JAPAN: U.N. AGENCIES ANNOUNCE LAUNCH OF EARLY WARNING SYSTEM TO REDUCE IMPACT OF NATURAL DISASTERS.

Record ID: 208466

  • Title: JAPAN: U.N. AGENCIES ANNOUNCE LAUNCH OF EARLY WARNING SYSTEM TO REDUCE IMPACT OF NATURAL DISASTERS.
  • Date: 20th January 2005
  • Summary: (BN12) KOBE, JAPAN (JANUARY 19, 2004)(REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV: NEWS CONFERENCE FOR LAUNCH OF INTERNATIONAL EARLY-WARNING SYSTEM 0.06 2. CU: POWERPOINT PRESENTATION SHOWING THE AGENCIES INVOLVED IN THE SYSTEM 0.11 3. MV: JOURNALISTS 0.16 4. LV: SPEAKER INTRODUCING UNITED NATIONS EMERGENCY RELIEF CO-ORDINATOR, JAN EGELAND 0.23 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS EMERGENCY RELIEF CO-ORDINATOR, JAN EGELAND, SAYING: "It is mind-boggling in a way that it took one tsunami affecting five million people severely to make the world wake up, when we had 250,000 million every year for the last ten years. Still we have then to use this momentum we have to get going." 0.47 6. MV: JOURNALISTS 0.50 7. (SOUNDBITE)(English) EGELAND SAYING: "Some journalist today said 'Isn't it a bad thing that there are now competing initiatives from many nations and many agencies to make this tsunami and other early warning system happen?' No, I say, Its great thing that so much vitality and so much is happening at the same time. I would like to congratulate Germany for playing a leading role in this area, Japan for investing so much in it, and also all the others, and certainly we have to work together to make it happen in a good way." 1.22 8. TV/MV: JOURNALISTS AND DELEGATES SEATED (2 SHOTS) 1.31 9. MCU: EGELAND TALKING WITH A U.N. COLLEAGUE 1.36 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 4th February 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: KOBE, JAPAN
  • Country: Japan
  • Reuters ID: LVAE1XVTE7QT39SCPQ830YK6KK3S
  • Story Text: United Nations agencies announces the launch of an
    International Early-Warning System.



    United Nations experts on Wednesday (January 19)
    announced their determination to launch a global early
    warning system to reduce the impact of natural hazards on
    vulnerable communities.

    The International Early-Warning Programme (IEWP) will
    bring together many United Nations organisations including
    the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the World
    Food Programme (WFP) and will seek to improve the flow of
    information and emphasise the importance of educating the
    masses in how to prepare for natural disasters.

    With memories of the Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed
    175,000 people and affected 5 million, the establishment of
    a tsunami early-warning system for the Indian Ocean,
    similar to the one set up in the Pacific after a quake in
    1960 in Chile triggered a tsunami along the Japanese coast
    and killed more than 100 people, has become a major issue.

    However this system is meant to deal with more than the
    infrequently occurring tsunamis, United Nations Emergency
    Relief Co-ordinator, Jan Egeland, told press and delegates
    at the conference.

    "It is mind-boggling in a way that it took one tsunami
    affecting five million people severely to make the world
    wake up, when we had 250,000 million every year for the
    last ten years. Still we have then to use this momentum we
    have to get going," he said.

    According to the United Nations, 200 million people
    are affected by natural disasters every year - seven times
    higher than the number of people affected by war.

    Many nation's including Germany, Japan and the United
    States have set up regional early warning initiatives,
    creating, what some believe to be , conflicting networks.

    But Egeland dismissed such fears and added that such
    initiatives, on the contrary, showed the vitality of the increase in
    th
    e political will to prevent disasters.

    "Some journalist today said 'Isn't it a bad thing that
    there are now competing initiatives from many nations and
    many agencies to make this tsunami and other early warning
    system happen?' No, I say, Its great thing that so much
    vitality and so much is happening at the same time. I would
    like to congratulate Germany for playing a leading role in
    this area, Japan for investing so much in it, and also all
    the others, and certainly we have to work together to make
    it happen in a good way," he added.

    Tokyo has pledged funds, the use of its satellite
    system and its long expertise as a nation hit by 20 percent
    of the world's earthquakes.

    Many other nations including Germany and the United
    States have also pledged money and expertise for the
    setting up and managing the warning system for the Indian
    Ocean and other regions.

    Another key topic for the meeting, which lasts until
    January 22, is persuading wealthy donor nations to pick up
    the tab for long-term planning in cash-strapped developing
    nations, which often have more pressing needs.

    asia/oy
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register