The Fourth ECO International Conference on Disaster Risk Management was held in Dushanbe on 7-8 October, 2009. This Conference was organized jointly by the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan represented by the Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense, the Secretariat of the Economic Organization (ECO) and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) Office in Dushanbe.
The delegates from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Tajikistan participated in the Conference. Also present in the Conference were representatives of the UN Agencies including UNOCHA, UNICEF Regional Office, WHO as well as regional organizations such as Asian Seismic Risk Reduction Center (ASRC), Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC), Central Asia and Caucasus Disaster Risk Management Initiative (CACDRMI), Swiss Cooperation Office in Tajikistan, OFDA, RMSI, USAID, WB, ADB and Focus Humanitarian Assistance, were represented in the Conference.
In the inauguration ceremony of the Conference, His Excellency Mr. Rahim Sultani from the Republic of Tajikistan, His Excellency Ambassador Hassan Taherian, ECO Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Salvano Briceno, Director of the Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and Mr. Michael Jones, UNDP Resident Coordinator made their statements.
His Excellency Mr. Rahim Sultani welcomed the delegates in Dushanbe and gave a brief overview of the need of disaster risk management in Tajikistan and the institutional set up of the Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense. Mr. Sultani renewed Tajikistan’s commitment to be a main partner in the activities related to the disaster risk management within the ECO region which is severely affected because of its geographical location.
Ambassador Hassan Taherian ECO Deputy Secretary General, while describing the ECO region as one the most disaster prone area in the world, emphasized the significance of the disaster risk management and in particular strengthening institutional cooperation at all levels in the region. He referred to the challenge imposed by the changing climate resulting in an increased the related disasters. He underlined that it requires more investment and allocating additional resources to the disaster risk reduction, application of disaster risk reduction for adaptation to climate change assessing and building safer schools and hospitals in the region.
Mr. Salvador Briceno, Director of the Secretariat of the UNISDR in Geneva commended the expanding role being undertaken by the ECO in engaging with issue of disaster risk management including enhancing awareness on risks involving the safety and security of vulnerable population of the region. He underlined the responsibilities of the Governments of the Member States, regional organization and ISDR for implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA).
Mr. Michael Jones, UNDP Resident Coordinator stated that we have money for all issues but actually very little money is available for emergency responses. Therefore, there is a dire need where funding could be pooled together which focus on any prevailing situation. He emphasized the need for naming one of the ECO member states as a focal point to ensure effective follow-up on the recommendations of the present and previous ECO Conferences on the subject.
During two days conference the main items of the agenda which included (i) National Coordination Mechanisms, (ii) Climate Change Adaption, (iii) Regional Cooperation and Coordination Reduction, (iv) Global Campaigns such as School Safety and Safe Hospitals (vi) Overview of current initiatives were discussed at length and country reports as well as reports of the relevant UN agencies presented to the meeting. At the end of the Conference, a set of recommendations including establishment of the ECO relief fund, participation states’ experts from the planning and budget sections in the subsequent Conferences related to disaster risk management, negotiations for preparing legal document to encourage ECO member states for early implementation of Hyogo Framework Action and preparing a draft strategy for regional cooperation on disaster risk management were discussed and agreed by the Conference.
[Home] [Contact us] [Feedback] [Back]