Brussels, 17/01/2005 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission's Echo office is providing €360,000 to support a key United Nations conference on disaster reduction in Kobe, Japan (EUROPE .15 January p 11). The event coming less than a month after the tsunami tragedy in the Indian Ocean, is expected to attract participants including government and community representatives and scientific for elaborating an International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
Echo funds will go towards, the presentation at the conference of 24 good practice initiatives in this area. In a press statement . Louis Michel, the Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid said: “Having a sophisticated alert system and populations that are prepared will enable us to save many lives in the future. The European Commission is fully committed to supporting a global alert system to prevent natural catastrophes such as tsunamis, earthquakes and cyclones.”
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the Commissioner for External Relations, said: “The conference takes place in Kobe ten years to the day after the city was devastated by a terrible earthquake… The European Commission strongly supports the United Nations in its efforts to mobilise and co-ordinate the action of the international community in disaster risk reduction for the decade ahead.”
The European Commission is an active participant in disaster reduction activities, through its environment policy and its funding of scientific research and through humanitarian projects, development co-operation, civil protection and external assistance actions that seek to improve the preparedness of vulnerable communities and their ability to mitigate and respond to the consequences.