Statement by Jan Egeland, USG for Humanitarian Affairs, at the Second International Conference on Early Warning (EWC-II) - Integrating Early Warning into Public Policy

16 October 2003, Bonn, Germany
Dear friends and colleagues,

First of all, my warm thanks to the Government of Germany for hosting this Second International Conference on Early Warning. Germany's continued commitment to early warning as an essential tool for disaster risk reduction and its contributions to the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) are very much appreciated.

Amidst today's conflict ridden world, let there be no doubt that reducing the human, economic and environmental losses from natural disasters remains one of our key collective challenges. On average, well over 200 million people every year have been affected by natural disasters since 1991. This is seven times more than the average of 30 million people annually affected by conflict. In 2002 alone, some 600 million people were affected by 500 disasters.

These natural disasters are borderless. In recent past, floods in Sri Lanka have killed more than 300 people, a pre-monsoon heat wave in India and the equally damaging heat waves in Europe are being linked to more than 20,000 casualties, while flooding in Ethiopia and Western Kenya has displaced more than 160,000 people. Our hosts and their neighbouring countries last year experienced floods that caused losses equivalent to nearly US$ 20 billion.

The increasing numbers of natural disasters and vulnerability of attected populations is a global problem. As national economies and infrastructures become more closely linked, climatic shocks of all sizes have widespread impact. Hurricane Mitch, for example, devastated the Central American region and destabilized flourishing economies - even those well beyond the reach of its epicentre. More people are impacted by the rising scale and frequency of natural disasters and the poor suffer most from these setbacks.

Recent findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), provide an alarming picture for the future. Temperatures are increasing globally. If there is indeed a link between climate change and a rise in weather-related disasters, natural disasters are not only here to stay, but on the rise.

Against this background, let me outline three main areas of priority to bear in mind during our discussions in this conference.

First, development and humanitarian concerns are interlinked. By investing in development, that includes risk reduction, there will be less need for humanitarian assistance. Clearly, the Millennium Development Goals cannot be reached unless the heavy human and economic toll of disasters is reduced. Sustainable development cannot be achieved unless social, environment and technological vulnerability is taken into account and that natural hazards are actively prevented from inflicting high recurrent losses.

As such, Heads of Government at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg last year called for a greater commitment to disaster prevention and risk reduction. They called for the strengthening of early warning systems and information networks as part of sustainable development policies and action plans.

Second, for these early warning systems to be genuinely strengthened, we must go beyond the first World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction held in Yokohama 9 years ago, or the first International Conference on Early Warning held in Potsdam 5 years ago. We now have the basis to work towards reducing vulnerability through integrated approaches to managing disaster risk, we have the agreements on what constitutes effective early warning systems. We must now take practical steps that save lives and livelihoods. And many of you who are here today have the power and means to take such bold steps.

More specifically, capacities need to be strengthened at all levels - locally, nationally, regionally and internationally. Priority areas include collection and dissemination of scientific and technical information to better predict natural hazards, better involve community based organizations in disseminating warnings and response information and to better provide the critical policy inputs to key decision makers.

Let me give you an example of progress made at the local level. For the past thirty years, the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society's Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) has disseminated warnings and assisted cyclone-affected communities along 710 kilometres of the Bangladesh coastline. This community based programme is one of man that have reduced the loss of life due to cyclones dramatically.

Third, early warning is irrelevant if it does not lead to early and appropriate intervention. To do so, partnerships are essential to the successful implementation of effective early warning and disaster risk reduction. Partnership should cut across different sectors including practitioners, policy makers, and the community members at all levels. Above all, partnership is needed to increase the involvement of un-heard voices to ensure that programmes to enhance early warning are developed with a thorough understanding of the particular needs of each community.

I am personally committed, through my two offices, OCHA and the ISDR Secretariat to support practical steps for strengthened coordination and cooperation of the various institutions responsible for early warning.

I look forward to hearing about the constructive conclusions and recommendations that will concretely tackle the very pressing and important issues ahead. On behalf of the Secretary General of the United Nations and of all of the UN humanitarian agencies I wish you a very successful conference.

Thank you.