Tourism Risk Management - Sustainable Tourism Online

• The Government of Bangladesh has disaster management committees at the national and
field levels and a Disaster Management Bureau and Department of Food and Disaster
Management. Their Comprehensive Disaster Management Program (CDMP) is based upon a
disaster risk management culture with programs including partnership development,
community empowerment, capacity-building, research information management, and
response management. CDMP seeks to ensure that disaster management is integrated within
the core business of government, with strong links with development planning. Local Disaster
Action Plans have been developed for 900 communities.
• The Cook Islands has a National Disaster Council as the focal point for all disaster
management activities with a National Disaster Management Office as the secretariat of the
NDC. The Outer Islands Island Secretary and Island Council Mayor are responsible for the
development of disaster management activities on their respective islands. The island system
is modelled on the national system to ensure uniformity. The National Disaster Council assists
them by providing guidance, policy advice and resources.
Comprehensive Disaster Management Programs (CDMPs) jointly funded by the United Nations
Development Program (UNDP) and the Department for International Development (DFID) have been
launched in many Asian countries since November 2003. The United Nations International Strategy
for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) underpins the development of disaster management programs in
Asia and the Pacific.
The Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre
Training, education and support are available through the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre
(ADPC) in Bangkok (http://www.adpc.net). Established in 1986 with financial assistance from the
United Nations Development Program (UNDP) at the recommendation of the United Nations Disaster
Relief Organization (now the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - OCHA), ADPC is a
non-profit organization supporting the advancement of safer communities and sustainable
development through the implementation of programs and projects which reduce the impact of
disasters upon countries and communities in Asia and the Pacific by:
• developing and enhancing sustainable institutional disaster risk management capacities,
frameworks and mechanisms, and supporting the development and implementation of
government policies;
• facilitating the dissemination and exchange of disaster risk management expertise,
experience and information; and
• raising awareness and enhancing disaster risk management knowledge and skills.
The Centre is staffed by professionals from many different countries and draws upon the expertise
and experience of some 350 associates and a network of more than 4,300 alumni spread across 75
countries.
The Centre’s geographical area of interest embraces South East and East Asia, the Indian subcontinent
and the Pacific. ADPC works closely with local communities, local and national
governments and regional bodies to raise awareness, promote appropriate policies, establish
sustainable institutional mechanisms, enhance knowledge and skills, and facilitate the exchange of
experience and expertise on risk, disaster and crisis management. ADPC programs are diverse in
application, address all types of hazards, and cover all aspects of the crisis and risk management
spectrum from prevention and mitigation, through preparedness and response, to rehabilitation and
reconstruction.
48 Tourism Risk Management – An Authoritative Guide to Managing Crises in Tourism