Modernization of Hydrometeorological Services and Early Warning Systems

Session 3: Disaster Risk Management in East Asia and the Pacific – 2011 Series

Thursday, July 28, 2011, Time: 10:00-13:00 (JST)

Major advances in observation, analysis and prediction of high-impact weather and climate events have been achieved by some countries and are available to all. Effective Early Warning Systems (EWS) building on such information have substantially reduced deaths and injuries from severe weather events. National Meteorological Systems in many developing countries lack the capacity to access recent scientific and technical advances. Such agencies have limited observation networks, little experience in using numerical weather prediction, few opportunities for training, and have recurrent difficulty retaining their best-qualified staff. These circumstances weaken service delivery. The poor weather information services provided in these countries often make early warnings impossible, and lack of warning in turn leads to economic damage and loss of life that could have been avoided.

The objective of this session is to share knowledge and experiences on hydromet modernization initiatives for developing countries.

Partners

This session is part of a larger program. For more information see Disaster Risk Management in East Asia and the Pacific - 2011 Series

Scaling-up and Integration of Community Knowledge into Disaster Risk Reduction

Session 2: Disaster Risk Management in East Asia and the Pacific – 2011 Series

Tuesday, June 21, 2011 Time: 15:00-18:00 (JST)

Communities are a reservoir of collective wisdom for disaster risk reduction. Such wisdom and community practices, though some are lost, have been transferred over many years. The community is the key actor and primary beneficiary; they can make best judgment of their own vulnerability by use of own resources. Over the last couple of decades, it has become apparent that top-down approaches to disaster risk management alone fail to address the specific local needs of vulnerable communities. Given this fact, it has also become clear that there is a strong need to recognize the potential community knowledge and actions and to shift to a bottom-up approach that uses appropriate community practices as the base for policy formulation.

This session will highlight various innovative community practices to draw lessons from for how to advocate for and apply principles of community engagement in disaster risk reduction across different countries and levels of society. It will also provide participants with opportunities to discuss about bottom-up approaches linking up with national and international level to address the complexity of community’s vulnerability issues.

Partners

This session is part of a larger program. For more information see Disaster Risk Management in East Asia and the Pacific - 2011 Series

Making Women’s Voices Count in Disaster Risk Reduction Programs

Session 1: Disaster Risk Management in East Asia and the Pacific – 2011 Series

Wednesday, June 1, 2011 Time: 11:00-14:00 (JST)

Women and men’s different needs, roles and opportunities put women and men differently at risk from disasters and influences emergency management strategies. Women and men experience disaster impacts differently in health, safety, community support, and resource needs at the household and community levels. It is therefore important that women’s and men’s particular vulnerabilities and needs are assessed and taken into consideration into Disaster Risk Management (DRM) strategies.

This session will provide participants with an understanding of the key findings and tools for taking into account women and men’s particular needs, roles and opportunities into DRM programs and share lessons learnt on how gender dimension can be incorporated in a Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) and recovery programs.

Partners

This session is part of a larger program. For more information see Disaster Risk Management in East Asia and the Pacific - 2011 Series

Tourism Exchange for South Pacific Islands

2-day seminar

February 22nd, 2011 Time: 9:10-15:50 (JST)
February 23rd, 2011 Time: 12:10-15:20 (JST)

 

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Asia Pacific Tourism Exchange Center (APTEC) and Tokyo Development Learning Center, The World Bank (TDLC), are jointly hosting a 2-day seminar ‘Tourism Exchange of South Pacific Islands’. 5 countries will be connected via Video Conferencing- Indonesia, Fiji, Maldives, Timor-Leste and Japan to discuss and promote ideas and approaches for sustainable tourism. The purpose for this seminar is to improve the tourism sector, as well as developing the tourism relationship between participating countries and Japan. Advance registration required (first-come-first-served).

Session 5: Urban Flood Risk Management: Experiences of Cities

Disaster Risk Management in East Asia and the Pacific – 2010 Distance Learning Seminar Series

December 15, 18:00-21:00 (JST)

Urban flooding poses a significant hazard and causes damage on infrastructure and the economy in cities. Urban poor populations are likely to be the hardest hit. Cities have tackled with it but there are still challenges in cities that have different characteristics.
The overall objective of this session is to disseminate good practice and approaches to flood and drainage management, and address issues and challenges of urban flooding prevention.  In this session, speakers from Senegal and Vietnam will be invited that would be a good opportunity for cross-regional knowledge exchange on urban flooding and drainage.

