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May 2006 Issue No 20
 
Officials from
United States Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention International Emergency Health
Program and the School of Public Health,
University of Texas visited ADPC, Bangkok (24
-27 April)
ADPC’s Public Health in
Emergencies (PHE) team, led by Mr. Jonathan
Abrahams, hosted meetings from 24 -27 April for
officials from United States Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention International Emergency
Preparedness Program, represented by Dr Mark
Keim and Mr Paul Giannone, and the School of
Public Health at the University of Texas,
represented by Dr John Herbold and Dr David
Lakey to discuss potential collaborations. They
also visited the offices of UNICEF, UNOCHA,
Thai-US CDC collaboration on infectious
diseases, and USAID.
Development
of Health Collaboration along Thailand-Myanmar
Border Areas, Bangkok (26-28 April)
A representative from ADPC’s
Public Health in Emergencies (PHE) team attended
the “Meeting on Development of Health
Collaboration along Thailand-Myanmar Border
Areas” at Woosung Castle Hill Country Club,
Ratchaburi Province. The meeting was organized
by the Thailand Ministry of Public Health,
Department of Disease Control with the support
of World Health Organization (WHO). The main
objectives of the meeting were to share
information on the border situation and the
activities of organizations working in
Thailand-Myanmar border areas. The other
objectives were to develop tools and mechanisms
for increasing health access among cross-border
population and coordination among organizations
working in the border areas.
At the Opening Ceremony, the
Governor of Ratchaburi gave the Welcome Address
followed by the Opening Remarks of WHO
Representative to Thailand, Dr William Aldis.
The Inaugural Address was delivered by the
Permanent Secretary for Public Health in
Thailand.
ADPC & the
Thammasat University, Bangkok signs MoU, Bangkok
(20 April)
ADPC & the Thammasat University (TU)
- Faculty of Public Health (FPH), Bangkok signed
a Memorandum of Understanding on the 20 April,
to further develop and establish a dynamic
mechanism to strengthen and mainstream Public
Health in emergencies in the overall concept of
Disaster Management. ADPC and TU Faculty of
Public Health recognize the need to collaborate
to achieve their shared goals for promoting
excellence in public health and disaster
management. The goal of this Memorandum of
Understanding is to develop and establish a
dynamic long-term partnership of ongoing
collaboration and cooperation between ADPC and
TU Faculty of Public Health, building upon and
strengthening the common and complementary
elements of their respective mandates.
Climate
Forecast Application Program, New Delhi (1- 4
May)
A senior representative of ADPC’s
Climate Risk Management (CRM) team attended a
meeting in New Delhi to initiate Climate
Forecast Application (CFA) Program in India. The
meeting prepared a work plan for implementing
activities in the first year. The CFA-India
program commencing in May 2006, is being
implemented by ADPC in collaboration with the
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and seven
other partner institutions, with funding support
from the Government of India.
MoU
finalization with the Philippine Institute for
Volcanology and Seismology, Manila (4-6 May)
Mr. A.R. Subbiah, Director of
ADPC’s CRM team was in Manila to visit the
Philippine Institute for Volcanology and
Seismology (PHIVOLCS) to finalize the Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation for early
warning arrangements, preparedness and
mitigation of natural hazards. Arrangements for
establishing a sea level station in Subic Bay
and future work on establishing seismic stations
were also discussed.
Flood
Forecast Technology for Disaster Preparedness in
Bangladesh, Dhaka (4-9 May)
A senior representative of ADPC’s
Climate Risk Management (CRM) team was on a
mission to Dhaka to attend a project initiation
meeting for the three-year program on Flood
Forecast Technology for Disaster Preparedness in
Bangladesh (CFAB 2). This programme, implemented
by ADPC, aims to develop climate and flood
forecast models that will add predictive skills
to the current prediction efforts and to make
them operational within Bangladesh.
Strengthening the technical capacity of
institution personnel to enable them to operate
the end-to-end climate/flood forecasting and
application system; thereby strengthening
disaster management in the agriculture sector
through the application of a community-based
climate forecast information system.
IOTWS
program on Coastal Community Resilience, New
Delhi (7-9 May)
A senior member of ADPC’s Climate
Risk Management (CRM) team was on a mission to
New Delhi, India to meet officials from USAID
and UNDP on the proposed Indian Ocean Tsunami
Warning Systems (IOTWS) program on coastal
community resilience.
Flood Forecast Technology for
Disaster Preparedness
(CFAB-2) activity, Dhaka (9-11
May)
Mr. A. R. Subbiah, Director of
ADPC’s CRM team is on mission to Dhaka,
Bangladesh to discuss activities to be carried
out in the first year of the CFAB-2 program with
Prof. Peter Webster from Georgia Institute of
Technology, USA. Activities include providing
technical inputs on climate and flood forecast
modeling and the scope and potential for issuing
forecast for the summer monsoon.
ADPC
holds meeting with
H.E.
