2nd International Congress "Education and Training for Prevention"
26-28 September 2006 The Second International Congress "Education and Training for Prevention" will take place in Madrid (Escuela Nacional de Protección Civil). Organised jointly by the Secretariat of the United Nation's International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, the Council of Europe's Major Hazards Agreement and the Spanish Ministry of Home Affairs in the framework of the World Campaign for Disaster Reduction 2006-2007. The objectives of the Congress are to facilitate the exchange of methods and experiences at every level of training, and of public information as tools for disaster reduction and to promote the sharing of initiatives, the identification of best practices and to promote the cooperation in the areas of education, training and public awareness. More

The International Disaster Reduction adopts Declaration
7 September The International Disaster Reduction Conference (IDRC) Davos 2006, has closed with the adoption of a Declaration by more than 600 participants. Chaired by Walter Ammann, from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL/SLF), in Davos, the conference was co-organised from 26 August to 1st September by UNESCO. It focused on the five priorities adopted at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe (Japan) in January 2005, while involving a larger group of risk management experts, practitioners, and scientists. The Declaration draws attention to important issues which have been discussed. (More)

ISDR's World Disaster Reduction Campaign 2006-2007 SLOGAN CONTEST
24 May - UNESCO and ISDR launched a global contest at the end of February 2006 in search of slogan for the 2006-2007 World Disaster Reduction Campaign that promotes disaster risk education and school safety. The Campaign's main
theme is "Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School".

After receiving more than 250 entries from primary and secondary students from all over the world, the selection jury, composed by members of the ISDR and UNESCO selected the following winning slogan:

One lesson at school saves one hundred lives
The winning slogan was sent by Deniz BAHÇECÝ, age 12 from Turkey and will be used to illustrate the 2006-2007 World Disaster Reduction Campaign on education and school safety. Deniz will receive a box of disaster prevention games and his school will receive an information kit on natural hazards.

Another twelve slogans will be selected to illustrate the ISDR's 2007 calendar.

Useful link: World disaster reduction campaigns

UNESCO Exhibition of Didactic Tools on Natural Disaster Reduction

26 August to 1st September 2006 The UNESCO Exhibition of Didactic Tools on Natural Disaster Reduction took place in Davos, alongside the IDRC referred to above. It has been estimated that close to 600 participants visited the exhibition over the week and it has been suggested that it be presented in other places. This multilingual exhibition gives a new vision in terms of strategy, since it appeals to children's creativity. Thus, it shows how to build up a culture of safety and to resist the effects of disasters through education. It also shows what primary and secondary schools, among other social groups, can do, while playing and innovating. The exhibition includes some interesting innovations and some good practices in the formal public and private education systems (primary, secondary and tertiary), vocational and professional training courses, but also NGOs' and community-based initiatives. (More)

Participants are invited to report on their continuing activities and findings and to share their experiences with IDRC Davos. Periodic progress reports and assessments will be made available on the conference website. This information will be transmitted to the ISDR system. (More)

If you need more details, please contact the moderator of this exhibition, Laurette Gosso, Division of Basic and Engineering Division.

Contact K. Miyara concerning the Bururu shaketable.
Link for the French Firefighter NGO "Pompiers de l'Urgence Internationale"

©CHRR

The World Bank has identified the regions of the planet most at risk
The World Bank, has published a report in the United States which offers, for the first time, an overview, country by country, of the threat of six types of natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, drought, landslides, cyclones and volcanoes). (More)

Natural disaster reduction receives overwhelming support at the 33rd session of UNESCO's General Conference UNESCO's General Conference, gathered in Paris for its 33rd session, today adopted the report of Commission III, whose work was organized around the following three parts: issues relating to Major Programme III - Social and Human Sciences; the Preparation of the Draft Medium-Term Strategy for 2008-2013 and of the Draft Programme and Budget for 2008-2009 jointly for Major Programmes II and III; and finally issues relating to Major Programme II - Natural Sciences. (More)

