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AUDMP - making cities safer

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A Training Plan for Bangladesh Urban Disaster Mitigation Project (BUDMP)

An ADPC team visited Bangladesh from 4-9 June 2000, and assisted the BUDMP Team in developing a training plan. This included a detailed program of skills development and a strategy for integrating community-based disaster mitigation training into a community-based flood mitigation and disaster preparedness system in two demonstration project sites - Gaibanda and Tongi.

The ADPC team was composed of N.M.S.I. Arambepola, AUDMP Project Manager, Rustico Binas, ADPC Training Manager, and Zorobabel Zuniga, consultant. They worked closely with the Disaster Management Team of CARE-Bangladesh, the key partner institution, in providing the required technical inputs for putting together a training plan. One of the first activities was the evaluation of the training needs of local NGOs in Gaibanda and Tongi municipalities who will be working directly with urban communities to manage risk and apply mitigation skills. Information was also collected from relevant municipal officials and representatives from other public and private sector institutions.

Focus on the Poor: Long-Term Disaster Management in Bangladesh

The Government of Bangladesh and the World Bank hosted an international conference entitled "Focus on the Poor: Long-Term Disaster Management in Bangladesh" on 20-21 June 2000 in Dhaka, with co-sponsorship from ADPC, the Public-Private Partnership Infrastructure Advisory Group (PPIAF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

The conference focused on community-based mechanisms for disaster mitigation and the role of the private sector, specifically microfinance institutions, in providing such mitigation. ADPC sponsored a workshop to showcase community-based approaches to disaster mitigation (CBDM) in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Nepal and the Philippines. Other conference presentations included the World Bank Disaster Management Facility's study on Market Incentives for Mitigation Investment (MIMI); the UNDP supported Community-based Disaster Management Plan; and projects from the Disaster Management Bureau, CARE-Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, CIDA, the Grameen Bank, and many more.

ADPC held the fourth of its CBDM courses from 3-14 July 2000 in Bangkok, in collaboration with Duryog Nivaran.

The First Regional Training Course on Urban Flood Mitigation (UFM-1)

The ADPC-organized Urban Flood Mitigation Course aims to increase participants' knowledge of the nature and causes of floods and develop their skills in implementing urban flood mitigation initiatives.

UFM-1 is targeted at a wide audience including water engineers, flood control professionals, city administrators, infrastructure developers, relief coordinators and project development managers from international agencies and NGOs.

UFM-1 is scheduled for 18-29 September 2000. It is the first regional training course on urban flood mitigation being delivered by ADPC under AUDMP, which is developing five courses. The training objective of AUDMP is to institutionalize these courses at the national level in collaboration with partners of the Asian Disaster Mitigation Training network (ADMIT). Interested persons can contact: Training and Education, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, P. O. Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand. Tel: (66-2) 524-5362-3; Fax: (66-2) 524-5360; E-mail: tedadpc@ait.ac.th; http://www.adpc.ait.ac.th/training/te.html

About AUDMP The AUDMP is a six-year program designed to reduce the natural disaster vulnerability of urban populations, infrastructure, critical facilities, and shelter in Asian cities. Currently, projects under the AUDMP are being implemented in sites in the following countries: The Philippines (floods in Naga City and multiple hazards in San Carlos); Indonesia (earthquakes in Bandung); India (technological hazards in Calcutta and Baroda); Sri Lanka (multiple hazards in Ratnapura); Nepal (earthquakes); Lao PDR (fires and other urban emergencies in Vientiane); Cambodia (floods in vulnerable districts); and Bangladesh (floods in Tongi and Gaibanda). Core funding for the AUDMP comes from USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). Additional funds come from ADPC and collaborating institutions in target countries, among others. The program is managed by the USAID's Regional and Urban Development Office for South Asia (RUDO/SA) and is implemented by ADPC in Bangkok, Thailand. For additional information about the AUDMP, please contact Program Manager Josh Moga at (66-2) 524-5376; E-mail: audmp@ait.ac.th. Web site: http://www.adpc.ait.ac.th/audmp/audmp.html