Yogyakarta to host international disaster management conference

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | National | Fri, October 19 2012, 7:11 PM

More than 1,000 participants, including 49 ministers and public officials from around Asia will attend the 5th Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Yogyakarta on Tuesday.

Spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said on Friday that 1,200 participants at the four-day conference will seek solutions for natural disasters in Asia. The most devastating natural disasters take place in Asia.

“Last year, 137 out of 302 world’s most devastating natural disasters, especially major floods, occurred in Asia. The high number of disasters had caused US$294 billion in economic losses,” he said.

According to Sutopo, the conference, jointly organized by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and BNPB, will integrate intergovernmental efforts to reduce disaster risk, and study the cost of disasters in the region.

“The conference will be the first ministerial meeting on disaster management since the Hyogo Framework for Action in 2004,” Sutopo said.

The framework for action is a 10-year plan to improve the world’s preparedness for natural hazards and was applied after the Aceh tsunami in December 2004. (cor/lfr)