First, allow me to express a very warm welcome to the first issue of the Partnerships for Disaster Reduction - South East Asia (PDR-SEA) newsletter. South East Asia, as we all know, is rich in resources and culture, but despite this diversity, the disaster management community, including DIPECHO SEA partners and ADPC, faces a common challenge of reducing disaster risks in the region for sustainable development.
As emphasized in the project name, partnership is a key component to disaster reduction, especially since disasters transcend political boundaries, and resources are limited. This DIPECHO-funded project under the Second DIPECHO Action Plan for South East Asia aims to improve the way in which ECHO-financed activities are matched to priority needs within a framework which is more consistent with existing disaster mitigation and preparedness systems. This cannot be achieved by simply looking at the community and national levels of operation; the regional level of operation must also be considered, as it is the arena for most of the major risks such as floods and cyclones. Hence, this program is regional in scope and draws on successful local experiences that deserve a wider recognition and application within the region.
ADPC has been working in the Asia Pacific region for 15 years and strongly promotes a regional approach through facilitation of partnership building and network strengthening amongst a range of stakeholders in different sectors at different levels - from national governments to local community groups. Another important component that helps disaster management organizations reduce the impact of disaster risks is the access to relevant disaster-related information. ADPC, a well-established resource center, is probably in the best position to maximize access to information and the effective use of this information through a partnership approach.
To support regional information exchange, networking and capacity building for DIPECHO SEA target countries, ADPC is pleased to launch the PDR-SEA newsletter. This represents an important forum for the sharing of knowledge, best practices and lessons learned between DIPECHO partners, ADPC and others on the latest development in the disaster management field in the region. It would also be used as a mechanism for better cooperation and coordination between project partners.
I would like to emphasize that this newsletter belongs to all PDR-SEA partners. Its success critically depends on your participation in the forum. We would welcome any articles, papers and case studies for the newsletter, as well as comments and suggestions for improving its quality and usefulness.
In conclusion, ADPC would like to express deep appreciation to ECHO for the invaluable encouragement and support which has made the publication and, indeed, the whole PDR-SEA project possible.
Dr. Suvit Yodmani
Executive Director, ADPC
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PDR-SEA News is published as
part of the ECHO-funded Partnerships for Disaster Reduction - South East
Asia (PDR-SEA) project being implemented by the Asian Disaster Preparedness
Center. This newsletter is a major communication and networking tool for PDR-SEA
partners and other NGOs working towards disaster reduction in the Southeast
Asian region. Information, experiences and ideas that you wish to share
should be sent to: PDR-SEA, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, P.O. Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120 THAILAND Tel. (662) 524 5354 Ext. 425, 426 Fax (66-2) 524 5360 Email: pdrsea@ait.ac.th Web site:
http://www.adpc.ait.ac.th/pdr-sea/pdr-sea.html |