Mr. Bill Paterson,
Australian
Ambassador to Thailand,
Bangkok, (10 May)
ADPC holds consultation meeting
with
Mr. Bill Paterson, Australian
Ambassador to Thailand,
and
Ms. Bronwyn Robbins, First
Secretary (Technical and Economic Co-operation)
Australian Embassy on the
AUSAID-ADPC partnership to assist smaller
countries in the provision of a regional early
warning arrangement and other institutional
issues.
Canadian
Ambassador to Thailand, H.E. Mr. Denis Comeau,
visits ADPC, (11 May)
ADPC
welcomes the
Canadian Ambassador to Thailand,
H.E. Mr. Denis Comeau.
The visit will provide an
opportunity to brief H.E Mr. Comeau on ADPC’s
role and activities in disaster management in
the region, including the establishment of an
early warning system.
Flood
Emergency Management Strengthening (FEMS)
project activities, Vietnam (11- 30 May)
11 May - Consultative meeting on
Implementation of Flood Emergency Management
Strengthening (FEMS) project will be held in
Thanh Binh District, Dong THap province,
Vietnam.
18-19 May – The FEMS team will be
attending the annual Flood Forum of Mekong River
Commission Secretariat (MRCS)
in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
30 May – The FEMS team will also
be attending the "Project Management Unit"
meeting under MRCS' Flood Management and
Mitigation Program to be held in Ha Long Bay,
Vietnam.
Disaster
Management course, Pakistan (5-7 June)
The Training Resource Group of
ADPC will be conducting a three-day course on
Disaster management in Hyderabad, Pakistan. The
course is funded by Sindh Agricultural and
Forestry Workers Coordinating Organization (Safwco),
Hyderabad, Pakistan.
Mine
Risk Education (MRE) Programme, Thailand (8-9
June)
As part of the ongoing activities
of the MRE programme, a meeting is planned from
8- 9 June at Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand.
The meeting will facilitate discussions with
consultant and teachers from schools located in
mine risk areas to enhance collaboration among
potential partners, government agencies and
several NGOs like the Provincial Education
Office, Thailand Mine Action Center (TMAC)
Humanitarian Mine Action Unit, Border Patrol
Police unit and the Thailand Campaign to Ban
Landmines (TCBL). Camping programmes for
students are scheduled for July and September
2006.
Project
Proposal Writing Course, Pakistan (8-10 June)
The Training Resource Group of
ADPC will be conducting a three-day course on
Project Proposal Writing in Hyderabad, Pakistan
from 8-10 June. The course is funded
by Sindh Agricultural and Forestry Workers
Coordinating Organization (Safwco), Hyderabad,
Pakistan.
20 years of commitment to safer
communities and sustainable development through
disaster reduction
The Asian Disaster Preparedness
Center celebrates its 20 year anniversary in
2006. I would like to take this opportunity to
express my sincere appreciation to all its
partner institutions, national governments,
numerous UN organizations and other
international organizations for their
collaboration and support to ADPC during the
past two decades. The work of all stakeholders
in disaster management, including ADPC staff and
alumni have contributed to making communities
and countries better prepared, safer, and more
resilient in face of disasters. ADPC is proud to
have been a pioneer in some of the significant
changes-in paradigm, concepts, and practices
paving the way to reduction of the impacts of
natural disasters.
ADPC was established in 1986
under late Colonel Brian Ward’s illustrious
leadership to address the disaster management
needs of countries in Asia. In its twenty years
ADPC responded dynamically to the paradigm shift
in disaster management, readily and actively
adjusting its operational strengths to address
the evolving developments in disaster risk
management by structuring its technical focus on
climate risk management, disaster management
systems, urban disaster risk management and
20 years of commitment to safer
communities and sustainable development through
disaster reduction
public health in emergencies.
This vigorous and comprehensive approach is
further reinforced by ensuring that ADPC’s
projects and programs enhance institutional
capacities, apply community-based disaster risk
management practices, and promote and support
mainstreaming of disaster management into the
development processes. These activities
complement ADPC’s involvement in building
national and provincial disaster management
systems, identifying disaster risk management
needs, and developing strategic solutions.
ADPC’s standing and twenty years of experience
in the region is confirmed by the substantive
encouragement and support from various
multi-lateral and bi-lateral development and
donor agencies; as manifested in the
implementation of our extensive array of
projects and programs.
As it moves forward beyond its
twenty years of operations, ADPC will continue
to build upon its operational and technical
strengths and to evolve in its role as a
regional resource center, and to act as a
regional early warning center. ADPC will
further pursue operational partnerships and
collaborations with all stakeholders in disaster
risk management into sustainable development
policies and practices throughout the Asia and
Pacific regions.
In closing, permit me to express
my gratitude to our staff and consultants who
have shared commitment, dedication and loyalty
to ADPC’s goals and mission.
As its Executive Director, it is
my honor to be part of this fine organization.
I am confident that ADPC will continue to be
responsive to the priorities of our key
stakeholders in governments and the
international community overcoming challenges to
serve the region and beyond. |
