Recent
events
First
international flash flood workshop
Fourth
World Water Forum
First
international flash flood workshop
Around
100 experts from some 80 countries attended the first
international workshop to address the threat of flash
floods. "Realizing Flash Flood and Disaster Resilience
through New Partnerships and Technologies" is being
organized by WMO and the United States National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration in San José, Costa Rica, 13-17
March.
The
key objectives of the workshop were to provide an overview
of flash flood prediction capabilities available for
application in flood-prone regions; identify weak links in
establishing end-to-end operational flash flood warning
systems and how to fill these gaps; showcase best practices
and case-studies and share tools, science and system
integration in flash flood risk reduction; present project
briefs for establishing or improving flash flood forecasting
services and open dialogue with donor and finance
organizations.
See:
http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/hwrp/homs/homs_en.html
and
Info
Note No.19
Fourth
World Water Forum
The
4th World Water Forum (WWF4) convened in Mexico City, from
16 to 22 March 2006. The Forum is the largest
international event on freshwater, and seeks to enable
multi-stakeholder participation and dialogue to influence
water policy-making at the global level, in pursuit of
sustainable development. A WMO delegation to the event was
headed by the Secretary-General and included the Director of
the Hydrology and Water Resources Department, the President
of the Commission for Hydrology and other professional
staff.
WMO’s booth at the
World Water Fair
The
Forum’s main theme, “Local actions for a global
challenge,” was addressed through five framework themes:
water for growth and development; implementing integrated
water resources management (IWRM); water supply and
sanitation for all; water management for food and the
environment; and risk management. Over 200 thematic sessions
were held during the Forum, and almost 20,000 participants
attended, representing governments, UN agencies,
intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), academia, business and industry,
indigenous groups, youth and the media.
The
Forum concluded with a Ministerial Conference on 21-22
March, with some 140 ministers and high-level officials
gathering in both closed and open sessions, which included
dialogues and roundtables on various aspects of water
management. A Ministerial Declaration was adopted that recognizes
the importance of domestic and international policies that
foster and assist building capacities and cooperation at all
levels to mitigate water-related disasters including
prevention, preparedness, risk assessment, community
awareness, resilience and response. (see http://www.worldwaterforum4.org.mx/home/declarations.asp?lan=
)
WMO
booth at the World Water Fair drew huge response from the
water community gathered at the Forum. Ministers, Heads of
Organizations and an estimated 3000 participants of various
nationalities visited the booth.
There was a great demand for WMO publications related
to climate change, disaster prevention, flood management and
water resources issues. About 200 additional requests for
literature and publications were registered for delivery
after the Forum. The National Meteorological Service of
Mexico kindly provided logistical support to WMO throughout
the entire Forum.
The
WWF4 was the first among the World Water Fora to address the
issue of Risk Management on the level of a framework theme.
WMO lead the framework theme on Risk Management, as one of
the beacons. WMO
prepared, the “Baseline” and “Thematic Documents” on
Risk Management (see http://www.worldwaterforum4.org.mx/uploads/TBL_DOCS_84_44.pdf),
through a wide consultative process, including holding a
‘virtual forum’. The document describes risk as a
function of the magnitude of the hazard, the degree of
exposure of a society or community
to the hazard and the vulnerability of society
against damage due to the hazard. It continues that
consequently the management of risk, has to take into
account all these three components and form a systematic
process comprising all forms of activities, including
structural and non-structural measures to avoid or to limit
adverse effects of hazards.
Three
technical sessions on the ‘Importance of Information for
Integrated Water Resources Management’, ‘Flash
Floods’, and ‘Drought Management’, were co-convened
and other two sessions on ‘Integrated Flood Management’
and ‘International Collaboration in Flood Management’
were co-convened.
The
Secretary-General addressed the plenary session on the Risk
Management Day together with Melanie Schultz van Haegen, The
Netherlands Vice-Minister of Transport, Public Works and
Water Management, Carl Strock, Commander of the US Army
Corps of Engineers (USACE), Mario Molina, 1995 Chemistry
Nobel Prize Laureate, and Hideaki Oda, Japan Water Forum (JWF).
He emphasised that while natural hazards may not be avoided,
the integration of risk assessment and early warnings with
prevention and mitigation measures can stop many hazards
from becoming disasters. This means that action can be taken
to considerably reduce the resulting loss of life and
socio-economic damages.
The
Secretary-General during his address at the Plenary Session
of the Risk Management Day
(Photo courtesy of Leila Mead/IISD)
There
was also keen interest in the media on the water and climate
issues. SG was involved in several other activities,
including two press conferences along with the Permanent
Representative of Mexico and the president of WMO’s
Commission for Hydrology (CHy).
A
WMO Project Office had been established in Mexico to support
the National Water Commission in its aim to achieve
integrated, sustainable management of Mexican water
resources. The Project Office is part of the Agreement of
Cooperation signed between both parties on 2 September 2005.
Secretary-General, Mr Michel
Jarraud and Mr Cristóbal Jaime Jáquez, Director-General of
Mexico’s National Water Commission (CONAGUA) signed the
complementary Agreement during the Fourth World Water Forum
in the he document
was signed in the presence of Mr César Herrera,
Secretary-General of the Fourth World Water Forum, and the
Permanent Representative of Mexico with WMO, Dr Michel
Rosengaus Moshinsky.
(See also WMO Info-Note 20 at:
http://www.wmo.int/web/Press/Press.html#info)
For further information on
the activities of WMO at WWF4, including documentation of
the sessions please click here:
http://www.wmo.int/web/homs/WWF4/WWF4-02.htm
He
addressed also the plenary session for Africa with the
President of the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW)
and other African Ministers.
He recalled the extreme impacts of droughts and
floods in Africa, and stressed the need to recognize,
forecast and plan for these extremes and to monitor and
gather accurate information to effectively assess, manage
and mitigate risk.
See
Press
Release No. 746 and http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/hwrp/homs/homs_en.html
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