To reduce the loss of lives associated with tsunamis, support from Japan will enable UNDP to help strengthen early warning and disaster preparedness in 18 countries included in UNDP’s ‘5-10-50’ initiative: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste, Tonga, Vanuatu and Viet Nam.
The 18-month project will see evacuation drills carried out in each of the countries during the first year. Additionally, a special event commemorating the World Tsunami Awareness Day, to be jointly held by UNDP, the Government of Japan, and partners, will be held in New York City in November 2017.
Support from Japan will also go towards improving access to disaster risk information more broadly. For instance, funding will be provided to the Global Center for Disaster Statistics, a joint venture between UNDP and Japan’s Tohoku University. This funding, which comes on top of previous support provided by Fujitsu Ltd., will help countries have better access to disaster risk data and thereby formulate policies and programmes accordingly.
“Japan is a world leader in disaster risk reduction and recovery, as evidenced by their consistent support in this area and their hosting of the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2015,” notes Magdy Martínez-Solimán, UN Assistant Secretary General and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support. “The funding support provided will allow UNDP to help countries make progress along the lines of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, in particular the ones on understanding disaster risk and improving disaster preparedness respectively.”
UNDP Bangkok’s Disaster Risk Reduction team is leading the project with implementation support from the Country Offices, the Pacific Office and the Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Team in the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support.
Source: UNDP | 10 July 2017
