Training on Building Capacities for Early Recovery and Disaster Risk Reduction to Kick Off
[Suva – February 2] When a disaster strikes the focus is on saving peoples’ lives. Early recovery is not only about saving lives but also rebuilding lives so that affected populations can return to a normal life as soon as possible. Therefore, early recovery work together with relief work is based on the priority needs of those that have been affected.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Pacific region has been active in early recovery efforts, by assisting Governments in the Pacific to assess the priority needs of affected populations and to develop frameworks for Early Recovery following major disaster events. Some examples include the floods in Fiji in January 2009, the tsunami in Samoa and Tonga in September 2009, as well as after the earthquake and the tsunami in the Solomon Islands in 2007. The frameworks provide Governments with an instrument for developing and financing programmes which help to rebuild peoples’ lives.
The Pacific is one of the most disaster-affected regions in the world, threatened by a variety of natural hazards which are further compounded by the onset of climate change. Given this, UNDP will conduct training for national government representatives and UNDP staff in the Pacific in designing and implementing early recovery programmes. The training will highlight the lessons learned from early recovery work including that undertaken in Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and the Solomon Islands.
The training will take place in Nadi from February 3- 5 and will include 25 participants from Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. It will be conducted by specialists working in the areas of early recovery and disaster risk reduction from UNDP’s Bureau of Crisis Prevention and Recovery in Geneva as well as specialists from the UNDP Pacific Centre.
UNDP Pacific Centre’s Senior Regional Crisis Prevention and Recovery Advisor/Programme Manager, Jean Luc Stalon will officially open the workshop.
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Note to editors:
Members of the media are invited to attend the sessions today, 4th February at the Radisson Hotel in Denarau, Nadi.
Interviews can be arranged by contacting Karen Bernard, Natural Disaster Risk Reduction and Transition Specialist, UNDP Pacific Centre on (+679) 908 6072
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