UNITED NATIONS
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
INTEGRATION OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND THE SCIENCE
OF DISASTERS
Beijing, China
January 20-28, 1997
I. INTRODUCTION
The first United Nations International Conference on the Integration of
Public Administration and the Science of Disasters took place in Beijing,
China, January 20 - 28, 1997. The participants included 80 natural scientists,
engineers, social scientists, and public administrators from nine countries.
Participants were primarily engaged in research, teaching, or managing
departments and agencies of government at national, regional and local
levels. Also represented was the Secretariat for the International Decade
for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) and the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP). The conference particularly benefited from the presence
and contributions of Governors and Vice-Governors from the following Chinese
Provinces: Fujian, Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Yunnan, as well as representatives
from Baoji City, Guang Yuan City, Liaoning Province and Shanghai Municipality.
The conference was hosted by the State Science and Technology Commission
of China (SSTCC), and organized under the auspices of the United Nations
Global Programme for the Integration of Public Administration and the Science
of Disasters of the United Nations Department for Development Support and
Management Services (UNDDSMS). Aims of the conference included:
-
Share globally expertise and experience in integrating (1) scientific information
into the practice of public administration and (2) public administration
needs into the scientific agenda
-
Review public administration methods that encourage communities to anticipate
and prepare for large disasters, especially earthquakes
-
Review country papers on the science and public administration of disaster
reduction
-
Review protocols for cooperative and useful communications amongst and
between public administrators, both central and local levels, and scientists,
both professional and amateur
-
Encourage appreciation and use of emerging methods of anticipating large
earthquakes
-
Recognize the global and ecologically connected nature of large disasters,
especially earthquakes
-
Develop international protocol for sharing scientific data across cultures
and national boundaries, including emerging use of internet technology
for global sharing of data and experiences
-
Recommend areas for action, further study, and exchange
-
Establish permanent communications forum for exchanging information and
experiences on a continuous (real time) basis
The conference included discussions through panels, roundtables, poster
sessions, speakers, and field visits to the Tangshan area, precursor monitoring
stations, and the City of Tangshan's preserved sites and museum commemorating
the 28 July 1976, magnitude 7.8 Tangshan Earthquake.
Conference participants noted the great variety of scientific studies
and experiences, particularly among the Chinese participants, and encouraged
all participants to fully document and disseminate their work. Further,
the participants acknowledged the value of multi- disciplinary and multi-cultural
dialogue, and noted that their recommendations emanated from open communication
and appreciation of different experiences and perspectives. The following
general principles and specific recommendations represent participants'
efforts to suggest a framework and actions which could lead to better integration
of public administration and the science of natural disasters.
II. GENERAL
PRINCIPLES
-
Natural disasters should be recognized for their destructive and/or negative
impact on long-term, sustainable development. Natural disaster reduction
should be incorporated in development plans and programmes to prepare communities
for their future. In their role to help build safe societies, governments
have the legal responsibility for the protection of human life and property
and should develop the financial, human, organizational and technical capacity
to prepare their communities to resist future natural disasters.
-
Establish permanent communications forum for exchanging information and
experiences on a continuous (real time) basis
-
Natural disaster reduction should not be confined to emergency relief and
post-disaster reconstruction, but rather broadened to also include anticipation,
mitigation and preparedness. Processes of mitigation and preparedness should
be recognized through policy development, education, formulation and implementation
of counter-measures, and funding allocation as an investment to reduce
losses and cost of emergency relief.
-
In order to integrate with the activities of public administration, scientists
should be encouraged and supported to invest substantial intellectual resources
to apply their knowledge to reduce the hazardous consequences of the natural
processes they study.
-
In order for public administrators to prepare their communities for future
occurrences of natural disasters, they should incorporate scientific information
on natural disaster trends and events integrally into national, regional
and local development plans, policies, and programmes.
-
Natural disaster reduction programmes should take into account the inter-relatedness
of categories of natural disasters. Various types of natural disasters
are interrelated, with one disaster often leading to another, as in the
case of earthquake- and rain-induced landslides.
-
Natural disaster reduction can be assisted by a wide diversity of methods
of monitoring and understanding natural disaster trends and events, and
this diversity of methods should be given full play to contribute to future
development of natural disaster reduction.
-
The United Nations and its Global Programme for the Integration of Public
Administration and the Science of Disasters should facilitate assistance
to developing countries in building their capacity for natural disaster
reduction.
-
In its work The UN Global Programme for the Integration of Public Administration
and the Science of Disasters should establish strong linkages with the
International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR), the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and other organizations involved
in natural disaster reduction activities.
III.
SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS
A. Scientific Contributions
to Natural Disaster Reduction
The participants noted that they benefited from multi-disciplinary
exchange among scientists and engineers, and noted that scientific progress
from many scientists working together in collaborative, multi disciplinary
exchange.
B. Public Administration
Contributions to Natural Disaster Reduction
The participants noted the important role of appropriate management
of information in communities prone to natural disasters. Local governments
play a key role in communicating simple, accurate, complete and timely
information in order for communities to understand and mitigate the risk
of natural disasters without panic or fear. With cooperative dialogue between
scientists and administrators, scientific information can be incorporated
into public administration activities relating to natural disaster reduction.
C. Information,
Technology, and International Networking for Anticipation and Mitigation
of Natural Disasters
These recommendations represent the combined efforts of two working
groups. Discussion of the workshop on "information technology for disaster
management in urban areas noted the important role that information plays
in natural disaster reduction, emphasizing the kinds of information needed
to mitigate disasters, the users of this information, and ways to use this
information. The discussion in the workshop on "international networking
for anticipation and mitigation of natural disasters" was aided by a lead-in
presentation by the Chinese National Center for Seismic Data and Information
(NCSDI), an operational Internet and Intranet solution for the sharing
of seismic data and information. The group recommended the adoption of
a "culture of networking and sharing".
IV. APPRECIATION
The conference participants express their sincere appreciation for the
efficient conference arrangements, beautiful and functional facilities,
and warm hospitality of all their hosts, and especially the State Science
and Technology Commission of China.
CONFERENCE
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