Highlights and images for 14 May 2019

Highlights for Tuesday, 14 May 2019

On day two of preparatory events for the 2019 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2019), participants met in various forums and events around the main venue of the International Conference Center Geneva (CICG).



The Fourth World Reconstruction Conference (WRC4) at CICG, the second Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems Conference (MHEWS-II) at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the Science and Policy Forum at the Palais des Nations all entered their second and final day of discussions leading up to GP2019.



WRC4 discussed the benefits of inclusion in disaster preparedness, response and recovery. Participants called for including women and local communities in recovery efforts, not only as beneficiaries but also as key actors. Speakers from the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, India, noted that the state’s efforts to include people with disabilities in its disaster risk reduction (DRR) program had successfully prevented fatalities among this group during the 2018 floods in the region.



At MHEWS, panelists stressed the importance of making warnings clear and accessible so that recipients understand what action they should take. Speakers from Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Nepal described the benefits of Early Warning Systems, citing a return on investment (ROI) as high as 3:1 in terms of lives saved, losses avoided, and protection of agricultural productivity.



The Science and Policy Forum highlighted the opportunities that technology provides for building resilient and inclusive societies, while cautioning that new technologies also create new vulnerabilities – for example, in pollution caused by the increase in e-waste from disposal of mobile phones, and an increased reliance on electronic security and payment systems, which can be disrupted by fires and floods.



Other meetings associated with GP2019 on Tuesday were a local authorities’ meeting, an interactive session with parliamentarians, and several regional group and civil society consultations.

IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary report from GP2019, which is available in HTML and PDF.

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World Reconstruction Conference 4

Hiba Qasas, UN Women, and Françoise Ghorayeb, UNFPA

Participant during interventions

Simione Bula, Australian Humanitarian Partnership Regional Coordinator; Sekhar L. Kuriakose, Kerala State Disaster Management Authority; and Dolores Devesi, Oxfam, Solomon Islands

(L:R) Asif Saleh, BRAC International, Bangladesh; Alexandra Ocles, Minister of Disaster Risk Management, Ecuador; Maitreyi B. Das, World Bank Group; Toshizo Ido, Governor of Hyogo Prefecture, Japan; and Fatou Sow Sarr, University of Dakar, Senegal

Toshizo Ido, Governor of Hyogo Prefecture, Japan

Fatou Sow Sarr, University of Dakar, Senegal

Live survey capturing participants’ views on WRC4

(L:R) Amb. Léonard Emile Ognimba, African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States; Asako Okai, Assistant Secretary General, United Nations Development Programme; Bernice Van Bronkhorst, World Bank Group; and Ricardo Mena, UNDRR

Science and Policy Forum

Ahmad Wani, One Concern; Vanessa Gray, International Telecommunication Union; and Alexander Siegmund, Heidelberg University

Alexander Siegmund, Heidelberg University; Richard Hoad, QinetiQ, UK; and Osvaldo Moraes, National Center for Disaster Monitoring and Warning, Brazil

Katja Samuel, Global Security and Disaster Management Ltd, moderated the session

Second Multi-Hazard Early Warning Conference

(L:R) Denis Chang Seng, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC); Guillermo Navarro, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Chile; Pascal Peduzzi, UN Environment Programme (UNEP); Dwikorita Karnawati, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency, Indonesia; Michel Jean, WMO; Delia Arnold, Aristotle ENHSP; Charlotte Norman, National Disaster Management Organisation, Ghana; and Bapon Fakhruddin, Integrated Research on Disaster Risk

Denis Chang Seng (centre), IOC

Dwikorita Karnawati (centre), BMKG Indonesia

Muhammad Riaz, Pakistan

(L:R) Jean-Pierre Mpundu Elonga, State Hydrometeorological Administration (METTELSAT), DRC; Evan Thompson, WMO Jamaica; Donna Pierre, Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) Secretariat; Laouan Magagi, Ministry of Humanitarian Aid & Disaster Risk Management, Niger; Colin McQuistan, Flood Resilience Alliance; and Daniel Kull, CREWS Secretariat

Delegates during the session

Around the Venue

Delegates in the corridors

Booths presenting a resilient home design challenge in the CICG exhibition area