Boston, MA
United States of America

2012 conference: Rebuilding sustainable communities after disasters in China

Organizer(s) University of Massachusetts Boston
Venue
University of Massachusetts Boston
Date
-

The Context

On November 8, 2011, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, noted that China “experienced more major reported disasters” in 2010 than any other country. They included successions of severe droughts and dust storms in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Sichuan, Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, Chongqing, Hebei and Gansu; the Yushu earthquake; and, floodings and landslides in Guizhou and Gansu, which affected more than 230 million people in 28 provinces, municipalities and regions as well as the evacuation of 15.2 million people.

Conference Objectives

The central goal of this conference is to examine best practices and lessons learned in reducing the socio-economic impact of various forms of disasters on vulnerable communities in China and to share these with the international community. For example, UNICEF has noted that children usually represent over “50 to 60 per cent of those affected by disasters, whether through loss of life or from diseases related to malnutrition and poor water and sanitation - conditions that are exacerbated by disasters.”

Presentations at this conference will focus on the themes listed below with a view to providing insight into what has worked in China under specific post-disaster conditions that could be improved upon and appropriately applied to reconstruct safe and sustainable communities in other parts of the world. Recommendations from the conference would provide policy advice and practical assistance which should improve the efficiency and effectiveness of reconstruction policies as well as the monitoring of implementation processes and outcomes everywhere.

Suggested Conference Themes

- Sustainable Land use Planning Mechanisms, Traditional Mitigation Practices and Public Policies for Managing Floods and Floodplains
- Culture-based Post-disaster Support Mechanisms for the Poor
- The Role of Public/Private Sector Partnerships in Reducing the Impact of Natural Hazards and Other Types of Disasters on Vulnerable Communities in China
- The Role of Chinese Entrepreneurs, Commerce, Industry and Community Participation in Disaster Risk Reduction and the Improvement of Local Disaster Resilience
- The Role of Chinese Media
- Strategies for Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction into Business Planning and Physical Risk Management Practices in China
- The Role of Chinese Policy-makers and Community-based Grassroots Organizations in Pre- and Post-Disaster Urban and Rural Development and the Reconstruction of Infrastructure, Public health, and Schools
- Housing Finance Instruments Before and After Disasters
- The Roles of Women, Children, the Elderly and the Disabled in Post-Disaster Reconstruction
- Post-Disaster Urban Reconstruction Policy Formulation and Implementation Processes
- Assessments of Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery Efforts by Multilateral Agencies in China
- Reinforcement of Existing Building Design and Regulations in China’s Cities and Towns in Order to Make the Buildings Earthquake-proof
- The Response of International Humanitarian Agencies to Disasters in China
- International Case Studies of Best Practices in Post-Disaster Reconstruction
- Post-disaster participatory planning, housing, and community reconstruction programs and projects

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