December 2004-Issue 3

Dear Readers,

The year 2004 has been a very eventful year for ADPC and I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to all ADPC’s supporters and partners. I thank you for your interest in our activities and projects; and will keep you informed in the coming year. My staff and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very good Christmas holiday and a Happy New Year.

Suvit Yodmani, Executive Director, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center
 

ACTIVITIES

Assisting Victims in Typhoon Affected Areas in The Philippines (Dec 1-15)

ADPC and Telecoms Sans Frontiersfielded a joint teamtoprovide assistance in setting up emergency communication centers for thevictims of the recent typhoons in the Philippines.

Meeting with Representatives from the Ministry of Defense (Dec 15) (Thailand)

ADPC was invited to design a rescue preparedness course for officials in the Fourth Region Army and for senior officials in the four border provinces in Southern Thailand; in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and Mongkutklao Army Hospital.

EVENTS

The Third International Workshop on Monsoons (IWM-III), (Nov 2-6), China

ADPC, in collaboration with the Malaysian Meteorological Service, India Meteorological Department, and China Meteorological Administration, presented a paper on “Climate Information Application for Enhancing Resilience to Climate Risks”, at the Third International Workshop on Monsoons in Hangzhou, China. Jointly organized by the World Meteorological Organization in cooperation with the China Meteorological Administration, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, the workshop provided a forum for discussion between researchers and forecasters on the current status of monsoon forecasting and on the priorities of monsoon research.


Signing of Minute of Understanding between ADPC and the Cambodian National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) (Dec 6), Cambodia

ADPC and NCDM signed a MOU to strengthen and institutionalize partnership between NCDM, represented by H.E. Nhim Vanda, Senior Minister and First Vice President of NCDM of Cambodia, and ADPC, represented by Dr Suvit Yodmani, Executive Director of ADPC.


Third Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Managementand the First ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management (Dec 6-8),Cambodia

ADPC was invited to attend theThird Meeting of the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management and the First ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management. The objectives of these meetings was to discuss preparations for the World Disaster Reduction Conference to be organized between 18 and 22 January 2005 in Kobe, Japan, and to further enhance collaborations between ASEAN Member Countries
WORKSHOPS/TRAINING


Thirty-First International Disaster Management Course (DMC-31)
(Nov 8-26),Thailand

This three-week course, which is held regularly, provided comprehensive disaster management knowledge and skills to enhance the capabilities of 25 participants from 15 countries from Asia, who are senior/middle level policy managers, decision-makers, at the country and regional offices, major NGOs and government offices.


Disaster Management Workshop on Earthquake and Landslides (Dec 6 - 12), India

Organized jointly by ADPC and the Department of Science and Technology, India. The workshop was held at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, focused on improving disaster management for earthquakes and landslides, by enhancing links between science and technology sectors and disaster management organizations. The course was attended by 150 participants from various scientific, research, and academic institutions, and several government agencies from the state and central government in India.


First Regional Training Course on Management of Public Health Risks in Disasters (MPHR -1) (Dec 6-18), Tunisia

PHE Team Leader was invited to conduct a training course in Public Health in Emergencies for participants from countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The course was organized in collaboration with WHO/EMRO and WHO/WMC, dealing with Disaster Management in the Eastern Mediterranean, Risk management, Mass Casualty Management pre-hospital, Hospital Emergency Preparedness, Search and Rescue Activities, Chemical Hazards Management and Health Consequences of Chemical Disasters.


Land Use Planning for Disaster Risk Management (Dec 13 - 17), Sri Lanka

Aimed at developing a framework to integrate generic and hazard-specific risk management principles into the planning and management of land use. This course also stimulated dialogue on ways that cities and local governments can minimize risks in developing long-range land use policy strategies.

UPCOMING IN JANUARY

•  January 2005: Evaluation workshop for Mine Risk Education Project, Mae Hong Son

• 18-22 January 2005: World Conference on Disaster Reduction, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

•  29 January- 2 February 2005: Training and Capacity Building Project in Afghanistan