This session is part of a larger program. For more information see Disaster Risk Management in East Asia and the Pacific - 2010 Series

Session 4: It Is Not Too Late: Preparing for East Asia’s Next Big Earthquake

Disaster Risk Management in East Asia and the Pacific – 2010 Distance Learning Seminar Series

October 25, 14:30-17:30 (JST)

The overall objective of this session is impart knowledge on reducing earthquake risk through promotion of safer construction, dissemination of good practice for new and existing infrastructure, and increasing the level of preparedness.
In this session, Peter Yanev, Senior Earthquake Specialist, Yanev Associates and Senior Consultant to the World Bank, one of the world’s top seismologists, to do a policy-note on preparing for East Asia’s next big earthquake. We will release the note during the upcoming Asian Ministerial Conference on DRR in Korea. Yanev is collaborating with local one local expert in China, Philippines and Indonesia. Another top seismologist , Professor T. C. Pan, Dean of NTU’s College of Engineering and Director of the Protective Technology Research Center, will speak on various aspects of seismic vulnerability reduction. 

This session is part of a larger program. For more information see Disaster Risk Management in East Asia and the Pacific - 2010 Series

Briefing on ILO Recruitment, Assignment and Placement System: RAPS

August 23 (Mon), 2010, 18:00-20:00

ILO has two rounds a year recruitment, assignment and placement system since 2008.  17 vacancies are just announced globally at RAPS 2010 on the website, and applications are accepted on-line. (closing date: 3 September)  Recruitment is to be proceeded in approximately four months. 
In order to promote the system, ILO Office in Japan will hold an explanatory seminar on the RAPS 2010 for those interested in pursuing their career in the international working environment. 

Microinsurance and its application in disaster risk management programs

Disaster Risk Management in East Asia and the Pacific – 2010 Distance Learning Seminar Series　

September 16, 2010 13:00-16:00 (JST)

The poor, with their limited assets and resources, are often excluded from formal insurance instruments. In many developing countries, the poor have resorted to other instruments – credits, grain banks, remittances, savings, etc – to tide them over during times of hardship. Microinsurance is thus seen as an effective instrument to protect the poor from the increasing impacts of disasters. It is flexible enough to suit the particular needs of the clients and to accommodate non-traditional institutional arrangements.
This session will highlight the various innovations on the application of microinsurance in DRM and the experiences and insights of practitioners.

Partners

This session is part of a larger program. For more information see Disaster Risk Management in East Asia and the Pacific - 2010 Series

Conducting multi-hazard risk assessments

Disaster Risk Management in East Asia and the Pacific – 2010 Distance Learning Seminar Series

June 30 (Wed), 2010, 13:00-16:00 (JST)

The Risk Assessment shows the likelihood of an extreme hazard event and its impacts to vulnerable communities.  Disaster risk is a function of the characteristics and frequency of hazards experienced in a specified location, the nature of the elements at risk, and their inherent degree of vulnerability or resilience (which can include capacity). Effective risk reduction requires a multi-hazard risk assessment in order to determine which areas are at highest risk of experiencing a disaster and why, so that appropriate and cost-effective mitigation measures can be identified, adopted, and implemented. This session will also incorporate discussion on the effects and implications of climate change.

Partners

This session is part of a larger program. For more information see Disaster Risk Management in East Asia and the Pacific - 2010 Series

Third Blended Learning Program to Train Mother and Child Health Care Specialists in Mongolia

April 15, 2010

TDLC, WHO, Kitasato University and Mongolia Nurses Association will deliver the third blended learning program on Training of Mother and Child Health Care Specialists in Mongolia on April 15, 2010.  The third distance learning program will focus on emergency obstetrics and neonatal care and is expecting to be delivered to over 450 participants at 6 sites in Ulaan Bataar and other rural locations in Mongolia.

This session is part of a larger program. For more information see Happy Mothers, Happy Children