Online

UNDRR GETI and WHO Webinar - Resilience of local governments: A multi-sectoral approach to integrate public health and disaster risk management

Organizer(s) World Health Organization (WHO) United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Office in Incheon for Northeast Asia and Global Education and Training Institute for Disaster Risk Reduction
Date

Objective:

The webinar covers aspects of public health systems in the Making Cities Resilient Campaign tool – the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities. The focus is on how the scorecard promotes a broad multi-sectoral approach to handling disaster risk reduction, including for public health emergencies.

Background:

“Preparation saves lives”. The capacity of public health systems is crucial to reduce the impact of pandemics, as clearly discussed in the practical experience from countries like P.R. China and the Republic of Korea. Experience from past epidemics and the current COVID19 pandemic demonstrate how important it is to break down silos between disaster managers, health workers and other sectors. Ms. Mami Mizutori, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction and head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) urged national and local disaster management agencies to include health emergencies in the discussion on disasters, as a top priority, alongside earthquakes, floods, storms and other natural hazards. Governments must prioritize resilient health systems.

Promoting systematic integration of health into national and sub-national disaster risk reduction policies and plans is a key recommendation of the “Bangkok Principles for the implementation of the health aspects of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030”. The Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management Framework (HEDRM) of the World Health Organization is the overarching framework. The public health addendum of the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities is a tool designed for use by local governments to enhance resilience, as guided by the HEDRM Framework.

Key questions to be addressed:

  • How can public health aspects be integrated into disaster risk reduction and resilience planning?
  • What is the Public Health Addendum of the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities and how can this tool support strengthened planning and coordination among disaster managers and health workers?

Guest Speakers

  • Dr. Peter Williams, IBM Distinguished Engineer, Retd.
  • Dr. Benjamin Ryan, Clinical Associate Professor at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, United States.

Commentator

  • Dr. Rajib Shaw, Professor Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Japan.

Date: 07 April 2020, Tuesday

Time: 06:00 Pacific Time (US and Canada) ; 08:00 Panama ; 09:00 New York ;14:00 London ; 15:00 Geneva ; 20:00 Bangkok ; 22:00 Korea

Language: English & Spanish

Registration: https://bit.ly/2UuGSh7

For more information please contact: Sanjaya Bhatia and Mutarika Pruksapong, UNDRR ONEA & GETI at undrr-incheon@un.org

Editors' recommendations

Explore further

Share this

Please note: Content is displayed as last posted by a PreventionWeb community member or editor. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of UNDRR, PreventionWeb, or its sponsors. See our terms of use

Is this page useful?

Yes No Report an issue on this page

Thank you. If you have 2 minutes, we would benefit from additional feedback (link opens in a new window).