Workshop mulls disaster risk reduction under UN Hyogo plan

Attendees heard a presentation on a national programme to reduce the risk of natural disasters and models of best practices and how to implement them. The presenters discussed the implementation and monitoring of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), and how to monitor and report its progress and benchmarks to measure its progress. UNISDR’s Luna Abu-Swaireh reviewed the concept of disaster risk reduction and the definition of natural phenomena and its impact. Globally no state is immune to the risks of natural calamities, she said. Economic losses are rising despite new technology that has helped reduce casualties due to better search and rescue operations. Information on the circumstances of each country, its geography, population demographics, infrastructure and economic development play a major role in determining the potential losses when disaster strikes, she said. She also talked about means and mechanisms to prevent calamities and the importance of preparedness to reduce losses. Fady Al-Janan summarized the HFA plan that UN member states have adopted. It is the main framework for the implementation of the natural disasters risk reduction. HFA’s main goal is to build the capacity of countries and communities to cope with disasters by saving lives, infrastructure and economic losses during disasters.