Second Session of EC AG DPM - Doc.2 Annex.8

WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION
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EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ADVISORY GROUP ON DISASTER PREVENTION & MITIGATION
SECOND SESSION
GENEVA, 29 - 31 JANUARY 2007 / EC AG DPM 2 / Doc.2 Annex.8
(24.I.07)
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Original: ENGLISH ONLY

Description of New Proposed WMO DPM Crosscutting Projects

Crosscutting Project DPM-001

Project Title / Raising Awareness on Benefits of NMHSs and their Technical Services in the National Disaster Risk Reduction Planning and Operational Processes
Geographic Scope / Global / Beneficiaries / NMHSs and disaster risk reduction agencies at National, Regional, and International levels
Duration / Ongoing / WMO Expected Results Addressed / 6
Starting Date / 2007 / DPM Strategic Goals Addressed / 4
Contributing
Commissions / Programme Departments / Regional Associations / Members
None / DPM, WWW, AMP, HWR, WCP, AREP, WCRP, DCR, TCP, AgM, CPA / RA WG on DPM, hydrology, climate related matters will be asked to identify good practices from their region Will be distributed to the RA WG DPM, Hydrology, climate-related maters / NMHSs of countries where there is strong DRM national plan and legislation, where role of NMHS are reflected will be involved to provide input
Partners / ISDR Secretariat, UNDP, World Bank, IFRC, Regional Development Banks, Regional Economic Groupings, International Bilateral Donors, ProVention Consortium, and other international and regional agencies as relevant, industry associations such as Weather Risk Management (WRMA), the Insurance and Reinsurance Industry Associations, Media.
Synergies with Other WMO DPM-Related Projects / CAgM-001, TCP-001, TCP-002, DPM-002, DPM-003

Background

Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 (HFA) was adopted by 168 countries during the Second World Conference (WCDR), providing a framework for strengthening of disaster risk reduction (DRR) capacities at national, regional, and international levels. HFA shifts the paradigm of DRR from post disaster response to a more comprehensive approach, with a strong focus on prevention and preparedness. To this end, contributions of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) are critical to the implementation of HFA in several areas. With respect to the role of NMHSs in DRR, results of the WMO country-level survey indicate that 94% (124/132) of the responding NMHSs indicated that lack of understanding at the ministerial level of the socio-economic benefits of the hydro-meteorological services presents a major hurdle to the NMHSs ability to participate proactively in DRR processes and structures.

However, implementation of HFA at national, regional and international levels is progressing and platforms and other structures are being established for discussions, coordination and implementation of HFA. Several ISDR System partners (e.g. UNDP, the World Bank, IFRC, Regional Development Banks) are working with the governments at the ministerial level to facilitate national DRR and development plans and legislation with emphasis on mainstreaming risk assessment and early warning systems.[1] The activities of these agencies provide channels for raising awareness on the benefits of the products and services of NMHSs in DRR and enabling the reflection of their roles in the national DRR planning and implementation processes.

Expected Outcomes

a)Increased understanding of the role of NMHSs for the implementation of HFA and DRR, reflected through an increased number of DRR national plans and legislation that specifies roles and responsibilities of NMHSs.

b)Increased participation of NMHSs in DRR structures and decision making processes.

c)Increased financial support by governments, development agencies, and bilateral donors for strengthening the NMHSs to support their mandates for national DRR plans

Deliverables

To address this gap, WMO proposes to initiate this project with the following deliverables:

(a)Development and distribution of public materials, including good practices that demonstrate the socio-economic benefits of hydro-meteorological services in various stages of disaster risk reduction, targeted at ministerial level;

(b)Systematic news service enabling collection and distribution of news on activities of the NMHSs in support of disaster risk reduction for events triggering international attention;

(c)Technical advisory services to NMHSs requiring assistance with development of their modernization plans to meet their mandates as reflected in the national DRR plans.

Project design and working arrangements

A project task team involving all relevant programme departments will be established, under the Secretariat Steering Committee on DRR, to provide guidance and assist DPM Programme Office with the implementation.

