Indonesian tsunami: Director-General convenes the Task force on prevention of natural disasters

 

On Wednesday 29 December, Koïchiro Matsuura, convened the Task force on the prevention of natural disasters, in order to study UNESCO’s response and its participation in international aid that is materialising following the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the earthquake that, on 26 December, ravaged the western coast of northern Sumatra, hitting eight Indian Ocean countries.

UNESCO’s Director-General first expressed his deep sorrow in face of “the enormity of the catastrophe and the destructive power of the tidal wave” that has killed tens of thousands and injured hundreds of thousands of people, obliterated infrastructures and destroyed homes, schools and cultural heritage in this region of the world. Inviting all UNESCO’s field offices in the region to proceed with assessing needs and to present suggestions to him, Mr. Matsuura asked that “the entire Secretariat coordinate in order to make available to these countries the expertise acquired by the Organization in natural disaster and post-conflict situations.” “We must work towards establishing risk-prevention policies, and towards extending warning systems available to the greatest number,” he added. “This is a domain in which we have the means and the experience to act effectively and quickly. This should be one of UNESCO’s major contributions, in the short, medium and long term.”

 “It is too soon to talk about the reconstruction of the school system in the devastated regions, but we must ensure that there is no interruption in schooling,” said Mr. Matsuura. “As a large number of young people risk being left handicapped, it is essential that we develop rapidly our activities in inclusive education.” The education sector is mobilizing all of its partners, notably its teacher network, in order to bring swift psychological and pedagogical support to young people, and to establish structures that will allow the school programme to continue until schools are rebuilt. One contribution UNESCO could make is adding natural disaster prevention classes to school curricula. Another possibility under consideration for the future is the creation of a UNESCO Chair in risk evaluation and management.

 An inventory of natural and cultural heritage sites that have been damaged or destroyed is already underway, the culture sector and the World Heritage Centre having established contact with the countries concerned by the disaster. The Director General has asked that attention be paid also to those sites that are not on the World Heritage list, but that present particular interest as ecosystems. He therefore asked for an environmental assessment to be launched, in order to measure the impact on the biosphere of certain animal or plant species becoming extinct.

 As risk prevention is a major priority, the sciences sector will examine, in collaboration with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the possibility of extending to the Indian Ocean the Tsunami Warning System established in the Pacific by the International Coordination Group. The system, created by the IOC in 1968, includes 26 Member States. As the expertise acquired in the Pacific can be usefully applied to the Indian Ocean, Mr. Matsuura has decided to bring up the question at international conferences upcoming in January in Mauritius and Kobe (Japan). The sciences sector will also work with the education sector to set up programmes in natural disaster prevention and sustainable development.

 The information and communications sector, relying on its experience in establishing community radios, will study the necessary means for participating, on one hand, in setting up a natural disaster warning system that will effectively alert populations, and on the other, providing support for distance education programmes for displaced people.

 Mr Matsuura asked that the entire Secretariat mobilize and coordinate in order to reinforce the effectiveness of actions undertaken at all levels, at the same time ensuring that its initiatives complement the efforts of the United Nations system and the international community. “Beyond the urgent relief provided at the demand of stricken countries, we must become involved in the medium and long term. It is not UNESCO’s vocation to give urgent humanitarian and medical assistance, but as a full-fledged member of the United Nations system, it must be prepared to respond appropriately, within its fields of competence, to the needs of suffering people,” said Mr. Matsuura, emphasizing once again the absolute necessity of bringing about a “genuine culture of prevention on a world scale.”

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