| IDRC Davos 2008 roundup
The following provides a roundup of the main learning points from each day: Monday, 25 August 2008 IDRC 2008 started with a focus on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. After the opening ceremony, it was discussed in the first plenary session to what extent climate change adaptation could offer opportunities for disaster risk reduction. It was highlighted that climate change should be seen as an opportunity as well as a threat, and that the term ‘development’ will have to be re-defined in such a way that development goes parallel with adaptation. The role of the insurance sector was pointed out, and it was shown that while companies have mostly introduced a risk officer, countries and governments are still lacking this position. Climate change is not a fashion, not a phenomenon that will go away any time soon, but it is a fact that we will have to deal with for all times. The brief statements of the experts on the panel were followed by a lively discussion from the audience. The audience got introduced to the idea of creating ‘100 ideas for action’ until the end of the week. Every participant was asked to come up with just one suggestion, so that at the end of the week, a large collection of creative ideas, ready to await realisation, could be presented at the closing ceremony. How can climate change adaptation be mainstreamed? The second plenary session of the day tried to find ways to mainstream climate change adaptation and to harmonize these efforts. Regarding this, it was pointed out that too often development programs are being set up in a rather complex way, while the people that are affected by disasters need simple and fast help. Thus the call to keep support, disaster relief and prevention measures simple. It was explained that currently, the short term effects of climate change are overestimated – a dangerous development, as through this, climate change is treated as a fashion, as something that will go away if we just wait for a while. Further, the research on ecosystems should not be neglected, as it has to be understood that climate change will affect people only through ecosystems. Nature itself does not mind any disaster, it will just change. But we do mind, for us it is a catastrophe. Thus, the only way to adapt to climate change is by improving the resilience of natural systems. Wrapping-up the sessions of this first day of IDRC 2008, it was made clear, how important it is to find a common language, that is, words should mean the same for all concerned. Tuesday, 26 August 2008 The second day focused on ‘critical infrastructure and protection resilience’. The morning’s plenary session was looking into ways of how to cope with emerging threats in an international context. One of the experts stated that the dependency aspect is extremely relevant. That means that external supply chains of countries are very vulnerable in any critical situation. The private sector is dependent on the critical infrastructure, be that power lines or transportation on road or railway. Thus, the impact of malfunctioning infrastructures on cash flows and stakeholders should be assessed in more detail. It is also important to understand that countries far away from any disasters, yet depending on the energy supply from more disaster prone areas of the world, have an equally threatened infrastructure. A European program for the protection of critical infrastructure is also putting an emphasis on preventing criminal activities that target infrastructure. A lot of examples were given, showing just how much we really depend on functioning structures – an instance was reported where a hacker manipulated the sewage system in Australia, making clear that IT systems are an essential link in the chain of protection. Even if the problems resemble each other in most countries of the world, it has to be remembered that developing countries do not and cannot operate on the same level as any western country, making it difficult to set worldwide standards for the protection of critical infrastructure. Statements from the audience highlighted the fact that regulations, standards and programs to protect infrastructure and enhance resilience need to be adapted to the financial means of the country concerned, and cannot be arranged according to a pre-arranged set of regulations. Country-specific, strongly localized measures are the key. Developing policies that allow better protection The second plenary session of the day was dedicated to the question if new institutional frameworks would be needed to better protect critical infrastructure. In following-up on what had been said in the first plenary session of the morning, it was highlighted that ‘tailor-made’ solutions have to be found and that in general attempts should be made to improve existing infrastructure instead of building it newly. Trying to protect critical infrastructures puts a focus on the human face of disasters. If frameworks and policies neglect cultural differences in human society, they will not be applied successfully. A representative from the energy sector, which is naturally high up on the list of vulnerable infrastructures, explained that they are very well prepared for potential disasters, being well aware of the threat that a failure would mean to the supply chain of a whole region or country. Yet, he specified that there is a lack of performance indicators, so that it is rather difficult to measure how well they cope. Switzerland is having a very high level of preparedness, however, communication seems to be the main issue – only information or warnings that reach the right person at the right time are of use. From the audience it was pointed out that countries, repeatedly struck by disasters, often do not learn from the experiences made to improve disaster preparedness, which could be explained by a lack of protection baselines. The last plenary session of the day