Lessons learned from recent disaster emergency situations in the Asia-Pacific region show how contending with the repercussions of disasters is often beyond the capacity of a single country. This is especially true for many developing countries in Asia and the Pacific. Thus, post-disaster situations can be managed more effectively if the regional response to the disaster makes use of synergies developed through cooperation.
How does regional cooperation facilitate mainstreaming DRR into development?
•Facilitating the cooperation of distinct research and policy communities: disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, environment management, technology application, and poverty reduction;
•Promoting regional studies to assess and address risk and vulnerabilities;
•Establishing regional tools and technical support to national bodies to address priorities in disaster risk reduction;
•Creating synergies between technical, practical, and political counterparts in disaster risk reduction.
What are the challenges for promoting regional cooperation for DRR?
•Similar patterns of natural hazards may result in widely differing impacts in different countries due to their different choices of development; cooperative initiatives need to help member countries to solve their unique development problems;
•Many NDMAs, as well as some of the existing regional initiatives have recently been set up and have a range of capacity challenges;
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Regional initiatives led by ESCAP
Central Asia DRR Knowledge Network
The Central Asia DRR Knowledge Network for Flood Risk Reduction was initiated by participating countries in September 2010. It is an online network for sharing of information and knowledge that will improve disaster risk reduction and management in the sub region. Participating in this network are Central Asian and neighboring countries.
Members: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as organizations within and outside the sub region that are engaged in disaster risk management.
http://www.unescap.org/idd/projects/Central-Asia-DRR/index.asp
Regional Space Application Program for Sustainable Development (RESAP)
RESAP aims to enhance regional cooperation for capacity building at policy, institutional, and technical levels. The Regional Cooperative Mechanism on Disaster Monitoring and Early Warning, established by the Thematic Working Group for Disaster Reduction, is the current focus. Beginning with drought, the Mechanism will expand to cover other major disasters like floods. The Drought Mechanism provides no/low-cost space-based products and services for drought monitoring and early warning, and assists its members in developing localized products and services for relevant decision making.
Launched by ESCAP
http://www.unescap.org/idd/resap
the Regional Cooperative Mechanism on Disaster Monitoring and Early Warning, Particularly Drought
The Regional Cooperative Mechanism on Drought Monitoring and Early Warning was officially launched under the Regional Space Applications Programme (RESAP) in September 2010. The discussion will focus on the development of the database for drought profile of the region, the procedures for sharing basic data, and how to go ahead with its functions to provide dedicated data services, as identified will be discussed at the 14 th Session of the ICC on RESAP
http://www.unescap.org/idd/events/2011-Drought-Ident/
WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclone
The Typhoon Committee is an ESCAP-affiliated regional institution and a regional body of the Tropical Cyclone Programme of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The main objectives of the Typhoon Committee and the Panel on Tropical Cyclones are to promote measures to improve tropical cyclone warning systems in the north-western Pacific Ocean, and in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, respectively. They develop activities under three substantive components, namely disaster risk reduction, hydrology and meteorology, as well as in the areas of training and research.
Members: Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand
Launched by UNESCAP/WMO, 1973
http://www.unescap.org/idd/events/cdrr-2011/CDR2-5E.pdf
ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee
The Typhoon committee promotes and coordinates the planning and implementation of measures required for minimizing the loss of life and material damage caused by typhoons in the region.
Members: Cambodia; China; Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; Hong Kong, China; Japan; Lao People’s Democratic Republic; Macao, China; Malaysia; the Philippines; Republic of Korea; Singapore; Thailand; Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and the United States of America.
Launched by: ESCAP/WMO, 1968
http://www.typhooncommittee.org/
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Other Regional Cooperation
ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER)
AADMER is a regional legally-binding agreement that binds ASEAN Member States together to promote regional cooperation and collaboration in reducing disaster losses and intensifying joint emergency response to disasters in the ASEAN region. AADMER is also ASEAN's affirmation of its commitment to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA).
http://www.aseanpostnargiskm.org/about/asean-agreement-on-disaster-manag...
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Some links to regional resources:
•Sentinel Asia (web-GIS technology for disaster observation) https://sentinel.tksc.jaxa.jp/sentinel2/topControl.action
•Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) http://www.aprsaf.org/
•South Asia Regional Study on the causes and consequences of natural disasters and the protection and preservation of the environment http://www.saarc-sec.org/userfiles/Large%20Publications/CCNDPPE/index.php
