Thursday, May 14, 2009

From AlertNet: YOUR TURN TO ASK: Reducing risk in a world of disasters

AlertNet has put out a final push to give those interested a chance to put questions forward to Margareta Wahlstrom -- the chief of the U.N.'s International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.
This is an excellent opportunity to have a voice, in relation to DRR, with a top voice of the field....
You can read about the initiative here, and also post a comment on the same website, which will be viewed through today to tomorrow Friday May 15th (apologies for the late notice -- this just came to my attention).
In any case, if you miss the chance to post a question directly, AlertNet will be posting replies on their website AND be sure to check out the 2009 Global Assessment Report which will launch on the 17th of May.

Sunday, May 03, 2009

Article on Sri Lanka's Mass Alert Emergency Warning System

ICT4D, an interesting blog from Sri Lanka on information and communication for development, published a post earlier this year on Sri Lanka's Disaster Emergency Warning Network (DEWN). The article briefly discusses relevant partners, and how the network functions. It will be interesting to hear how DEWN works in action, but for now, it's an excellent example of private sector involvement being used in a positive and effective manner.

Insitute for Global and Community Resilience

The Institute for Global and Community Resilience's programming and educational initiatives focuses on linkages between DRR and sustainable community development. Their main website has quite a few useful resources for students and practitioners, including a virtual bookshelf on relevant resources, information on their own scholarships for DRR-related programs and internships, as well as a link to their blog, BounceBack.

Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction

The Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction has updated its website to include not only more content, but also a Member Area. The network also has an interesting project on 'Views from the Frontline', which is a participatory survey with the goal of understanding the extent to which key DRR indicators are changing as a result of the HFA (Hyogo Framework for Action. The initial review of their findings is underway.

COHAB Initiative

The http://www.cohabnet.org/ is an international programme of work on human well-being and sustainable development. They have a component on disaster prevention, relief and recovery which strongly ties into discussions on ecosystems and their role in DRR.
Their resources page contains links to not only their own initiative reports, but also to dialogues on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and COP8 proceedings.

Climate Change and Children

Eldis has launched new publications related to children and climate change, available in the climate change section of their website.

The latest is on children as risk communicators and agents of change, with examples from the Philippines and El Salvador. It's well worth a read for the perspective it takes on children and the space of their voices in policy.

There is also a link to the 2008 UN Children's Fund report on the impact of CC on children, as well as leads to other child-focused materials.