Community Risk Profile Tool

DTIE has signed an agreement with INERIS for the development of a Community Risk Profile methodology that relates the risks a community is exposed to and the level of resilience the community has to deal with these risks. With this new methodology DTIE expects to be able to measure how prevention and preparedness can have an impact in the resilience of communities to disasters, showing that prevention and preparedness can reduce the impacts of disasters. A first draft is under technical revision. When validated, DTIE and INERIS will be looking for partners and municipalities to test and use this approach.

Community Vulnerability Reduction - prevention and preparedness for disaster reduction

This project funded by the French Ministry of Environment aims at developing new APELL training material with a multi-hazard integrated emphasis, combined with APELL capacity building and site demonstrations in Sri Lanka and in Morocco. Capacity building activities included national and local level workshops and training session with the newly developed material.

Training Kit
In partnership with the French INERIS (Institut National de l'Environnement Industriel et des Risques), an APELL multi-hazard training kit was developed in English and French. This kit is dedicated to raise awareness and build capacity of local authorities to better prepare for natural and technological disasters. This new material was used in the training sessions in Sri Lanka and Morocco. After the training sessions will be finalised (end 2006), the training kit will be finalised, incorporating the lessons learned during the sessions.

Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka an MOU with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources was signed in February and a national seminar as well as a first training session have been undertaken. The Central Environmental Authority is coordinating this effort and two sites for the APELL demonstration have been chosen: the Koggala Export Processing Zone and the Ekala Industrial Estate. It's worth mentioning that this project allowed the APELL approach to be recognized and mentioned in the document just launched by the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre: Towards a Safer Sri Lanka - A Road Map for Disaster Risk Management - Volume 2: Project Proposals - April 2006. The final training session in Sri Lanka is planned for the beginning of November.

Morocco
In Morocco an MOU with the Ministry of Environment, Land and Water was signed in February. The project in Morroco is composed of national and local level capacity building and a site demonstration of the APELL process. The chosen site is Mohammedia. A first national level workshop was held in Rabat in April. Two local level training sessions were organized in Mohammedia for the local disaster actors. These trainings took place in June and September. An APELL working group was formed and the site demonstration is underway.

Industrial Disaster workshop in Indonesia OCHA Jakarta - JEU

An APELL presentation was delivered in a workshop on industrial accidents in Surabaya in March, organized by the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh (ITS) Jakarta, in close cooperation with OCHA Jakarta and with the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit (JEU). The workshop was attended by the local authorities and industry representatives. One of the main issues that were discussed was the need to strengthen the planning for preparedness at the local level for industrial disaster/accidents.

Environmental Emergencies Training and Contingency Planning Workshop - Yemen

In response to a request from the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) of the Republic of Yemen, the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit (JEU) organized a four-day, multi-disciplinary workshop in Sana, Yemen in January to work in close partnership with national government and other stakeholders to improve preparedness and prevention for environmental emergencies. Download the full report of this mission (PDF - 596 KB).

Disaster Reduction through Awareness, Preparedness and Prevention Mechanisms in Coastal Settlements in Asia - Demonstration in Tourism Destinations

In response to the urgent need to rehabilitate areas affected by the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 26 December 2004, the European Commission's cooperation-arm EuropeAid developed a specific Post Tsunami Programme as part of its Asia Pro Eco II initiative. The Programme provides funds for partnerships and capacity building projects responding to the urgent need for reconstruction and rehabilitation in areas of the countries (Maldives, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and India) affected by the catastrophe. In July 2006 the European Commission Delegation in Bangkok concluded a contract with UNEP-DTIE (France) within the framework of this programme that will see the implementation of a disaster risk reduction project. Called Disaster Reduction through Awareness, Preparedness and Prevention Mechanisms in Coastal Settlements in Asia - Demonstration in Tourism Destinations, the project aims to minimise casualties as well as property and environmental damage from natural and man-made disasters in three tsunami-affected tourism destinations: Tami Nadu coast in India and Patong (Phuket) and Pi Pi Island (Krabi) in Thailand. This will be achieved through the adaptation of the UNEP-APELL (Awareness and Preparedness for Emergencies at Local Level) process to the specific needs of the tourist destinations. Project activities include assessment of local hazards, APELL demonstrations, and risk communication. The target groups are (i) local authorities (emergency services); (ii) local tourism sector; and (iii) local residents and tourists. UNEP-DTIE will work in partnership with both European and Asian partners, including Swedish Rescue Services Agency - SRSA (Sweden); International Hotel and Restaurant Association- IH&RA (France); National Safety Council of India - NSCI (India); Patong Municipality of Phuket - PMP (Thailand); and Ao Nang Tambon Authority Organization in Pi Pi Island - ANTAO-PP (Thailand).The project is due to start on 1 October 2006 and will run for 24 months. European Commission financial support to the initiative totals 637.081 euros.

NATO Partnership for Peace Course on International Environmental Disaster Operations - SRSA

A 1-day training on Awareness and Preparedness for Eemergencies at the Local Level as well as on Environmental Emergencies (on behalf of the Joint UNEP/OCHA Unit) was given in the Nato Partnership for Peace Course on environmental disaster operations run by the Swedish Rescue Services Agency in Romania in September. The course gave the opportunity to provide the participants with improved preparedness for international rescue or relief operations relating to environmental disasters.

APELL cooperation with the Swedish Rescue Services Agency (SRSA) in Russia

The SRSA has been supporting and promoting the APELL programme through the organization of several APELL workshops in Baltic Countries with the support of the Nordic Council of Ministries and the Swedish SIDA. In Russia, EMERCOM and the SRSA have jointly organized several workshops in Petrosabodsk, Murmansk, Arkhanglesk, Kaliningrad and St. Petersburg. Recently the final report of the APELL Programme in the North West Region of Russia (2003-2005) was published. A copy of this report can be mailed upon request.

Engaging business and the supply-chain in safer production and emergency preparedness: A commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility at the site level

This US$ 750,000 project that is planned to start in October will bring together UNEP, AccountAbility, ICCA and ICMM, in a joint effort to promote application of APELL at the site level, displaying corporate responsibility through community and stakeholder engagement in local level emergency preparedness and on safer production and APELL for the supply-chain. This project aims at engaging business and its supply-chain and buyers in accident prevention, emergency preparedness and disaster management, in a manner that demonstrates companies' commitments to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) core elements related to environmental impact reduction, labour issues, stakeholder engagement, community engagement, and supply-chain management.