|
AZEECON
Update No 23: June/JULY 2002
Contents:
- AZEECON
Regional Activities: Recent
- AZEECON
Regional Activities: Forthcoming events
- Material
Development
- The
Future of AZEECON?
1 AZEECON Regional Activities
Recent
Events April 15th-20th: AZEECON Exposure Visit to Nepal,
and SPHERE Training. Field visits to DP environment
and related rehabilitation activities in Jhapa-Morang
Districts took place on 15-16th. A 3.5-day training,
utilising our trained Trainer, and involving senior
staff from all four programmes plus DCA Focal Point
was held at Hotel Marshyangdi, Thamel, Kathmandu
May 20-24th: LWF Asia Regional
meeting: A short session was conducted on AZEECON. In
addition, we hope a short working meeting of senior
staff and interested agencies, including ALWS, can be
held over lunch/end of meeting.
AZEECON Regional Activities:
Planned/Forthcoming Events
June: Postponed: proposed
extended visit/secondment by staff from LWF Nepal and
RDRS Bangladesh to LWSI post-earthquake activities in
Gujerat. In the content of continuing civil unrest in
Gujerat and Indo-Pak tension, it was felt not appropriate
to plan this exchange at this time
June 24-29th: AZEECON Supplementary
Event: General Management Training for staff of RDRS
Bangladesh, in Bluestar Hotel, Kathmandu organised by
MAN
July? (exact dates to be decided):
Review/evaluation/advice on disaster preparedness and
related activities in each country to be conducted (by
India-based Resource Persons). A summary of their findings
and recommendations will be made to the Annual Planning
& Review meeting
July 20-27th (provisional):
AZEECON Customised Training on Risk Management plus
Exposure/Field Visits to local hazard/vulnerability/risk
scenarios. Up to 20 participants, up to 5 per AZEECON
Member. To be held at RDRS-North Bengal Institute, Rangpur
September 23rd-27th: Exposure/training
visit to Cambodia. Focus on Participatory Planning,
Monitoring and Evaluation Tools. HIV/AIDS may be an
additional focus.
2. Material
Development
*Exchange/transport and collection
of DP Materials: some manuals were shared by staff attending
the AZEECON SPHERE Training. MORE MATERIALS NEEDED.
Please identify.
*Posters: Three posters
in the latest AZEECON series (the red circle on yellow
background with blue borders) have been published recently.
Only one, for India, remains. The full catalogue is
a. reprint/redesign of the first showing disaster preparedness
in all 4 countries
b. RDRS Bangladesh disaster preparedness
c. LWF Nepal disaster preparedness
d. LWSI still to produce a version based on this template
*Website: The combined AZEECON-LWF
Nepal website has been revamped and updated. Please
check it on:
www.azeecon-lwf.com
It is intended that further improvement
and extension of this site will take place. Three staff
from LWF Nepal are now being trained in website design
but ensuring CONTENT will be the main challenge. This
website carries links to other sites such as RDRS, LWF,
ACT. However we really require AZEECON Members to send
samples of their material (articles, photos, scanned
materials).
*Articles: Two very effective
and comprehensive articles (plus photos) by Maiken Skeem,
based on AZEECON activities in the region have been
produced and widely disseminated (including appearing
on Reliefweb as well as DCA, LWF Nepal, RDRS websites)
*Photography: more digital
photos of field based activities (and of disaster/risk
situations) are required. Production of Video Training
cum Documentation Films? Information awaited
3. The
Future of AZEECON?
3a: Funding?
With the ending of ACT Netherlands
assistance to AZEECON (end August 2002) and also the
one-year DIPECHO Project (end October 2002), a new challenge
is coming to sustain AZEECON activities at the level
at which they have been established and to serve the
member programmes. For a minimum level of regional interaction,
a major budget is not required, as we have demonstrated
- it is the country-specific community-based environment
initiatives which are costly (since they operate at
scale)
It is hoped that ACT Netherlands
may be interested in extending support for a further
period. Indications of interest to provide a modest
support have also been expressed by ALWS and by NCA.
A brief draft project proposal for a further 2-3 year
period will be developed and circulated soon. Perhaps
the same very modest proposal can be shared with ACT
to assess whether there may be interest in this model
of promoting co-operation and capacity-building
3b: Membership?
Co-ordinating the four LWF-related
programmes is challenging enough. However, as discussed
in previous updates, contact with Church World Service
in Pakistan, an ACT partner established for 50 years
in the region, has been raised. We will invite their
Director, Marvin Parvez, to attend the Annual Planning/review
Meeting (as observer) and, depending on availability
and interest, may offer one or two places on the customised
training to CWS staff. In this way, we can take further
the possibilities for possible collaboration more widely
across the region
3c: Scope?:
The issue of the scope of AZEECON
and its primary focus on disaster preparedness has been
raised on several occasions. On the one hand, if the
scope is widened too far, then it may be difficult to
conceptualise and organise activities around. There
is also a great deal still to be achieved even the broad
area of CBDP and environment. On the other hand, if
this narrow scope continues, opportunities to link DP
into our other work may be lost. In line with the new
LWF Global Strategic Plan 2002-2006 which makes the
explicit links between disaster and development, the
need to widen the focus as least as far as risk management
has been suggested (to add civil conflict/disaster,
health-accident to the natural disaster orientation).
This can be further reviewed at the Annual Planning
& Review Meeting in August
3d: Focal Point/Co-ordination?
Since AZEECON was established in
December 1997, LWF Nepal has acted as the focal point.
With the DIPECHO Project, DCA Dhaka have assumed responsibility
for co-orienting the activities under that heading.
At the LWF Regional Consultation, it was suggested
that it was time to rotate these arrangements. LWS
Cambodia kindly accepted to take some responsibilities
and may be encouraged to volunteer for full focal
point responsibilities? To be discussed in August.
4. Asian Disaster Reduction
Centre
The United Nations has been promoting
the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction
(IDNDR) throughout the 1990s to reduce damage from natural
disasters worldwide through international co-operative
initiatives. It is crucial to promote international
Cupertino at the level of regions that share aspects
of disaster vulnerability and disaster countermeasures
to add further momentum to existing disaster reduction
counter-measures triggered by the "IDNDR".
On the basis of the lessons from the Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake, the need to promote multinational disaster
reduction Cupertino in the Asian region was stressed
at the ministerial-level Asian Natural Disaster Reduction
Conference held in Kobe City in December 1995, attended
by delegates from 28 countries in Asia and other regions.
The Asian Disaster Reduction Centre has been established
in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, to facilitate exchange of
disaster reduction experts from each country and concerned
bodies, accumulate and provide disaster reduction information,
and carry out research into multinational disaster reduction
co-operation as the focus of this initiative.
Check their website: http://www.adrc.or.jp
Especially for:
- Latest Disaster information
for the region
- Country Reports (official reports
by respective member government on disaster risks
in each and measures to address them - though latest
seems to be 1999)
ALL CONTRIBUTIONS, INFORMATION,
IDEAS GRATEFULLY RECEIVED.
DON'T FORGET TO ACCESS THE UPDATED AZEECON WEBSITE:
www.azeecon-lwf.com
«
Back to Latest Page
|
