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| Friday, 21 January 2005 |
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The European Commission will provide around US $480,000 to support a key United Nations conference on disaster reduction in Kobe, Japan. The event, coming less than a month after the tsunami tragedy in the Indian Ocean, is expected to attract several thousand participants including government and community representatives and scientific experts in disaster reduction from around the world. It is being organised by the UN's International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). The funds from the Commission are being channelled through ECHO, the Humanitarian Aid department, whose mandate includes disaster preparedness activities. They will cover, among other things, the presentation at the conference of 24 good practice initiatives in reducing disaster risks around the world. The Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel, said: "Having a sophisticated alert system and populations that are prepared will enable us to save many lives in the future. The European Commission is fully committed to supporting a global alert system to prevent natural catastrophes such as tsunamis, earthquakes and cyclones." The Commissioner for External Relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldnel said: "The conference takes place in Kobe ten years to the day after the city was devastated by a terrible earthquake. The importance of the conference is all the more evident following the Indian Ocean disaster. The European Commission strongly supports the United Nations in its efforts to mobilise and coordinate the action of the international community in disaster risk reduction for the decade ahead." The European Commission is an active participant in disaster reduction activities, through its environment policy and its funding of scientific research and through humanitarian projects, development co-operation, civil protection and external assistance actions that seek to improve the preparedness of vulnerable communities and their ability to mitigate and respond to the consequences. |
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