Managing risks following disasters in Pacific - Conference
university-of-canterbury
Mon Nov 25 2013 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Managing risks following disasters in Pacific - Conference
Monday, 25 November 2013, 11:51 am
Press Release: University of Canterbury
Conference at UC on managing risks following disasters in the Pacific
November 25, 2013
A conference at the University of Canterbury (UC) next week will discuss response to disasters in the Pacific and human rights for vulnerable groups.
Invited speakers will talk about ways to respond to catastrophes, such as typhoons or tsunamis, that are best suited to people in the region, one of the organisers UC Associate Professor Annick Masselot says.
``As we have seen in Christchurch and the Philippines, a lot of the issues relate to isolation. The December 2 and 3 conference is the first event on the European Union’s pilot project Mainstreaming, Methodology and Human Rights in Disaster Risk Management: EU and the Pacific.
``The project aims to establish a research platform from which to further develop and evaluate integrated approaches to disaster risk management for vulnerable Pacific groups.
``Often disaster risk management can centre on technical aspects of disasters and immediate needs.
Human rights-based approaches to disasters enable greater empowerment and agency and resilience at the community level.
``A rights-based approach promotes stronger accountability in decision-making surrounding disaster risk management through a holistic approach to risks in the assessments, monitoring and evaluation and reporting of disaster-related data.
``The disaster management field needs to address the potential for cross-sector and an interdisciplinary approach to the issue of rights by reflecting on rights for specific groups, such as women, children, minorities, elderly and those with disabilities in the Pacific region.’’
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Professor Masselot says the conference will bring together a variety of stakeholders and present a cross-sector approach to a human rights and community needs in disaster risk management.
Participants will be coming from a number of countries in the Pacific, including New Zealand, and will include experts from universities, donors and related non-government organisations active in humanitarian projects, government and policy makers, business and community groups.
``The level of risk faced by the Asia Pacific region has been frequently exemplified, most recently in the case of the Philippines, illustrating the overlap of earthquake and climate-related risk, the diversity of vulnerabilities, and the complexity in responding to such difficult situations,’’ Professor Masselot says.
The conference, organised by UC’s Dr Katharine Vadura, Gen Taylor (National Centre for Research on Europe) and Professor Masselot, is funded by a Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) of the European Union.
ENDS
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