UNESCO Exhibition of Didactic Tools on Natural Disaster Reduction

26 August to 1st September 2006 The UNESCO Exhibition of Didactic Tools on Natural Disaster Reduction took place in Davos, alongside the IDRC referred to above. It has been estimated that close to 600 participants visited the exhibition over the week and it has been suggested that it be presented in other places. This multilingual exhibition gives a new vision in terms of strategy, since it appeals to children's creativity. Thus, it shows how to build up a culture of safety and to resist the effects of disasters through education. It also shows what primary and secondary schools, among other social groups, can do, while playing and innovating. The exhibition includes some interesting innovations and some good practices in the formal public and private education systems (primary, secondary and tertiary), vocational and professional training courses, but also NGOs' and community-based initiatives. (More)

Participants are invited to report on their continuing activities and findings and to share their experiences with IDRC Davos. Periodic progress reports and assessments will be made available on the conference website. This information will be transmitted to the ISDR system. (More)

If you need more details, please contact the moderator of this exhibition, Laurette Gosso, Division of Basic and Engineering Division.

Contact K. Miyara concerning the Bururu shaketable.
Link for the French Firefighter NGO "Pompiers de l'Urgence Internationale"

In recent years major earthquakes have devastated many parts of the world. Asian countries have been affected by disastrous events. Lessons drawn from these tragedies, as well as the follow-up to the UN World Conference on Disaster Reduction provide a unique window of opportunity to raise international awareness of the importance of the effective implementation of a comprehensive earthquake risk reduction programme in Iran, as well as hazard-prone developing countries. This conference will address professionals from a broad range of disciplines committed to reducing the impact of earthquakes on the built environment (seismotectonic, seismology, earthquake prediction, geotechnical earthquake engineering, structural earthquake engineering, public awareness and risk management).

2nd International Congress "Education and Training for Prevention"
26-28 September - The Second International Congress "Education and Training for Prevention" will take place in Madrid (Escuela Nacional de Protección Civil). Organised jointly by the Secretariat of the United Nation's International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, the Council of Europe's Major Hazards Agreement and the Spanish Ministry of Home Affairs in the framework of the World Campaign for Disaster Reduction 2006-2007. The objectives of the Congress are to facilitate the exchange of methods and experiences at every level of training, and of public information as tools for disaster reduction and to promote the sharing of initiatives, the identification of best practices and to promote the cooperation in the areas of education, training and public awareness.

Segundo Congreso Internacional sobre Educación y Formación para la Prevención de Desastres
26 a 28 de septiembre - El 2° congreso internacional " Educación y Formación para la Prevención de Desastres " se desarrollará en Madrid (Escuela Nacional de Protección Civil), en la Escuela Nacional de Protección Civil. Este Congreso está organizado en el marco de la Campaña Mundial para la Reducción de Desastres 2006-2007 por la Secretaría de la Estrategia Internacional para la Reducción de Desastres de las Naciones Unidas, el Acuerdo para la Prevención de Riesgos Mayores del Consejo de Europa y el Ministerio del Interior de España, y esta auspiciado por la UNESCO. Los objetivos fundamentales de este Congreso son : de facilitar el intercambio de planteamientos y experiencias en el campo de la formación, a todos los niveles, y de la divulgación, como instrumentos para la prevención de desastres y de propiciar la puesta en común de iniciativas, la identificación de mejores prácticas y promover la cooperación en materias de educación, formación y sensibilización para la prevención.

Topics to be addressed include Seismotectonics, Seismology, Earthquake Prediction, Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering, Structural Earthquake Engineering, Public Awareness and Risk Management.
As you are well aware, the recent earthquakes in Bam, Sumatra and Balakut (Pakistan) have provided a unique opportunity to raise international awareness of the importance of effective implementation of a comprehensive earthquake risk reduction programme.
IIEES, in its effort to promote this program, organizes each four years an international conference in this regard.
Your participation in the conference will provide an opportunity to exchange ideas on various subjects. In addition, you will have the benefit of visiting the most memorable cultural and earthquake-affected sites in Iran.

For those interested in participating in the SEE5 conference:
1. Abstract acceptance will be notified on 20 November
2. Full papers are due on 20 January
3. Pre-registration will take place on 20 January