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Second
Meeting of the Inter-Agency
The Second Meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Disaster Reduction was held in Geneva, 10-11 October, 2000, and chaired by Ms. Carolyn McAskie, Deputy to the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. Mr. Denis Benn, Director of the ISDR Secretariat a.i., served as Secretary of the meeting. In her opening remarks, Ms. McAskie noted that the first meeting of the Task Force, held in April 2000 (see ISDR Informs No. 1), had sent a clear message regarding the approach it felt should be adopted for the implementation of the Strategy. Changes had since been made in the ISDR Secretariat, and in the orientation of its work. She emphasized that there still is a clear need to distinguish between disaster reduction and disaster response. Disaster reduction, the work of ISDR, needs to be viewed within the context of sustainable development. For that reason, even though it reported to the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, the ISDR Secretariat is distinct and autonomous, and must continue to be so. The Task Force is also unique, in that it represented a rare partnership between United Nations bodies, regional groupings and civil society organizations – all supported by national Governments. The Chair emphasized that it was the role of the Task Force to contribute to the elaboration of the global agenda in disaster prevention, while much of that substantive agenda would be advanced by the Task Force Working Groups. The ISDR Secretariat would be non-operational, but would have to retain the substantive competencies required to carry out the functions assigned to it by ECOSOC, the General Assembly and the Task Force. She noted that the Secretariat had benefited from the secondment by WMO of a senior officer, and asked other Task Force members to consider similar arrangements, so that it could become a truly Inter-Agency Secretariat, as called for in General Assembly resolution 54/219. In his opening remarks, the Director of the ISDR Secretariat a.i. stated that, in carrying out its activities, the Secretariat would not duplicate the work of the various United Nations organizations and agencies, but that it would seek to promote multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary initiatives in the area of disaster reduction which would complement the work of the stakeholders in the ISDR community. He also pledged that the Secretariat would work in close collaboration with members of the Task Force and other relevant actors in seeking to promote the objectives of disaster reduction. He referred to the draft Framework for Action for the Implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, which he saw as a ‘living document’, not for formal adoption, but for progressive elaboration in consultation with members of the Task Force. Mr. Benn noted that three ‘focus papers’, requested by the Task Force at its first meeting, had been prepared by the Secretariat. These dealt with the Application of Science and Technology in Disaster Prevention, Mainstreaming Disaster Reduction in Sustainable Development and National Planning, as well as Capacity Building for Disaster Reduction in Developing Countries. He also referred to two additional papers prepared by the Secretariat, on Policies and Legislation Trends in Disaster Prevention, and on Awareness Raising and Public Information. In introducing the papers later, Mr. Benn pointed to the increased recognition being given to the importance of the application of science and technology to disaster reduction. He also stated that the mainstreaming of disaster reduction in sustainable development and national planning processes was important in order to ensure that greater priority was given to the issue. In addition, he pointed to the critical importance of developing capacity at the individual, institutional and systemic levels to deal with disaster reduction.
The Task Force engaged in a wide-ranging and constructive exchange of views on a draft Framework document, as a reflection of the essential elements of the Strategy, and as a basis for the ongoing elaboration of the Strategy by the Task Force. It was suggested that;
While discussing the Focus papers, there was consensus that the Task Force, the Working Groups and the Secretariat should seek to identify ways in which existing capacities in science and technology could be brought downstream to those who needed them. It was also pointed out that all activities in the field of disaster reduction should include an element of capacity building, which should not be treated separately. It was decided that the next Task Force meeting should take place by April 2001. Overall, the positive approach of the Task Force members and their determination to move forward together to implement the Strategy were noted and appreciated by all, including many of the observers. As a matter of fact, 57 observers among country representatives and organizations assisted the meeting, including many of the countries from the Region of Latin America and the Caribbean and the Ibero-American Association for Civil Protection. The Task Force members were thanked for their constructive suggestions, which, as indicated by the Chair, represented an important contribution to the on-going process of refining the Strategy and the process by which it would be implemented.
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