South Asia Disaster Report

Special Copenhagen issue

This is a special edition of the second South Asia Disaster Report, published for the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen. It offers a South Asian perspective on climate change and increased disaster risk. The report is an analytical review of the disaster risk reduction scenarios in South Asia with a view to move the theory into practice. The 1st SADR looked at the post disaster rebuilding lessons learnt in South Asia; drawing the experiences from post earth quake and post tsunami rebuilding.

The theme of this report is on Disaster Development Linkages in South Asia and its connects and disconnects. The report discusses that there is no development which is risk neutral. It either increases the risk or reduces the risk. The report provides a performance audit on institutional mechanisms, policies and practices of different countries to bring out gaps and best practices. This was based on contributions from DN members - both organizations and individuals from government and civil society.

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Practical Action at the UNFCCC in Copenhagen | other climate change reports | South Asia Reducing Vulnerability programme

Special Event at the 2nd Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2009

The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction brought together a wide cross-section of the global disaster risk reduction community, including heads of state, senior ministers, UN agencies, NGOs, scientific and technical experts, and others.

Salvano Briceño (Director of the UN/ISDR secretariat) holds up the SDMC and Duryog Nivaran versions of the South Asia Disaster Report 2008

The South Asia Disaster Report 2008 - Disaster and Development in South Asia: Connects & disconnects published by Duryog Nivaran and Practical Action was launched at the Indigenous Knowledge session on the third day of the conference.

Salvano Briceño, Director of the UNISDR who was at the launch commented on the timeliness of the theme, saying the theme of this report was more or less the theme of this whole platform, that is the 'connects and disconnects' of development - disaster linkages and this is what we need to figure out, to move ahead.

Practical Action, Duryog Nivaran along with IFRC, Northumbria University, and the Global Network of DRR co-hosted a session on Community Safety & Resilience. Practical Action representative Buddika Hapuarachchi presented a paper which highlighted that building of safer, more resilient communities is a core objective of disaster risk reduction; strong local-level partnerships are needed. The bulk of the discussion in this session was on community resilience through engaging decentralized bodies