Climate Change Resilience
14 March 2015, Sendai, Japan – The Pacific delegations in Sendai from 12 countries have welcomed the announcement by the Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Shinzo Abe, today pledged $US 4 billion to support implementation of the "Sendai Cooperation Initiative for Disaster Risk Reduction" over the next four years.
Speaking at the opening of the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, Prime Minister Abe said: "Disaster risk reduction is the most important challenge for both developed and developing countries. For developing countries in particular, where 90% of disaster victims are concentrated."
The package will focus on the development of disaster-proof infrastructure, the promotion of global and regional cooperation and the training of 40,000 government officials and local leaders to play a leading role in national efforts for disaster risk reduction. Japan will make its expertise and knowledge available.
The French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, made an appeal at the Conference opening for the creation of a worldwide early warning system for Climate Disasters - "Climate Disaster Warning" - as he stated that 70% of disasters are now linked to climate change, double the number of twenty years ago.
He said the objective was to provide the most vulnerable countries, including small island developing states, with access to real-time weather and climate updates, information and communications technology and to support a SMS-based alert system.
Mr. Fabius is incoming President of COP21, the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties on Climate Change which will take place December in Paris. He said that disaster risk reduction and the struggle against climate change are totally linked. He said: "It is necessary to tackle these problems together and not separately."
"Given the growing link between climate change and disasters, we are very pleased by the announcement. Support for our islands to build resilience in the face of what is forecast to come is very much welcomed," said Mr. Kosi Latu, Deputy Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
"In the wake of the devastation caused by Cyclone Pam, this is extremely good news. While it hit Vanuatu and affected Tuvalu and Kiribati – we as a Pacific family overall have very much felt this and are grieving with and for Vanuatu."
SPREP is partnering with the UNISDR, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Secretariat of the Pacific Community and the University of the South Pacific together with Pacific Island Countries and Territories to raise awareness of the Integrated Strategy for Climate and Disaster Resilient Development in the Pacific (SRDP). New Caledonia is also attending this 3WCDRR.
The Pacific island region is the first to bring together climate change and disaster risk reduction in an overarching framework.
The Conference attended by 186 governments will adopt a new post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction on March 18 in place of the current Hyogo Framework for Action adopted ten years ago at the last World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Kobe, Japan.
The "Building Resilience to Disasters and Climate Change in the Pacific for Sustainable Development" side event will be held on Monday, 16 March from 9.45am in room B104 at Kawauchi-Kita Campus, Tohoku University.
For more details on the side event please contact Ms. Tagaloa Cooper – [email protected] and to learn more about the third UN Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction please visit www.wcdrr.org – UNISDRMediaRelease/SPREP
Speaking at the opening of the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, Prime Minister Abe said: "Disaster risk reduction is the most important challenge for both developed and developing countries. For developing countries in particular, where 90% of disaster victims are concentrated."
The package will focus on the development of disaster-proof infrastructure, the promotion of global and regional cooperation and the training of 40,000 government officials and local leaders to play a leading role in national efforts for disaster risk reduction. Japan will make its expertise and knowledge available.
The French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, made an appeal at the Conference opening for the creation of a worldwide early warning system for Climate Disasters - "Climate Disaster Warning" - as he stated that 70% of disasters are now linked to climate change, double the number of twenty years ago.
He said the objective was to provide the most vulnerable countries, including small island developing states, with access to real-time weather and climate updates, information and communications technology and to support a SMS-based alert system.
Mr. Fabius is incoming President of COP21, the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties on Climate Change which will take place December in Paris. He said that disaster risk reduction and the struggle against climate change are totally linked. He said: "It is necessary to tackle these problems together and not separately."
"Given the growing link between climate change and disasters, we are very pleased by the announcement. Support for our islands to build resilience in the face of what is forecast to come is very much welcomed," said Mr. Kosi Latu, Deputy Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
"In the wake of the devastation caused by Cyclone Pam, this is extremely good news. While it hit Vanuatu and affected Tuvalu and Kiribati – we as a Pacific family overall have very much felt this and are grieving with and for Vanuatu."
SPREP is partnering with the UNISDR, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Secretariat of the Pacific Community and the University of the South Pacific together with Pacific Island Countries and Territories to raise awareness of the Integrated Strategy for Climate and Disaster Resilient Development in the Pacific (SRDP). New Caledonia is also attending this 3WCDRR.
The Pacific island region is the first to bring together climate change and disaster risk reduction in an overarching framework.
The Conference attended by 186 governments will adopt a new post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction on March 18 in place of the current Hyogo Framework for Action adopted ten years ago at the last World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Kobe, Japan.
The "Building Resilience to Disasters and Climate Change in the Pacific for Sustainable Development" side event will be held on Monday, 16 March from 9.45am in room B104 at Kawauchi-Kita Campus, Tohoku University.
For more details on the side event please contact Ms. Tagaloa Cooper – [email protected] and to learn more about the third UN Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction please visit www.wcdrr.org – UNISDRMediaRelease/SPREP