COMMUNITY-BASED DISASTER-REDUCTION STRATEGIES CALLED FOR AT HEADQUARTERS FORUM

NEW YORK, 28 February (Office of Under-Secretary-General) -- At an Open Forum for Partnerships to discuss the issue of facing disaster in least developed countries, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Anwarul K. Chowdhury, called for “community-based” strategies for disaster reduction.  “Since communities are the first to encounter the effects of disaster, it is imperative that community-based strategies be initiated”, he said at the United Nations today.

Speaking to member States, representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, the Director of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), Sálvano Briceño, said that the least developed countries were particularly vulnerable because many of them were located in areas highly prone to natural hazards such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides and volcanic eruptions. “The situation of the least developed countries is aggravated by population growth, unplanned urbanization, poverty, deforestation and other environmental factors, like global warming”, he added.

Mr. Briceño said that among least developed countries, Africa was most vulnerable to disasters.  “Africa has a natural-resource-based economy, where communities are largely dependent on rainfall to grow their food and cash crops.  Consequently, they are vulnerable to the onset of climate change.”

He said that insufficient social services led to lack of education, ill health and inability to cope with the threat of disasters.  “Environmental degradation is very acute in Africa and the rate of deforestation is the highest in the world”, he said.

Referring to the recently-concluded World Conference on Disaster Reduction held in Kobe in January, of which he served as Secretary-General, Mr. Briceño said, “The Hyogo Framework for Action for the decade identifies strategic objectives and priority areas to reduce risk at all levels, emphasizing the integration of disaster risk reduction as part of poverty reduction, environmental and sustainable development strategies”, he said.

“Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in sustainable development strategies and policies includes also measures aiming at strengthening trade capacity and resilience of least developed countries”, he emphasized.

When asked about early-warning systems, Mr. Briceño outlined a number of initiatives taken by the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Secretariat:  “We have initiated an effective people-centred international early-warning programme to develop international dialogue and a common framework for action, and promote early warning in policy debates and as a development priority; we are collating and disseminating good practices and other information on early-warning systems; supporting capacity-building projects in priority areas of need, involving humanitarian and development communities; and, we are developing improved tools and techniques, including guidelines and performance standards for early-warning systems.”

Concluding the Forum, Mr. Chowdhury said, “Disasters are one of the major obstacles to the development of least developed countries.  To cope with natural disasters the least developed countries will need to develop and implement strategies for preparedness and resilience in their global strategy for sustainable development.”

For further information, please contact:  Nosh Nalavala, Media Officer, United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, tel.:  (917) 367-2471, e-mail:  nalavala@un.org.  Web site:  http://www.un.org/ohrlls/.

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