CDKN will be at the 5th Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR), taking place in Yogyakarta, Oct 22-25, 2012.

Two exciting CDKN side-events are taking place where CDKN and partners will be discussing some of the key learning from our work which can contribute to the conference theme of ‘Strengthening Local Capacity for Disaster Risk Reduction’.

IPCC SREX: Illustrating the importance of a local, integrated approach to tackling disasters and adapting to the impacts of climate change. 25th October, 08.00-09.30. Room C4.

This side-event will be an opportunity to learn from and question Mihir Bhatt, co-ordinating lead author of the IPCC SREX and Director of the All-India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) on the key findings and implications of the report. Nurhady Sirimorok – Insist PfR Research Advisor and Representative from PfR Indonesia, and Willy Wicaksono Mercy Corps, Indonesia will then present case studies on achieving an integrated approach to tackling disasters and adapting to climate change impacts at the sub-regional and local level. A challenging and thoughtful debate is then expected on how policy-makers, practitioners and scientists should respond to the SREX findings at the local level.

Designing a Disaster Risk Transfer Scheme that Protects the Poor, 24th October, 12.30-14.00, Room C4

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan is charting an ambitious plan to put in place a framework on Risk Insurance for Disaster Prone Communities in Pakistan.

The purpose is to move away from the current approach of responding to the increasingly frequent natural disasters on a case by case basis, relying on domestic budgets, including diversion of resources from other projects, and on extensive financing from international donors. While ex-post disaster funding from donors and multilateral financial institutions can be an important part of government’s catastrophe risk management strategy, over-reliance on this approach has major limitations in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, and sufficiency.

By ensuring that sufficient liquidity exists very soon after a disaster, modern funding approaches such as micro insurance of the vulnerable communities are being considered to help to speed recovery and ensure that scarce government funds are well used.

The AMCDRR provides a unique opportunity for the NDMA to gain expert inputs and feedback on its plans from Governments and experts from across Asia. It will also allow models from elsewhere to be showcased and an exchange of views on how best to design and deliver such a scheme.

Dr. Zafar Iqbal Qadir, Chairman, NDMA Pakistan will be presenting the plans in Pakistan, and Nasreen Rashid, Executive Advisor. EFU Group of Insurance companies, Pakistan, Ismet Gungor, General Coordinator, Turkish Catastrophe Insurance Pool, Turkey and Zhou Hongjian, Assistant Professor at the National Disaster Reduction Centre for China will be reflecting on best practices and case studies from elsewhere in Asia.

CDKN and alliance partners also have an exhibition booth at the conference, where our latest publications will be available. This includes the latest four-part series, Managing Climate Extremes and Disasters: Lessons from the IPCC SREX, written for professionals in the water, agriculture, health and ecosystem conservation sectors

For more information, contact Elizabeth Colebourn elizabeth.colebourn@cdkn.org and Amy Kirbyshire amy.kirbyshire@cdkn.org