UN report finds disasters taking heavy toll on economic development in Asia-Pacific

YOGYAKARTA, INDONESIA, 23 October 2012 - A UN Report released today at the opening of the Fifth Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk reduction shows that Asia and the Pacific is paying a huge price for extreme weather events which are now impacting negatively on the continent's economic development.

Executive Summary

This document reports the findings of a UNICEF/UNESCO Mapping of Global DRR Integration into Education Curricula consultancy. The researchers were tasked with capturing key national experiences in the integration of disaster risk reduction in the curriculum, identifying good practice, noting issues addressed and ones still lacking and reviewing learning outcomes.
The methodology employed has been one of meta-research of available literature and case study documentary research into the experiences of thirty countries.

As experience with both disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) grows, there is increasing recognition that these two fields share a common focus: reducing the vulnerability of communities and contributing to sustainable development. The high level of climate-related risks in the Pacific, make DRR and CCA key policy goals. The objective of this study is to provide an analysis of the current level of integration of DRR and CCA in the region, with an emphasis on the policy and institutional environment.

Progress made since the 2008 Office of Development Effectiveness report

Mary Ellsberg, Brian Heilman, Sophie Namy, Manuel Contreras, Robin Hayes

2012

This report builds on an earlier report published in 2008 by the Office of Development Effectiveness (ODE) of AusAID that assessed current approaches to addressing violence against women and girls in five of Australia’s partner countries: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Timor-Leste.

Climate Change in the Pacific is a rigorously researched, peer-reviewed scientific assessment of the climate of the western Pacific region. Building on the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, this two volume publication represents a comprehensive resource on the climate of the Pacific.

Introduction and Background

Pacific Studies Series

Executive Summary

An Oxfam report published today highlights that Pacific Islanders are already feeling the effects of climate change and need greater support to address the dramatic effects in the region.

The Future is Here: climate change in the Pacific documents how people are facing increasing food and water shortages, dealing with rising cases of malaria, coping with more frequent flooding and storm surges, losing land and being forced from their homes. The report

Acceptance of the universal right to "adequate housing" - a place to live in peace and dignity - has proved to be a powerful catalyst for economic and social development. The United Nations International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recognizes that adequate housing is fundamental to improving living standards among poor and low-income households. Without adequate shelter, families are condemned to poverty, poor health and low educational attainment. Without adequate shelter, families lack security and are vulnerable to