Living with Risk. A global review of disaster reduction initiatives

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The ISDR Secretariat gratefully acknowledges the many individual and institutional contributions for the global review of disaster
reduction initiatives received from around the world.
The material in this review was drawn from special ISDR studies carried out by regional partner organizations, solicited
inputs from UN agencies, experts and individuals, and from publicly available information. In addition, a questionnaire was
circulated by the Secretariat to all countries for self-assessment of their institutional and policy development, risk assessments
and planning for disaster risk reduction. Valuable contributions were also made by members of the Inter-Agency Task Force
on Disaster Reduction. Additional contributions have been provided by participants in the on-line debate, held in preparation
for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, organized by the NGO network Multi Stakeholder Forum for Our Common
Future and the ISDR Secretariat during May, 2002 (see: www.earthsummit2002.org).
An Advisory Panel comprising experts from around the world (see below) met twice to provide guidance for the preparation
of the report.
Funding
Special appreciation is extended to the Government of Japan, the Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) and the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) who kindly contributed funds and resources for the realisation of this project. Additional
ISDR resources were drawn from contributions received from the Governments of Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland,
Germany, Iceland, the Philippines, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and from the World Bank.
Regional contributors
• Central America: Coordination Center for the Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America (CEPREDENAC), with
supplementary input from North America
• Andean nations: Andean Development Corporation (CAF) Disaster Prevention Programme (PREANDINO), with supplementary
input from South America
• Caribbean: Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Response Agency (CDERA)
• Asia: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) with supplementary input from ADRC, Japan, Iran and Kazakhstan
• Pacific island states: South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC)
• Southern Africa: Disaster Mitigation for Sustainable Livelihoods Programme (DiMP), University of Cape Town, with supplementary
input on the Horn of Africa and North Africa
• Central Europe: Central European Disaster Prevention Forum (CEUDIP)
• Europe: European Directorate General Joint Research Centre (JRC) with additional contributions from Germany and
Switzerland.
Advisory Panel
Gerhard Berz, Member of Executive Management, MunichRe, Germany
Ian Davis, former Professor at University of Cranfield, UK
Corazón de León, former Chair, Civil Service Commission, Government of the Philippines
Claude de Ville de Goyet, former Chief of the Disaster Preparedness Program, PAHO/WHO, Washington D.C.
Robert Hamilton, International Council for Science (ICSU) and National Academies, USA.
Isabelle Milbert, Professor, University Institute for Development Studies (IUED), Geneva , Switzerland
Evans A. Mukolwe, Director Coordinator, Scientific and Technical Programmes, WMO, Geneva
Satoru Nishikawa, Executive Director, ADRC, Kobe, Japan
Individual contributors
The ISDR Secretariat thanks all those individuals, country and agency representatives who have provided contributions or
comments and who have helped in reviewing the current preliminary text of this review. The list is long and not all are mentioned
by name. Special thanks are extended to Kenzo Oshima, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs,
whose encouragement and support throughout the process have been very valuable, and to Professor Denis Martin Benn,
former interim Director of the ISDR Secretariat, who launched the idea of a global review on disaster reduction initiatives
in 2001.
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