Deliverable (a): The task team will provide inputs for design and development of the public materials and best practices. Case studies discussed through, (i) the WMO International Conference on Secure and Sustainable Living: Social and Economic Benefits of Weather, Climate and Water Services (Madrid, Spain, 19-22 March 2007), (ii) good practices identified in working with Members, and (iii) through activities of Programmes, other symposiums and conferences, will also be considered. Materials will be disseminated through several mechanisms at different levels:

1) At international level: The Secretariat will disseminate the materials to international and regional agencies that work with governments at the ministerial level to advocate/develop DRR plans and capacities at the national level (e.g., UNDP, the World Bank, IFRC, donor agencies), and will participate in international conferences and workshop through ISDR system (e.g., participation in the Global Platform for Disaster Reduction, to be held annually) and key partners. This information will also be available through the WMO website and through various WMO publications.

2) At regional level, Regional Association Working Groups on DPM, DPM Programme Office and DCR to disseminate the materials to key regional economic groupings, regional development banks and other key regional agencies, and will participate in relevant meetings and events. Through these materials regional development banks and regional trust funds and donors will develop a better understanding of the role of the NMHSs, opening a channel for submission of regional and national proposals from NMHSs to these entities.

3) At national level, these materials will be disseminated to the national DPM focal points to enable NMHSs to promote their work at the ministerial level and with country offices of the UN agencies. Through activities of the Secretariat working with UNDP, the goal is to facilitate participation of NMHSs at the senior management level in the coordination meetings and committees’ being established for development of disaster risk management plans and related legislation.

Deliverable (b): The task team will provide input for the design of a news service, facilitated through DPM Programme office and CPA. This news service would facilitate collection of information from national DPM focal points, regional associations working groups on DPM, Programme DPM focal points, for dissemination to the public and the international community.

Deliverable (c): DPM Programme would actively monitor needs and requests for assistance from Members for development of their modernization plan to meet their mandate with respect to their national DRR plan, through close collaboration with ISDR System, UNDP and the Members and this information would be conveyed to the DCR Programme.

Crosscutting Project DPM-002

Project Title / Strengthening of Capacities of WMO and NMHSs to Contribute to Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment and Sectoral Planning Projects
Geographic Scope / Global, regional and national / Beneficiaries / All NMHSs
Duration / 5 years / WMO Expected Results Addressed / 6
Starting Date / 2007 / DPM Strategic Goals Addressed / 2
Contributing
Commissions / Programme / Department / Regional Associations / Members
CBS, CAS, CAgM, JCOMM, CCl, CHy / WCRP, WWW, AREP, WCP-AgM, WCP, HWR, AMP-TCP, AMP-MMOP, ETR, SAT / RA WG on DPM, Hydrology, and climate-related matters will be consulted to identify good practices.
RA WG on DPM will be contacted for input to identify hazard maps / NMHS with expertise and those in need of expertise
Partners / UNDP, the World Bank, Global Risk Identification Programme (GRIP), GEO
Synergies with Other WMO DPM-Related Projects / CCl-002, JCOMM-001, CAgM-001, CAgM-002, CAgM-003, TCP-001, TCP-002,
DPM-001, DPM-003

Background

EC-LVII and EC-LVIII noted the need for (i) cataloguing of weather-, climate- and water-related hazards and their impacts; and (ii) building capacity of NMHSs for the provision of hazard data products, statistical analysis of hazard characteristics and methodologies. With respect to those topics, EC-LVIII stressed the need for the development of standard methodologies and requested the Secretary-General that through the cross-cutting framework of the DPM Programme involving relevant technical commissions and, if necessary, experts from NMHSs, efforts be accelerated in those areas. The need for hazard metadata, methodologies for hazard analysis and mapping was further stressed in the outcome of the WMO country-level DPM surveys, with nearly 93% of the respondents stressing the need for strengthening of these capacities at the national level.

