WSSD PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVES INFORMATION SHEET
Partnership to strengthen the implementation of Agenda 21
Name of the
Partnership/Initiative
“Integrated Approach to Prevention, Preparedness for and Response to
Environmental Emergencies in support of Sustainable Development”
Concept: Integrated approaches to environmental emergencies to ensure that all aspects of emergency management, including risk reduction and emergency prevention, are properly addressed in a systematic way.
The interventions in recent years have shown that a more integrated approach is needed to:
(i)
improve prevention
and preparedness aspects;
(ii) have
better co-ordination at UN and national levels;
(iii) share
more effectively information and resources.
Partners Involved:
(i) Project partners and donor governments will help ensure that a coordinated and integrated approach is taken by lead agencies;
(ii) Industry and professional associations will provide guidance and logistic support to the programme;
(iii) Recipient governments and local communities will work to implement the integrated programme at national level to ensure cost-effective operation.
More specifically, partners are expected to be drawn from the following:
United Nations entities: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), UN Volunteers (UNV), International Labor Organization (ILO), International Maritime Organization (IMO), World Health Organization (WHO).
Intergovernmental organizations: European Commission, Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA), Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), International Civil Defense Organization (ICDO).
Major groups: Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC), CARE, Earth Council, International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), Green Cross International.
Industry and Professional Groups: European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA), Global Fire Monitoring Centre (GFMC), Disaster Mitigation Institute (DMI) (Ahmedabad, India).
Other: Rescue service agencies, civil groups.
Subject to further developments, new partnerships are envisaged.
Main objectives of the Partnership:
The Partnership’s overall objectives are:
Firstly, to promote integration of environmental emergency preparedness and response activities into strategies and assistance programs relevant to sustainable development.
Secondly, to assist countries develop their own capabilities to deal with environmental emergencies and to facilitate information exchange, training and technological co-operation.
Thirdly, to improve dialogue and mutual assistance among public authorities, the private sector and the public in general on issues of emergency prevention, preparedness and response.
The Partnership would stimulate and promote:
- broader involvement of industry, private sector, corporate associations and non-governmental organizations in international efforts to address the spectrum of disasters with environmental consequences;
- inter-disciplinary and inter-sectoral co-operation between major stakeholders inside and outside the UN system to create a comprehensive network for enhanced preparedness and response to environmental emergencies;
- better public awareness of threats of environmental emergencies at regional, sub-regional and national and community levels with a focus on developing countries and countries with economies in transition;
- integration of environmental dimensions within the context of humanitarian assistance;
- better co-operation between humanitarian and environmental partners involved in disaster preparedness and response activities.
Relationship of the Partnership/Initiative with the objectives of Agenda 21 as well as relevant goals and objectives of the United Nation Millennium Declaration:
Agenda 21, adopted by the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), defined one priority area as “further development of assessment and assistance in cases of environmental emergencies”. Principle 18 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development proclaimed that “every effort should be made by the international community to help States afflicted by environmental emergencies”. The Declaration on the Occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the United Nations, adopted by the UN General Assembly, contains a statement of the Member States' determination to "intensify cooperation on the reduction of major technological and man-made disasters, and disaster relief". Also the Yokohama Declaration of the United Nations Conference on Natural Disasters Reduction in 1994 agreed on the need to "provide wider support for expansion of the existing disaster management system to include environmental and technological issues". The Draft Plan of implementation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development recognizes that an essential element of a safer world in the 21st Century is an integrated, multi-hazard, inclusive approach to address vulnerability, risk assessment and disaster management, including prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
The role and competence of UNEP in environmental emergencies has been repeatedly emphasised by its Governing Council (GC decisions: 16/37, 18/19, 19/9, 20/8/ 21/17). In this regard, the Strategic Framework on Emergency Prevention, Preparedness, Assessment, Mitigation and Response has been adopted by governments at GC 21. Furthermore, UNEP's Awareness and Preparedness for Emergencies at Local Level (APELL) programme which was endorsed by UNEP's 15th and 16th Governing Councils and 6 senior level meetings between 1988 and 1998 is an important preparedness tool for local level involvement in environmental emergencies. The UNEP APELL programme has been operated as a multistakeholder initiative with extensive support from the global chemical industry (ICA/CEFIC) and some national governments (especially USA and Sweden).
Expected results:
to provide an effective framework for exchange of information on operational, technical and scientific matters concerning preparedness and response;
enhanced capabilities of countries to prepare for and respond to environmental emergencies;
international assistance in cases of environmental emergencies;
improved cooperation and communication among various stakeholders to deal more effectively with preparedness for and response to environmental emergencies.
