Disaster Risk Management, Water Security and Climate Change-Integrating our efforts for a more resilient Pacific

2012 Pacific Platform for Disaster Risk Management & Pacific Regional Water and Sanitation Consultations, 17 – 21 September, Noumea, New Caledonia (First Announcement)

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) are pleased to announce that the 4th Session of the Pacific Platform for Disaster Risk Management (the Platform) and the Pacific Regional Water & Sanitation Consultations (RWSC) will be held from 17th – 21st September 2012 in Noumea, New Caledonia. The meetings are being hosted by New Caledonia.

The Platform is the annual opportunity for Pacific island countries and territories (PICTs) to share experiences and knowledge in building the resilience of their island communities to disasters. In 2012, the RWSC will be conducted alongside the Platform to provide an opportunity for the representatives of both the disaster and water/sanitation communities to interact and discuss crosscutting issues in dealing with disasters, water management and climate risk. The Platform will contribute to the formulation of a new integrated regional strategy for Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation, as well as a regional framework for the Sustainable Management of Water Resources.

The meetings will bring together disaster and water managers from PICTs, as well as members of the Pacific DRM Partnership Network and the Pacific Water Partnership.

The objectives of the meetings in 2012 are to:
• Facilitate improved learning and the sharing of experiences among PICTs and partners in DRM through discussions on a range of topics including: status (or progress review) of implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) and the Pacific DRR and DM Framework for Action (RFA); early warning systems, training, education and capacity building; community-based DRM; and DRM governance arrangements in the Pacific;
• Enable interaction between the disaster and water/sanitation communities in the Pacific to identify and discuss common issues and strategies at a regional level;
• Provide opportunity for participants to contribute to the formulation of the integrated regional strategy for DRM and Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation 2015 including the Post-2015 global Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and a new regional framework to guide the sustainable management of water resources in the Pacific.

Specific details including a draft agenda, administrative arrangements, and meeting registration will be circulated shortly. First Announcement
For any immediate enquiries please contact: For any immediate enquiries please contact:
[For assistance in English] Stephanie Zoll SPC/SOPAC Assistant Coordinator, Pacific Platform for DRM 2012 Telephone : +679 338 1377, Extension 308, Fax : +679 337 0040 Email : s.zoll@sopac.org
[For assistance in French] Frédérique Lehoux SPC/SOPAC Telephone +679 338 1377, Extension 263  Email: frederiquel@spc.int