brought highly interesting news from the Kyrgyz Republic. Representatives of the government and specialists for nuclear safety presented the facts on the nuclear waste that was left in the Central Asian Republic by earlier mining operations. In an area highly prone to natural disasters this toxic waste is at risk to reach rivers or the groundwater, thus also polluting neighbouring countries. The Minister of Emergency Situations of the Kyrgyz Republic showed a movie which impressively demonstrated the imminent threats, these uncontrolled dumps pose. Wednesday, 27 August 2008 Pandemics and diseases Day three focused on the topic of pandemics and diseases. Pandemics and diseases are a constant threat in a globalised world. Infectious diseases spread quickly, both in humans and in animals. And climate change might well aggravate the existing patterns and lead to a further spreading. How can prevention be improved for pandemics? And what is needed for the emergency phase? Clearly, there is the need to reduce the impact on human life, especially when seeing that about 70 percent of new diseases have emerged from wildlife. A number of diseases that are so far not overly frequent, yet known to most people, as for example the Lyme disease, have a large pandemic potential. Experience shows that classic approaches to surveillance are ineffectual, and that completely new methods will have to be implemented. A first step to this goal could be the better use of all means of communication as well as the strengthening of local laboratories’ abilities. Obviously, the movement of animals, potentially carrying an infectious disease, should not solely be controlled within the borders of one country – it is easily understood that the cooperation across national borders is crucial to fight the spreading of animal diseases. The title of this first plenary session ‘Expecting the Unexpected’ can also be looked at regarding influenza. Most experts seem to agree on the opinion that a new pandemic of influenza is on the doorstep – yet, when exactly it will break out, is completely unknown. But what is known is that the infrastructure, needed to deal with such an outbreak, has to be set up as soon as possible, so as not to have to react under pressure when the crisis is there. A very relevant point in the prevention of pandemics is proper communication. It has happened a lot in the past that governments did not inform their neighbouring countries about a disease, hoping to keep it hidden as long as possible, so as to avoid negative impacts on food trade or tourism. A clear concept on how to communicate on these critical issues, and regulations that support compulsory information would be a start to avoid further spreading of existing diseases. Efficient pandemic prevention does not necessarily cost large amounts of money, small steps towards low-tech disease control methods, for example improved hygiene, can achieve a lot. Security of health facilities as a central issue in disaster prevention The parallel session through the day covered an impressive variety of topics, all of them looking at different aspects of pandemics and diseases. Participants of the IDRC discussed ways on how to make health facilities safe from disasters, and how to improve the public health security. A very important part of the disaster management regarding pandemics and diseases are the socio-economic and psychological aspects, thus reflecting some very human aspects of the topic. As with most disaster-related issues, the building of sustainable networks is crucial. Influenza pandemic could cause huge economic losses The second plenary session of the day was looking into the consequences of pandemics and diseases regarding health, social welfare and economy. Diseases that used to be a local or maybe regional issue in earlier years, have suddenly become a global problem, threatening public health and welfare, economy and social stability. Huge numbers of people travelling all over the world are an ideal means to spread diseases with incredible speed. World Bank simulations of an influenza pandemic have revealed that the actual mortality rate would not cause the highest impact, but rather people’s efforts to avoid infection would. An influenza pandemic of moderate dimension, potentially causing 40 million fatalities globally, could result in almost 400 billion USD of economic losses for the United States alone, Switzerland having to deal with economic losses of around 11 billion USD. As already in the first plenary session of the day, the experts are certain that a new pandemic will come. One factor being crucial to the distribution of diseases is the transport of animals and tourists travelling. The sources of the illnesses can in very many cases be found among animals rather than anywhere else. Scientists have found that each year two new organisms emerge that have the potential to bring on pandemics – and 98 percent of these stem from the animal world. So if we want to prevent the uncontrollable spreading of fatal diseases the global transport of animals will have to be observed carefully. Veterinary and agricultural security is thus crucial to improve human security. Thursday, 28 August 2008 Integral risk management Thursday’s main sessions looked at integral risk management as the key for successful risk reduction. The world’s growing population, and expanding urbanization and globalization have resulted in a much larger risk potential. To tackle those issues, all aspects of disaster prevention, mitigation and relief have to be combined into the holistic approach of integral risk management. In the discussion it became obvious that, even if by now the risk management community seems rather well connected, still, the terms are not defined clearly enough to allow a common language. And good concepts, strategies and policies only help if the communications linked to it are efficient – getting the message out is