AUDMP News... Workshop on Urban Risk Reduction held in Ahmedabad, India on 29 March 2001   Workshop on Urban Risk Reduction in Asia was at the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA), India on 29 March 2001. The workshop was organized jointly by the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), Bangkok and the Center for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT), Ahmedabad with support from the Office of the Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The workshop was preceded by the sixth Annual Working Group Meeting of the AUDMP. Photo of the workshop inauguration The workshop was attended by about 100 participants representing an extensive coalition of partner organizations from local and national government agencies, NGOs, academic institutions and others, from nine countries - Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand - as well as delegates from USAID. The workshop looked at an integrated approach to disaster management especially since state of Gujarat is vulnerable to many types of disasters in addition to earthquakes. The workshop focused on experiences from the Gujarat Earthquake, initiatives for earthquake risk mitigation and measures for overall disaster risk reduction and preparedness. Examples include: promoting safer building construction; institutional arrangements and policy frameworks for urban disaster management and emergency response; raising public awareness; and community participation in disaster mitigation. This workshop brought together key individuals and organizations working in the field of disaster mitigation and urban development in Asia to share successful practices and important lessons on the above themes. From Gujarat, the Mayor of Ahmedabad City, the Commissioner of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, the Chairman of the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority, the Chief Executive Officer of the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority and the Director of the Disaster Mitigation Institute, among others, participated in the workshop. Photos of the Display An exhibition displaying materials produced by the AUDMP country project partners was also set up in AMA. The display was open to the general public. The AUDMP team received many positive feedback on the exhibition and numerous requests for additional information and copies of materials on display. The workshop provided significant and timely opportunity for international participants to learn and share their expertise, insights and rich experiences gained from the implementation of urban disaster mitigation projects with government and non-government organizations in Gujarat. It is hoped that the sharing and exchange of experiences and knowledge and institutional networks built during the workshop will pave way for disaster reduction in the years to come.