Launching of the Libyan National Seismological Network
The Libyan National Seismological Network (LNSN) was officially inaugurated in the main Data Acquisition and Processing Centre in the City of Gharyian in the Jabel El Gharbi District, in the presence of the Director General of the Libyan Centre for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (LCRSSS), the Libyan Ambassador to UNESCO, the Vice-Chairman of the National Scientific and Development Board, the Secretary of the People's Congress of Jabel El Gharbi and a number of Directors of various Scientific Centres and University Scholars.

UNESCO was represented by Badaoui Rouhban, Chief of the Section for disaster reduction, and Rida Bakbak, Senior Programme Specialist, of the same Section.

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).

VCD Community Based Disaster Management
IDEP has developed a comprehensive Community Based Disaster Management (CBDM) kit for use in villages throughout Indonesia. The kit is simple and practical, containing a practical planning and action manual with over 50 practical self-help forms, 2 colored posters, 8 disaster comics and a community awareness leaflet. These materials cover detailed planning and action steps for community disaster prevention and preparedness, disaster response and disaster recovery. Designed for use by trainers, the kit is presented in simple language appropriate for grass roots communities throughout Indonesia.

Des CD vidéo analogues seront produits dans les dialectes parlés dans le Nord-Est et le Sud du pays, et prochainement diffusés aux autorités et agences locales concernées par la détection des signes de catastrophes naturelles, en même temps que des manuels et des affiches visant à sensibiliser aux risques naturels les populations des régions isolées. Le CD vidéo est sous-titré en anglais, tandis que manuel et affiches sont disponibles en Thaï et en anglais (cette dernière version du manuel étant en cours de révision). Ces outils témoignent de l'intérêt d'une éducation dispensée de toute part, et non strictement en classe.

La Thaïlande est le 4ème pays de la région Asie-Pacifique, avec l'Inde, l'Indonésie et les Maldives, où de tels outils ont été introduits par l'UNESCO, grâce à un fonds-en-dépôt japonais.

Les communautés des pays limitrophes, dont la Birmanie, le Cambodge, le Laos, et le Viet-Nam, fréquemment exposées aux glissements de terrain et à des crues éclair, tireraient également avantage de ces outils didactiques. Contact