DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
UNISDR, 10 October
GENEVA – Nominations for the 2017 Sasakawa Award are now being accepted and the judges want to recognize an individual, organization or initiative which has made a substantial contribution towards saving lives and reducing global disaster mortality. The deadline is 31 January 2017.
UNISDR, OCT 2016
The 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction will be held in Cancun, Mexico on 22-26 May. It will be the first time the most important international forum dedicated to the disaster risk reduction agenda has been staged outside Geneva.
A working session will be organized on Health and Disaster Risk Reduction and another session on the role of Science and Technology to achieve the Sendai Framework goals. Let us know if you are interested to join the organizing teams of these sessions.
Visit the website of the 2017 Global Platform for more information about the sessions and the terms of reference of the Organizing Teams: http://unisdr.org/go/gp2017/process
PAHO, Sept 2016
The program brings together the Department of Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief, the Unit of International Health Regulations/Epidemic Alert and Response, and Water Borne Diseases under a consolidated management structure that reports to the Director of PAHO.
WHO, Sept 2016
Natural disasters can strike anywhere, with little or no warning, and devastate entire communities. The earthquake that hit central Italy last week and the flooding that affected the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia earlier this month are 2 examples of the kinds of natural disasters that can occur in the WHO European Region.
ENVIRONMENT
WHO, Sept 2016
GENEVA - A new WHO air quality model confirms that 92% of the world’s population lives in places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits*. Information is presented via interactive maps, highlighting areas within countries that exceed WHO limits.
MIGRATION
As migration continues to accelerate in south-east Asia, UN health agency calls for a focus on migrants’ health
UN NEWS, Sept 2016
According to the news release, health and migration are key concerns of WHO member countries across the region – with Thailand, India, Bangladesh and Indonesia named among the top ten countries witnessing large movements of people in Asia. In addition, WHO notes that migration poses greater risk and vulnerability to infectious diseases, mental health disorders, maternal and neonatal mortality, substance use, alcoholism, malnutrition, violence and non-communicable diseases.
UNISDR, Sept 2016
Governments at the UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants have adopted a landmark declaration that underlines the role of environmental degradation, climate change and disasters alongside conflict as drivers of the ongoing crisis.
COMMUNICATION IN EMERGENCIES
WHO EURO, Sept 2016
Effective coordination among health facilities and front-line responders has been crucial to saving lives in the aftermath of the earthquake that hit central Italy on 24 August 2016. This affirms the critical importance of preparedness and coordination for disaster response.
Thomson Reuters, Aug 2016
Newfound enthusiasm for the latest technologies, such as drones and smartphones, to improve the way aid is provided to people in disasters may be overblown, experts warned on Thursday. The annual World Risk Report from the United Nations University (UNU) highlights the growing interest in new technologies to improve emergency response - from drones that can survey crisis-hit areas to social media networks that allow survivors to communicate with the wider world.
PREPAREDNESS AND RESILIENCE
USA: Inside a Secret Government Warehouse Prepped for Health Catastrophes
NPR: Shots, June 2016
When Greg Burel tells people he's in charge of some secret government warehouses, he often gets asked if they're like the one at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark, where the Ark of the Covenant gets packed away in a crate and hidden forever. "Well, no, not really," says Burel, director of a program called the Strategic National Stockpile at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Science, July 2016
A natural hazard need not become a human disaster if society learns and applies lessons in preparation and resilience.
CDC, Sept 2016
A new online course for federal, state, and local public health and other health professionals
UN News, Sept 2016
Countries in the south-east Asian sub-region have agreed to establish a dedicated funding stream to build preparedness for health emergencies in the region, which is also one of the most disaster-prone in the world, the United Nations health agency has said.
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