EC-LVIII acknowledged that those capabilities were critical for contributions of NMHSs to national risk assessment projects, and appreciated the presentation of UNDP on the Global Risk Identification Programme (GRIP) and noted that, through the active involvement of NMHSs in national GRIP demonstration projects, they could contribute significantly to the development of disaster risk management policies and strategies. GRIP involves three levels of activities including: (i) national risk assessment demonstration projects, (ii) risk assessment and disaster loss database development projects and, (iii) risk assessment capacity development projects. GRIP has identified a set of high-risk countries to focus its activities. Furthermore, GRIP aims to facilitate standardized regional and global disaster loss databases. GRIP provides an opportunity to involve NMHS with relevant partners for implementation of risk assessment projects at the national levels and contribute to the development of regional and international disaster databases including hydro-meteorological metadata.

Expected Outcomes

(a)Increased capacities of NMHS for maintaining standardized hazard metadata and technical capacity for analysis and mapping of hazards;

(b)Increased participation of NMHSs in national risk assessment projects;

(c)Improved regional and global hazard databases in support of regional and global risk assessment projects and disaster loss databases.

Deliverables

This project will address the gaps described, through the following deliverables:

(a)Technical guidelines for standardising weather-, water- and climate-related hazard metadata (based on insitu and space-based observations) and databases, and methodologies for hazard mapping and analysis;

(b)Facilitation of catalogues of national, regional and global meteorological, hydrological and climate-related hazard zoning maps and identification of gaps and needs at global and regional levels (this deliverable is aligned with GEO Work plan 2007-2009 task DI-06-07, for which WMO is a co-lead);

(c)Facilitation of operational regional and national demonstration projects in developing and least developed countries, for integration of NMHSs capacities related to hazard information and analysis in disaster risk assessment applications (Partnership with GRIP).

(d)Development of training materials based on guidelines and good practices through the demonstration and pilot projects. The training materials would be used for regional training for trainers of NMHSs and for NMHSs on standardized hazard databases and analysis techniques, and integration of these capacities in risk assessment applications (Partnership with GRIP)

Project design and working arrangements

Deliverables (a) and (b): DPM Programme office will initiate establishment of a “Hazard Expert Team" involving experts nominated by CBS, CHy, CAS, CCL, CAgM, JCOMM and Tropical Cyclone Programme, an expert in remote sensing (to be nominated by SAT Programme), experts from NMHSs with expertise in hazard metadata, analysis and mapping methodologies, and complementary experts from select partners including GRIP, GEO, etc. The DPM Coordination office will facilitate the meetings of the Hazard Expert Team. In parallel, a Secretariat task team will be established under the Steering Committee for DRR, involving WWW, AREP, WCP, AgM, APP, HWR, TCP, ETR) to ensure coordination of activities at the Secretariat level. The Focal points of the relevant commissions will be kept informed.

With respect to Deliverable (a) and (b), initially top hazards of concern to all Members will be addressed, including floods, droughts, and severe storms followed by tropical cyclones, storm surges, heat waves, and meteorological and hydrological aspects of land and mud slides and forest and wild-land fires. In preparation for the first meeting of the expert team, a consultant will be hired to prepare a report on the current status of standard metadata bases, methodologies for hazard analysis and mapping, through interaction with commissions, Members and other experts as the basis for the first meeting of the expert team to be scheduled in June 2007 to review the report and develop project concept, work plan for the project, and roles and responsibilities. The second meeting will be scheduled in Q4 2007 to review the final work plan and initiate implementation.

