11 October 2000

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) will observe the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction 2000 at the UN Conference Centre (UNCC), Bangkok, on Wednesday, 11 October 2000 from 9:00 am – 10:30 am. Activities will include the ESCAP Forum on Disaster Reduction and the ESCAP exhibition "Disaster Reduction in the ESCAP Region".

The theme for this year, "Disaster Prevention, Education and Youth" is promoting a shift from a culture of reaction to disasters to a culture of prevention. Global commemoration activities aim to increase awareness of policy-makers and the public about the necessity for education programmes in disaster prevention and management.

The ESCAP Forum on Disaster Reduction will be opened by Mr. Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of ESCAP and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.

• Mr. Siri Akaakara, Director, Forest Fire Control Department Division of the Thai Royal Forestry Department, "Thailand's efforts to prevent large-scale forest fires"
• Mr. Ksemsan Suwarnarat, Deputy Director General, City Planning Department, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, "Bangkok flood protection works"
• Mr. Aloysius Rego, Director of Planning and Development of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, "Asian urban disaster mitigation project"
• Ms. Fainula Kurji-Rodriguez, Director, Corporate Planning and Program Development, Asia Pacific Disaster Management Center, "Globalization, information technology and disasters"

The ESCAP exhibition "Disaster Reduction in the ESCAP Region" will be presented on level 1 of UNCC. It will feature displays, videos and inter-active computer-based information on disaster prevention programmes from UN agencies, the Thai government, and regional non-governmental organizations working on disaster prevention.

"Disaster prevention is a long-term activity, but it is an urgent task in light of the recent devastating disasters in the region," said ESCAP expert Dr. Huub van Wees. "The aim is to prevent disasters and their alarming impacts through the implementation of disaster prevention policies and techniques such as land-use planning, hazard mapping and vulnerability indicators."

ESCAP has been facilitating information exchange on disaster management in the Asia and Pacific region since its inception. It is specifically focusing on flood disaster prevention and has recently published "Regional Cooperation in the Twenty-first Century on Flood Control and Management in Asia and the Pacific". It is the first report that focuses on regional experiences in flood control and management processes at the basin, national and regional levels.