AHI in Asia’. This project was initiated by the AHI-NGO-RC/RC-Asia Partnership – with ADPC, Care, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) – and is funded by the Canadian government via the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The purpose of the mission is to assist in conducting and evaluating the first National study tour (hosted by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS).  Local-level early warning dissemination system, 10-11 Jul, Colombo, Sri Lanka ADPC and the Disaster Management Center of Sri Lanka will organize a workshop on the development of local-level early warning dissemination system under the Tsunami Alert Rapid Notification System (TARNS) project from 10 to 11 July 2008 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The workshop aims to enhance the early warning dissemination procedures in Sri Lanka for rapid alert notification through the development of district-level warning dissemination procedures and incorporation of these procedures into the national system. TARNS is a part of a broader program on establishing a multi-hazard early warning system for tsunami and hydro-meteorological hazards for Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia, which is being facilitated by ADPC and funded by the Tsunami Regional Trust Fund through UNESCAP.