PROGRAMME FOR ASSESSMENT AND MITIGATION
OF EARTHQUAKE RISK IN THE ARAB REGION (PAMERAR)

Ø Background
Ø Objectives and achievements of PAMERAR
Ø The role of UNESCO in PAMERAR

Background
At 13:24 on 10 October 1980, a Ms=7.4 earthquake occurred at Beni Rached, Algeria, 15 kilometers east of El Asnam, with a focal depth of approximately 10 kilometers. In El Asnam and the surrounding villages, more than 3000 people were killed and more than 8500 people were injured. Approximately 480,000 people were left homeless with 30,000 housing units destroyed and 60,000 units damaged. Economic losses were estimated to be more than US$4 billion to buildings and infrastructure in addition to damage to valuable archeological sites.

In the aftermath of this devastating earthquake, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFSED) and the Islamic Bank invited UNESCO to assess the requirements of ten Arab countries and submit proposals for reducing earthquake risk. In 1983, the Programme for the Assessment and Mitigation of Earthquake Risk in the Arab Region (PAMERAR) was launched, funded by an overall loan of US$21 million from AFSED to Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen.

Objectives and achievements of PAMERAR
The objectives of PAMERAR were to establish or upgrade national seismic and strong motion networks, to promote the inclusion of seismic provisions in the building codes, to provide training in seismology, earthquake engineering and civil defense.

As a result of PAMERAR, a number of Arab countries have substantially improved their human capabilities and weak and strong motion networks. Training courses in seismology, earthquake engineering, and civil defence were conducted to improve skills in evaluating earthquake risk and responding to national disasters. Approximately 300 seismometers and accelerometers have been installed in Morocco, Tunisia, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan, Syria and Egypt. In addition, equipment for civil defence was also provided. Earthquake provisions to building codes have been added in Algeria, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia.

The role of UNESCO in PAMERAR
UNESCO implements the training and technical assistance components of the PAMERAR projects in Tunisia, Morocco, Syria. More than 3000 person-days of training have been provided for scientists, engineers and technicians since the start of the programme, and more than 35 missions of technical assistance have been organized. UNESCO has been a catalyst for the participation of Arab States in international programmes such as SEISMED, GSHAP, and RELEMR.

More than 20 years have passed since the inauguration of PAMERAR and many of the networks again require upgrading to take advantage of changes in technology.