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Snapshot 67 - Disaster Reduction Programme - March 2011

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Another month and unfortunately another major devastating event. We must all take a moment to remember those whose lives have been changed forever by the earthquake and tsunami that ravaged northeaster Japan earlier this month. The tragedy is quite immense and each day we hear and see stories that remind us of why we work in this area of disaster risk management.

In the region there have been a number of interesting developments as this issue of Snapshots will portray. In Papua New Guinea we’re into the home stretch in relation to a DRM Action Plan for Morobe Province. The work on this started last year and Waisale Naqiolevu, our man on the ground has an interesting piece on this.

 

Also in this issue Niue is the latest Pacific island country to demonstrate a desire to integrate their DRM and Climate Change Adaptation initiatives into a single National Action Plan. Next up for DRP is Nauru.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue.

Mosese Sikivou
Deputy Director
Disaster Reduction Programme

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Last Updated on Friday, 15 April 2011 11:54  

Newsflash

The second country engagement to establish a DRM Mainstreaming for PNG took place on the 3rd-14th May 2010 with representatives from SOPAC, UNDP Pacific Centre and UNDP PNG. This was a follow up mission to the first country engagement in February this year. The intention of the first mission was to scope out a process for the development and implementation of a DRM National Action Plan.

However, in the initial stages of the mission, stakeholders dispelled the prospects for the development of a comprehensive national approach to mainstreaming as would normally be undertaken through the mainstreaming exercise. The geography and population of PNG make the concept of DRM mainstreaming difficult. The need to strengthen DRM in PNG is heightened by the fact that nearly 25% of the natural disasters occurring in the Pacific between 1950-2008 were in PNG (EM-DAT1).