Southeast Asia Disaster Prevention Research Initiative (SEADPRI-UKM)

 

Innovative Partnerships for Transmitting Knowledge to National and Local Levels at the 3rd AMCDRR

SEADPRI-UKM and several session partners hosted a Side Event entitled “Innovative Partnerships for Transmitting Knowledge to National and Local Levels” at the 3rd Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, held in Kuala Lumpur on 3 November 2008. The Side Event was held in conjunction with the Technical Session and High-Level Round Table on High Technology and Scientific Applications to Disaster Risk Reduction, including Climate Change Adaptation. The session partners were the International Telecommunication Unit (ITU), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC), Telekom Malaysia (TM), and Malaysian Amateur Radio Emergency Services (MARES).

World-wide disasters are anticipated to increase with the advent of climate change and all stakeholders need to be mobilized to address this issue, particularly at the local level. The high level of scientific uncertainty associated with climate change and its relationship to Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) requires the involvement of researchers from scientific and academic institutions to translate state-of art knowledge and integrate them into national and local policies. Various types of partnerships need to be forged to enhance the use of scientific and technological knowledge to facilitate informed policy and decision-making for DRR and climate change adaptation at national and local levels. The inherent elements that bring about successful partnerships need to be understood, documented and disseminated so that such partnerships can be replicated world-wide to transmit knowledge to national and local levels. The objective of the Side Event was to share and exchange experiences and lessons learnt on integration of DRR into development planning; and highlight various types of partnerships, which have significantly enhanced the use of scientific and technological knowledge to facilitate informed policy and decision-making for DRR and climate change adaptation.

The Side Event was attended by about 40 participants. It was chaired by by Raja Datuk Zaharaton Raja Zainal Abidin, Visiting Scholar of the Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. The presentations are as follows:-

  • Policy Research on Integrating Earthquake and Tsunami DRR into Development Planning by Prof. Dato’ Dr. Ibrahim Komoo, Director, SEADPRI-UKM;
  • Bridging Public and Agencies for Disaster & Emergency Situations by Ms. Rozinah Anas, Director of MERS 999, Telekom Malaysia Berhad;
  • Reliable Emergency Communications during Disasters – The Role of Amateur Radio by Mr. Azizul Ghazali, MARES;
  • Earthquake Disaster Reduction in China by Scientific Technology by Mr. Ruizhi Wen, Institute of Engineering Mechanics, China Earthquake Administration; and
  • A400M: The Versatile Airlifter for Humanitarian Relief by Mr. Kevin Dell, Vice President Sales Operations and Contracts, Airbus Military SL.

The presentations highlighted case studies on integrating disaster risk reduction into development planning as well as several weaknesses in current humanitarian efforts. Examples on how private and public partnerships (PPP) can mobilize resources for R&D on DRR and Climate Change Adaptation were also presented. During the discussion, the need to promote innovative partnerships between scientific communities, academic institutions, NGOs and the private sector to enhance scientifically informed national policies for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation was also emphasized.