UK government backs proposals to establish natural disaster scientific panel

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has backed the setting up of a new international science panel to help reduce the impact of natural hazards, such as tsunamis and earthquakes, following a recommendation in a report from the Natural Hazard Working Group (NHWG), which was set up following the tsunami in south east Asia in December 2004.

The panel is an initiative for the international community to take forward and the UK will use the G8 Presidency to seek further support for it.

The report, ‘The Role of Science in Physical Natural Hazard Assessment’, recommended setting up a panel drawn from the international scientific community, and is expected to cost less than £1 million a year. The new panel would work within the existing international disaster risk reduction system, and would:

* Authoritatively advise decision-takers on potential natural hazards that would have significant regional and global impact;

* Pool the work of individual scientists and research groups and identify gaps in knowledge; and

* Address how science and technology could help to reduce the impact of natural hazards on vulnerable populations.

NHWG also recommended the development of the World Meteorological Organisation early warning system to provide a more co-ordinated and authoritative warning system for other natural hazards. They also highlighted the importance of national capacity building for risk management through support at national and international level.

Copies of the report can be found at http://www.ost.gov.uk/policy/bodies/nhwg/index.htm

•Date: 10th June 2005 • Region: UK • Type: Article •Topic: Disaster recovery: general
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