Deliverable (c): DPM Programme office has initiated discussions with Global Risk Identification Programme, and a MoU is under development between WMO and UNDP. GRIP has identified a set of high priority countries that are at high risk to various hazards as the primary set of 19 countries to focus its activities. These include: Mozambique, Madagascar, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Cambodia, Guatemala, Malawi, Vietnam, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Iran, Nicaragua, Vanuatu, Indonesia, El Salvador, Kenya and Chins (Yunnan Province). GRIP is seeking partnership with WMO as outlined in a briefing note presented to EC-LVIII (Ref.3). In the 19 countries identified by GRIP, the capacities of NMHSs vary greatly with respect to maintenance of hazard databases, technical expertise in hazard analysis and input into risk assessment projects (detailed analysis of these countries capacities and requirements will be facilitated through analysis of relevant aspects of country-level survey). In general, these NMHSs can be divided in to 2 primary categories, (i) those with good hazard data and experts, but in need of assistance for facilitation of partnerships with other agencies and methodologies for sectoral risk assessment, (ii) those in need to capacity development for hazard metadata and analysis methodologies. WMO is working with UNDP to initiate GRIP projects for hydro-meteorological risk assessment in countries falling in category (i). At this time, Colombia and Iran have indicated interest in participation in the GRIP projects and DPM Programme office is facilitating the initiation of such projects, to be supported by UNDP, in Iran (first coordination meeting scheduled on Feb 12, 2007) and in Colombia (discussions underway). Discussions are being initiated for Kenya. Regarding category (ii) deliverables (a), (b) and (c) aims to assist these countries in their capacity building so that NMHS would be able to participate in GRIP type projects.

Deliverable (d): The Hazard task team will develop training curricula, based on technical guidelines and experiences documented through GRIP projects. These training materials will be coordinated with ETR for planning of training workshops targeted at trainers of the NMHSs, and with PWS for direct training of NMHSs. The goal would be to hold at least one training workshop for trainers in each WMO region complemented by several training workshops targeted at the NMHSs in different regions.

Monitoring and reporting

Relevant performance indicators and monitoring mechanism will be established to track benefits of this activity.

Crosscutting Project DPM-003

Project Title / Strengthening of NMHSs’ Capacities and Partnerships in Disaster Risk Reduction Processes in Support of End-to-End Multi Hazard Early Warning Systems Supported by Legislation and Coordinated National Organizational Processes
Geographic Scope / Shanghai (China), France, Cuba, Bangladesh / Beneficiaries / All NMHSs
Duration / 5 years / WMO Expected Results Addressed / 6
Starting Date / May 2006 / DPM Strategic Goals Addressed / 3,5
Contributing
Commissions / Programme / Department / Regional Associations / Members
JCOMM, CCl, AREP, CHy / DPM, AREP, WWW, WCP, AMP-TCP, AMP-PWS, AMP-MMOP, HWR, ETR / RA WG on DPM and others will be informed and consulted with. / China, France + 4 to 5 others
Partners / UNDP, IFRC, WB, UNESCO, OCHA, ISDR, World Bank
Synergies with Other WMO DPM-Related Projects / CAS-003, CCl-002, JCOMM-001, CAgM-001, TCP-004, DPM-001

Background

The Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 (HFA) stresses that disaster risk reduction must be addressed with an integrated and multi-hazard approach. The concept of a multi-hazard approach has been referenced in various international events and documents as an approach that would enhance cost-effectiveness, sustainability and on-going improvement of the systems through its frequent use, however there is still no clear understanding of this concept.

As part of DPM-003 project, in May 2006, WMO convened an international expert Symposium bringing together 99 experts from 18 international, regional and national agencies covering a wide range of expertise related to the different aspects of early warning systems (policy, development and financing, scientific and technical, humanitarian, educational and capacity-building, community-based planning, emergency response, media, communication). The meetings goals were to,[2] (i)discuss gaps and challenges with an integrated approach to warning systems for enhanced disaster risk reduction, building on and linking existing capacities of different stakeholders; (ii)explore the concept of multi-hazard approach to early warning systems and synergies and benefits that could be achieved through such an approach at different stages of early warning systems. The Symposium stressed the need for multidisciplinary approaches and partnerships, supported by governance and legislation, and organisational and operational frameworks, to address major challenges identified along the four components of effective end-to-end early warning systems: (i)Hazard observing, detecting, forecasting and warning; (ii)Vulnerability and risk identification; (iii)Communication and dissemination; (iv)Integration of early warning systems in disaster risk management processes.