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It is well known that the Asia-Pacific suffers the most from disasters due to the growing population and economies becoming more exposed to disaster hazards. For decades, international agreements have advocated building resilience to disasters, including the implementation of disaster risk reduction strategies. Many countries have developed policy instruments to address disaster risk reduction. However, the information, tools and technologies necessary to develop and implement such policies and strategies in an informed manner are not yet universally accessible and not being utilized to their full potential.

This paper discusses the status of availability of data and information which can support informed policy making for disaster risk management. It builds on recommendations from various intergovernmental and expert meetings organized by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and includes not only statistics on disasters and demographics, but the expanding use of ICT and space-related applications, which have significantly increased the availability and accessibility of data, information, knowledge and expertise.

Worldwide there has been a paradigm shift in disaster management approach moving away from emergency response to the holistic disaster risk reduction and management. Considerable progress in disaster risk management has been achieved in the Asia-Pacific region over the past one decade resulting in lower mortality risks for extreme weather-related hazards, even though economic losses have been on an upward trajectory (UNESCAP, 2013). The lessons learned since the establishment of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) and MDGs is now being reflected in negotiations of new international agreements in the beyond 2015 development agenda, such as HFA2 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

It is well known that the Asia-Pacific suffers the most from disasters due to the growing population and economies becoming more exposed to disaster hazards. For decades, international agreements have advocated building resilience to disasters, including the implementation of disaster risk reduction strategies. Many countries have developed policy instruments to address disaster risk reduction. However, the information, tools and technologies necessary to develop and implement such policies and strategies in an informed manner are not yet universally accessible and not being utilized to their full potential.

This paper discusses the status of availability of data and information which can support informed policy making for disaster risk management. It builds on recommendations from various intergovernmental and expert meetings organized by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and includes not only statistics on disasters and demographics, but the expanding use of ICT and space-related applications, which have significantly increased the availability and accessibility of data, information, knowledge and expertise.

Worldwide there has been a paradigm shift in disaster management approach moving away from emergency response to the holistic disaster risk reduction and management. Considerable progress in disaster risk management has been achieved in the Asia-Pacific region over the past one decade resulting in lower mortality risks for extreme weather-related hazards, even though economic losses have been on an upward trajectory (UNESCAP, 2013). The lessons learned since the establishment of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) and MDGs is now being reflected in negotiations of new international agreements in the beyond 2015 development agenda, such as HFA2 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division [email protected]