Session 3
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Contents |
Roundtable - Preparedness
Session Information
Date and Time: Tuesday 10 May 2011, 10.30 – 12.15 - Room 2
Chair/Moderator/Facilitator: Dr. David Nabarro, Senior United Nations System Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza
Reporter: Kate O'Dwyer, ICVolunteers.org
Editor: Poppy Willard, ICVolunteers.org
Speakers
- Ms. Christine Marin, Member of French Parliament, Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs, * Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
- Mr. Vicente Núñez, Director, National Office of Emergency, Chile
- Mr. Rashid Khalikov, Director, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva
- Dr. Geoffrey Love, Director, Weather and Disaster Risk Reduction Services Department, World Meteorological Organization
- Dr. Bruce Aylward, Assistant Director-General for Polio, Emergencies and Country Cooperation, World Health Organization
- Dr. Ronald Waldman, US Agency for International Aid Development (USAID)
Description
The people of Japan offer poignant testimony to the value of preparedness. The urgency of building national and local capacities for preparedness is well-recognized; yet systematic and predictable solutions to building those capacities have remained elusive. This session seeks renewed commitment to address the challenges of financing and coordinating preparedness efforts that connect national to local as well as international systems, link different sectors, and anticipate multiple hazards. Between 2005 and 2010, major efforts were undertaken to prepare for a severe influenza pandemic. Diverse actors took steps to prepare for and mitigate the potentially devastating disruption a pandemic could have on the vital functions of society. Those efforts included many of the same elements of more general disaster preparedness. The “Toward a Safer World” Initiative has identified and analyzed those achievements in an attempt to promote their replication in broader disaster preparedness programs. As Dwight Eisenhower famously said, “the plan is nothing; planning is everything”.
Summary
Preparedness is a key element in achieving effective disaster risk management and disaster risk reduction. As pointed out by the Chair, Dr. David Nabarro, Senior United Nations System Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza, in his opening of this session, it is vital for us to analyze and understand the difficulties and challenges faced over the past five years in disaster risk management so that we can learn from them and apply effective measures to all kinds of disasters.
The first speaker to be introduced on the panel, Ms. Christine Marin, Member of French Parliament, Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, offered a political perspective on disaster risk management. She felt that political involvement in this area is not practical enough. She highlighted the importance of considering the promotion and protection of a healthy environment as much as the promotion and protection of human rights, as these are closely related.
Next, Mr. Vicente Núñez, Director of National Office of Emergency, Chile, introduced his perspective on preparedness in disaster risk reduction from a Chilean perspective. He spoke of how, over the past two or three decades, preparedness measures in emergency situations have improved in the country. He highlighted the need to focus efforts on the short and medium term. In an attempt to improve disaster risk reduction and response, some initiatives have been put in place, including:
- The development of risk awareness among the population, across all sectors of society;
- The development of educational campaigns, including focused campaigns, in tourist areas, for example;
- The development of a family emergency plan which he described as fundamental. This would allow individuals and communities to become aware of their own capacities to deal with emergencies as a first response;
- Capacity-building in emergency management, including the effective involvement of industry and the effective use of communications to inform not only the population of the country, but also many other countries in the region. In this sense, the media should be seen as an ally and not an obstacle.
- Finally, protocol needs to be established with regard to sectors such as transport and education when it comes to dealing with a disaster, so that all stakeholders are on the same page.
Mr. Rashid Khalikov, Director, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Geneva, opened his introduction by speaking of the international response to such disasters as those experienced in Haiti, Chile and Pakistan. He highlighted the need to develop capacities, not only at international level, but also at national and local levels, to deal with all kinds of emergencies. With a focus on continued training, people can learn how to respond within the first 24 hours in an emergency situation and know how to behave appropriately and effectively.
The next intervention came from Dr. Geoffrey Love, Director of Weather and Disaster Risk Reduction Services Department at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), who offered a meteorological perspective on disaster risk management and reduction. As each disaster that occurs is unique, it is important to adopt a flexible and multi-hazard approach. In this way, general lessons learned from previous disasters can be applied. The role of communities is crucial, and it is important to build networks in order to deal with complex disasters. Communities can build relationships with the media to ensure that the right message is given at the right time. Particularly, in complex disaster situations, the role of the media is crucial.
Dr. Bruce Aylward was then asked to provide his perspective on preparedness in disaster risk reduction and management from a health point of view. He emphasized the need for a "whole of society" approach with regard to preparedness, by setting up networks and sharing knowledge across all sectors. He then spoke of three key areas to be addressed: 1) Policy – the importance of both disaster risk management agencies and health agencies working together and sharing responsibility; 2) Programming – on both an international and national level, there is a need for systematic management; 3) Practice – through the implementation of simulation exercises and the establishment of networks, in emergency situations, emergency responses can be put to the test and these networks can be activated.
Before passing to the next speaker, Dr. David Nabarro, reiterated the importance of building networks and accumulating knowledge, both at an individual and local level. Above all, the challenge is that of sustaining these networks.
Also discussing the issue of preparedness from a health perspective, Dr. Ronald Waldman, US Agency for International Aid Development (USAID), began by outlining the need to address specific threats and in emergency situations, to ensure the necessary technical interventions, such as vaccines and anti-viral drugs. He spoke of how, historically, through lessons learned from the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic, the SARS pandemic, cases of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and other biological threats, we understand the need to be prepared for health risks. In order to mitigate the consequences of disasters, it is important to focus on preparedness not only on a central level, but also at the levels of communities, families and individuals; and therefore, society has a critical function in disaster risk reduction. With regard to funding, this has been a grey area in the past, up to 5 to 7 years ago, but in the past 3 to 4 years, a shift in thinking has occurred and more funding activity has taken place worldwide.
In conclusion, the main points highlighted were the need to enable people to prepare and deal with disasters in order to save lives today and not tomorrow; to include all stakeholders, whether NGOs, businesses or members of civil society and local communities; to share knowledge effectively through communication tools, and in some cases, to develop a good relationship with the media.
Use of Key Words
Biological hazard: Dr. Ronald Waldman stressed the importance to be prepared in case of biological hazard and the need to have vaccines available if and when necessary.
Capacity: Both Mr. Vicente Núñez and Mr. Rashid Khalikov talked about capacity, which should be recognized and developed on a local, national and international level in emergency management, with a focus on individuals.
Early warning system: Mr. Vicente Núñez spoke of early warning systems in the context of Chile where lessons have been learned over the past two or three decades with regard to preparedness for disasters.
Multi-hazard approach: Given that each disaster that occurs is unique, it is necessary to have a multi-hazard approach, stressed Dr. Geoffrey Love.
Multi-stakeholder approach: Mr. Bruce Aylward emphasized the need for a "whole of society" approach with regard to preparedness.
Preparedness: The central issue of the session, spoken about by all speakers as being crucial in effective disaster risk reduction and management.
Mitigation and biological hazard: Dr. Rashid Khalikov spoke of the need to mitigate the consequences of health disasters by being prepared and learning lessons from the past.
Role of media: Dr. Geoffrey Love stressed the importance of media, especially in complex disaster situations.
LIST OF KEYWORDS
- Biological hazard
- Capacity
- Disaster Risk Management
- Disaster Risk Reduction
- Early warning system
- Media
- Mitigation
- Multi-hazard approach
- Multi-stakeholder approach
- Preparedness
See the full list of main key words