the key. The experts agreed on the importance of data. Observations and data need to be available and need to be shared, however, not just any data, but one with a certain standard that is reliable in its quality. Regarding the ever-critical funding of disaster relief or prevention measures, it was pointed out that the funds should be handled with far greater flexibility, allowing fast reactions in case of events, but also enabling the shifting of funds to issues that emerge in another manner than formerly expected. For many countries corruption is a tremendous problem, wasting money that would be urgently needed. An interesting aspect was explained regarding the disaster relief after the Tsunami in Indonesia: the disaster struck a coastal area of about 6 km inland, and all help went to these areas. Quickly, it turned out that the regions in the hinterland which had been spared, were observing the efforts at the coast with jealousy, feeling left out from any support. This reminds us that it should not be forgotten that the complex integral risk management is not just a matter of the right technology, but needs to involve the society as a whole. How to cover the last mile of early warning In the course of this fourth conference day, a variety of parallel sessions highlighted the role of the media, of communication and education in disaster preparedness and risk avoidance, also especially looking at the problem of the ‘last mile’ in early warning, meaning how to really reach the people concerned. Particular attention was given to risk reduction in agriculture, and it was discussed how microfinance could be used for disaster and risk reduction. The risks that are related to the particularly vulnerable energy sector were discussed in another session, while in yet another room, experts were exchanging experiences regarding risk perception and behaviour. Why should people engage in disaster prevention? The second plenary session of the day attempted to determine how to proceed with integral risk management. How can people actually be persuaded to shift from intervention to prevention? Smoothly operating information and communication tools, including all the new and widely used methods, such as web logs, chats or text messages, are of great importance. Yet, however advanced these instruments might be – in the end, the human factor, or simply the people themselves, decide if it will work or not. One could even go as far as to say that all the technology is there, but that it is not yet understood how to make people actually change their behaviour. If the incentives could be determined that would make people try and work their way out of vulnerability, a major step towards an efficient disaster prevention would be achieved. And here, disaster prevention becomes a topic which will have to rely more on social sciences. Friday, 29 August 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China: Measures to avoid secondary disasters The last day of the IDRC 2008 was dedicated to the Wenchuan earthquake in China. The Wenchuan region, located in the Sichuan province in southwestern China was hit by a devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9, resulting in a huge number of deaths and injuries, damages to houses, buildings and infrastructure. The disasters also caused massive land-slides, now blocking large rivers. The dams, having been formed by the landslides, are highly instable, threatening millions of people in cities downriver if they were to fail. A number of Chinese ministries are working under high pressure to realize measures to stabilize these dams, thus controlling secondary disasters. An integral, multi-hazard approach, taking into account all factors involved, can be the only way to mitigate the consequences of such a huge disaster. Additionally, it is important to enhance the monitoring and predicting facilities. Special attention was given in the session to the role of the media in the reporting of the earthquake. A number of newspapers were observed and their output analyzed, to understand how the media could be better included in the information schemes surrounding a disaster. Building codes could have prevented losses at schools Throughout the day, a number of special seminars highlighted different aspects of the earthquake, its consequences, damage assessment and lessons learned. A focus was put on the development and implementation of building standards, especially, as recent natural disasters have been marked by losses in schools and other educational establishments. It was noted that, had the schools in the Sichuan province been designed to conform to state-of-the-art building codes, the losses could have been significantly reduced. Looking at 100 ideas for action The closing ceremony, marking the official end of the conference presented the results of the initiative that was started at Monday’s opening ceremony – 100 ideas for action, and suggested ways on how to proceed. More than 500 ideas were collected and assessed, creative approaches, practical suggestions for the more efficient realization of prevention measures and truly innovative ideas underlined, how much effort and thought the participants from all over the world had put into this conference – making it an exciting, successful event. More evaluation has to be done on the ideas, and a committee of experts will be set up to develop a compendium. The results of the collection of ideas will be posted in a month’s time. Concluding, it was pointed out that the increasing frequency of disasters is known, that the knowledge and the solutions are available and that conferences, such as the IDRC, are major platforms to bring together ideas, knowledge, needs and solutions to improve disaster prevention, mitigation and relief. Next year’s regional IDRC will be held in Nairobi, hosted at the UNEP campus.
•Date: 29th August 2008• Region: W.Europe/World •Type: Article •Topic: BC general
|
