Advisory Panel Meet to Shape RCC Project on Advocacy and Capacity Building for MDRD

Eleven members of the Regional Consultative Committee (RCC) have been invited to serve on the advisory panel to help guide the implementation of the RCC program on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into Development Policy, Planning and Implementation (MDRD). The first meeting of the MDRD Advisory Panel was convened in Bangkok on March 23-24, 2005. The meeting will be attended by special invitees from partner and donor organizations, development banks and UN Agencies and will be an input to the fifth RCC meeting in May 2005.

The RCC project on “Advocacy and Capacity Building for Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management in Development Practice” was a direct outcome of the 4th Annual Regional Consultative Committee meeting held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. With core funding from the Australian Government (AusAID), the two key objectives of the project are:

• to increase awareness of and political support for the adoption of a comprehensive approach to disaster risk management and mainstreaming disaster risk management processes into development practice in the RCC member countries, and

• to enhance the capacity of National Disaster Management Systems to develop and implement national plans to mainstream Disaster Risk Management into ongoing national development work.
   

The project promotes adoption of a variety of good-practice disaster risk management processes that are linked to successful experience within the region. A key impact of the project is to consolidate acceptance of the need for a new approach to disaster risk management and pave the way for a change in the way disaster risks are currently viewed and managed. The project also hopes to create a critical mass of advocates and champions for Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management (MDRM), a greater willingness to consider MDRM in regional and national development agendas, and the adoption of MDRM curricula and training materials.

The fifth meeting of the RCC on disaster management will be held from May 18-20, 2005 in Hanoi, Vietnam. It will be co-hosted by the Government of Vietnam and coincides with the observation of Vietnam National Day for Disaster Management. More than 50 delegates made up of heads of national disaster management offices from 25 countries in the Asia and Pacific Region and observers from UN Agencies, donors and ADPC partners will participate in the meeting. Special sessions will include a review of the outcome of the World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR), the Hyogo Framework for Action, country and regional plans for implementation, and identifying requirements for assistance.

The report of the fourth meeting of the RCC is available online at www.adpc.net 

For more details write to Loy Rego, Director and Team Leader, Disaster Management Systems at ajrego@adpc.net  or Dr Kai Kim Project Coordinator at kaikim@adpc.net