EUROPE: REPORT AND REGIONAL BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE
Part I: Draft Concepts of a "Regional Blueprint for Change"
Preamble: The European region, with its diverse culture, splendid capitol cities, large urban and government centers, world-renown universities and institutions, national treasures, cultural heritage, and large numbers of people, is living with a wide variety of natural and technological hazards and environmental impacts. They include earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, precipitation extremes, climate change, avalanches, and landslides They range from high probability of occurrence--low damage potential to low probability of occurrence --high damage potential. Professionals in each country and the region as a whole have gained considerable experience. coping with these varied kinds of threats.
Europe Regional Leadership Team: · Tri-Chair: Walter Ammann · Tri-Chair: Mustafa Erdik · Secretariat: Franz Stoessel · Secretariat: Nina Frolova · Jureg Hammer · Dana Prochazkova · Sergey Yofiin · Doug Sandy · Fred Krimgold · Amar Chaker
I. ACTIVITIES--2002-2007 (Note: the Working Group chose not to distinguish between intra- and inter-regional activities) A. Development of a "European Blueprint for Change" Note: The blueprint should contain the following eight elements: 1. Early Warning---Early Response · Objectives: A critical assessment of recent developments, including technologies and requirements for the effective use of early warning and rapid response systems. · Strategy: Workshops · Deliverables: Proceedings of the workshops containing guidelines for the effective use of early warning and rapid response systems. · Responsibility: Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey · Time frame: 2002 2. Loss and Risk Estimation Models · Objectives: Comparison of existing models (e.g., HAZUS,EXTREMUM, WaveLet, etc), with the goal of evolving into use of "all hazards" models that can accommodate secondary effects. · Strategy: Workshop and benchmarking studies (e.g., use well defined hazard scenario, built and non-built environment, societal impacts) · Deliverables: Technical reports · Responsibility: World Agency for Planetary Monitoring and Earthquake Prediction, Geneva · Time frame: Workshop and report (2002-2003)
3. Regulatory Processes · Objectives: To improve building and land-use practices for disaster reduction · Strategy: Review and document state-of-practice; workshops, compile documents · Deliverables:: Handbook containing recommendations · Responsibility: DRM--World Institute for Disaster Risk Management · Time frame: Start (2002), workshop (2003), Handbook (2004)
4. Risk Communication · Objectives: Improve public awareness; create consensus on mitigation policies and deepen understanding of hazard,/vulnerability/risk messages · Strategy: Create a European Disaster Coalition; workshops, periodic sample surveys to determine change in public awareness, · Deliverables: Annual progress reports, recommendations · Responsibility: Walter Ammann, Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research; Doug Sandy, International Red Cross · Time frame: Kickoff in 2002
5. Cultural Heritage · Objectives: Improve resiliency of cultural heritage structures and contents · Strategy: Cooperate with experts from Mediterranean Region and UNESCO · Deliverables: A handbook. · Responsibility: To be determined · Time frame: Start in 2002
6. Emergency Planing · Objectives: Improve effectiveness, efficiency, and responsibilities for emergency management in all levels of government for all relevant risks · Strategy: Document the state-of-practice for all risks in all countries; workshops to build consensus on perceived deficiencies and solutions · Deliverables: Guidelines · Responsibility: Dana Prochazkova, Chech. Republic · Time frame: Start in 2002
7. Integral Risk Management · Objectives: Build equivalent levels of awareness on prevention--intervention--recovery; Increase knowledge on all risk reduction measures and tools (e.g., physical measures, societal measures, ecological measures, insurance) · Strategy: Create a European Coalition for Sustainable Disaster Risk Management involving natural, social, technical, and economic elements; workshops, · Deliverables: Software; recommendations; guidelines · Responsibility: Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research · Time frame: Kick of meeting in 2001 with annual activities thereafter
8. Knowledge Transfer · Objectives: Improve rate and efficient transfer of knowledge from science into practice; education · Strategy: Implement an extension service for key topics such as hazard characterization, risk assessment, etc; establish continuing education courses · Deliverables: Meta databases on web links, text books, a "virtual Campus" on "Dealing with Natural Hazards" · Responsibility: Franz Stoessel, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation · Time frame: Start in 2002.
B. European Strategic Disaster Reduction Forum (Note: A regional focal point for Europe, the European Strategic Disaster Reduction Forum could become a European chapter of the UN-ISDR) · Objectives: Development of a European strategy for disaster reduction; organize interdisciplinary meetings, workshops, and conferences · Time frame: Start in 2002
C. World Conference on Disaster Risk Management · Objectives: A global forum on disaster risk management · When: Every four years, starting in 2004 · Where: Geneva, because of proximity to UN organizations · Host: Swiss Government · Organizers: European Task Force
PART II: BACKGROUND
A. GLOBAL BLUEPRINTS FOR CHANGE
1. In Europe, we live with all types of hazards, having a clustered distribution that depends on the sub-region's geography, geology, and weather patterns. The hazards include: natural (physical processes), man-made (technological risks and conflicts), environmental risks (impacts on ecological systems), ecological (biological, insects), and social (disease). We are especially concerned with global change. 2. We are especially interested in those Global Blueprints for Change that contribute ideas for the eight priority activities identified above under Activity A. The correspondence of these objectives and the current Blueprint topics are shown in the table below. 1. The first edition of the Global Blueprints for Change contains many good ideas. We recommend that an Editorial Board drawn from the Alliance for Disaster Reduction is formed to review the final submittals and that the condensed versions be made available via a CD-ROM.
B. PROPOSED "INTERNATIONAL MEETING" IN 2002
1. We believe that 2002 is too early for a high-quality "World Congress." As an alternative, we propose a World Conference on Disaster Risk Management, starting in 2004, to be hosted by the Swiss Government.. 2. The priority themes/topics that our region would tentatively like to have included in such an "International Meeting" are named above under Activity A and shown below in the Table.
C. REGIONAL FORUMS, ONGOING PROJECTS, AND CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE
1. We will seek opportunities to undertake and/or join in regional forums, workshops, and various projects that contribute to disaster risk management. 2. We believe that the concept of "centers of Excellence" needs further elaboration and evaluation.
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