A global review of disaster reduction initiatives - Welcome to the ...

4Living with Risk: A global review of disaster reduction initiativesanalyses and trend studies. The Munich ReWorld Map of Natural Hazards has been valuedby disaster and risk management professionalssince its first publication in 1978. Its subsequentGlobe of Natural Hazards most recently updatedin 1998, has also proved to be an effectiveinformation tool. Munich Re regularly producesadditional publications and has recently issued aCD-ROM, World of Natural Disasters, toadvance the public knowledge of hazards andexposure to risk. By employing digital technologyand the benefits of GIS representation ofinformation, this CD-ROM is easily able to providethe risk identification and evaluation expertiseof the reinsurance industry to engineers, governmentofficials and other interested people. Itis able to make a quick assessment of the basicnatural hazard potential at any terrestrial positionin the world at the click of a button. Additionalinformation can be found at www.municre.comAnother widely used source of public informationand database is the ReliefWeb, operated byOCHA. Located at www.reliefweb.int, itfocuses primarily on current internationalemergencies and disasters with humanitarianimplications, although it also provides currentresponse-oriented information about naturaldisasters. ReliefWeb provides an excellent andwide-ranging selection of information, pressaccounts, related contacts and operationalinformation, as well as archived informationdrawn from public, governmental, NGO andauthoritative sources about various types ofemergencies and their consequences. However,as its name indicates, it largely relates to emergencypreparedness and response interests.In November 2001, IFRC launched its DisasterManagement Information Systems (DMIS).This provides a single entry point for relevantdisaster-related information and multiple disastermanagement information sources that isbrowser-accessible for members of the RedCross and Red Crescent Movement. Supportedby four National Societies, the UnitedKingdom bilateral development agency,Department for International Development(DFID) and the commercially sponsoredEricsson Response Program, the project aimsto provide information about disasters in a systematicway and to monitor a number of factorsthat might signal an impending disaster. It providesa toolbox of working documents, tem-Global reports about disaster, riskand vulnerabilityWorld Disasters ReportOne of the most respected sources of informationabout disasters is the World DisastersReport, an annual publication of the InternationalFederation of Red Cross and Red CrescentSocieties (IFRC). Published since 1993, theWorld Disasters Report provides the latesttrends, facts and analysis of the world'shumanitarian crises. Described by the WorldBank as "a very valuable resource for the internationalcommunity", the report is an indispensablereference work for those searchingcurrent information about strategies and tacticsin the face of disaster. The report is backedby the resources and expertise of IFRC.The 2002 edition of the World DisastersReport is focusing on risk reduction issues.The report analyses the challenges and opportunitiesfacing risk reduction, and examinespreparedness and mitigation initiatives fromdisaster-prone countries around the globe. Inaddition, the report studies the issue ofhumanitarian accountability, presents amethodology to assess vulnerabilities andcapacities, and concludes with disaster datatables that are updated annually. It addressessuch current issues as whether disaster preparednessand mitigation can convincingly beshown to pay off in terms of lives, livelihoodsand assets saved. (www.ifrc.org)Global Environment OutlookIn line with its role in environmental monitoringand assessment and early warning,UNEP has launched the Global EnvironmentOutlook (GEO) series, which contains baselineinformation on emerging environmental issuesand threats, as well policies being implementedat the global and regional levels. The findingsand recommendations of the GEOreport series constitute the basis of UNEPactivities in early warning and vulnerabilityand risk assessments.The GEO-3 report of May 2002 specificallyaddresses the issue of human vulnerability to158