Specific targets of the Partnership to be reached during the first 3 years are:
1. An integrated management model for environmental emergencies applicable to national and local needs will be developed that will combine the following:
vulnerability assessment and early warning;
preparedness of local communities and disaster support services;
risk reduction through safer technologies, land planning, etc.;
co-ordinated disaster response;
remediation and follow-up
2. Creation of a unified internet-based information system (portal) that links various agencies and sectoral initiatives at the global level (road map of information sources), and focuses on:
networking and agency profiles;
database of advisory services and expected rosters;
key references and guide to information sources;
case studies and lessons learnt.
3. Training and capacity building in integrated approaches to environmental emergency prevention, preparedness and response at regional, sub-regional and national levels through workshops and train-the-trainers programme.
4. Biennial multi-stake holder consultation forum to review experiences, identify priorities for action and provide guidance on forward work programmes. Regional consultations in between years to create and consolidate regional networks and co-ordination.
5. Publication of a biennial review of environmental emergencies.
6. Promotion of the APELL process for community preparedness and co-ordination of disaster response agencies.
7. Establishment of an interagency initiative on intrinsically safer technologies to reduce vulnerability to industrial accidents.
Coordination and Implementation Mechanism:
The Partnership will be developed globally with national, regional and other relevant sectoral inputs through regular forum meetings. Policy guidance will be given through an expanded Advisory Group on Environmental Emergencies.
The Joint UNEP/OCHA Environmental Emergencies Unit will provide the secretariat to this global Partnership in close cooperation and coordination with UNEP’s Disaster Management Branch and its Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE). Specific initiatives under the global Partnership will be backstopped by other participating entities. For example, in the case of awareness at local level for hazardous facilities, UNEP APELL will concentrate on the overall programme development and co-ordination whilst ICCA will support the implementation through technical expertise.
Arrangements for Funding:
It is envisaged that the Partnership will require additional funding to that already earmarked by UNEP and OCHA for their work in environmental emergencies. An attempt will be made to establish a Trust Fund to support activities. Partners would be expected to provide in-kind support, in particular, in the form of expertise, logistic support, trainers and training facilities, travel support for developing countries, etc. For certain specific activities, UNEP and OCHA may approach those donors that have traditionally supported their work in the field of environmental emergencies. In addition, UNEP, OCHA and the partner agencies will jointly develop project proposals for funding by the international financial institutions. Industry associations will be invited to continue to provide financial and logistic support to APELL implementation.
Arrangements for capacity building and technology transfer:
The Partnership will facilitate capacity building through: 1) training activities including train-the-trainers at regional, national and community levels carried out in co-operation with other UN agencies, the private sector, NGOs, etc; 2) information support through the development of tools and products and their dissemination to countries to assist their decision-making capacities and to raise public awareness on environmental emergencies; 3) institutional strengthening by providing technical assistance to countries upon request and undertaking pilot projects which will not only be of direct benefit to the country or region but will serve as a model for other countries and region facing similar environmental emergencies. The possibility to exploit the partnership website to deliver capacity building through "distance learning training" will be explored.
Although there will be a reliance on e-technology for the dissemination of information, the tools and products will still be disseminated in hard copy to meet the information needs of the relevant stakeholders in countries that do not have easy access to electronic media.
Links of Partnership/Initiative with on-going sustainable development activities at the international and/or regional level:
The Partnership would link with on-going capacity building programme and other related activities of UNEP, OCHA and partner agencies in order to avoid duplication, enhance cohesion and effectiveness of the Partnership and activities that may emanate from the Partnership. When and if necessary, co-ordination meetings will be held between partners to discuss sharing of arrangements and mutual support.
Monitoring Arrangements
The Partnership will be subject to continuous monitoring and periodic review through the regional and global Forum meetings and the Advisory Group. Progress of the implementation of the Partnership will be included in the electronic website of UNEP, OCHA and other partner agencies. A biennial global review report will be distributed for general information and use.
Other relevant information:
The Partnership will take fully into account and use emergency preparedness and response tools and products developed, maintained and updated by the Partnership agencies, the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environmental Emergencies Unit, UNEP’s APELL programme and UNEP's Disaster Management Branch.
The Partnership will not substitute existing intergovernmental arrangements or systems for environmental emergency response, but rather complement and reinforce them by bringing together and catalysing existing relevant networks.
Web-sites :
www.reliefweb.int/ocha_ol/programs/response/unep/index.html
www.uneptie.org/pc/apell
www.unep.org/DEPI/disastermanagement.asp
Name and contact information of the person filling in this table:
Name:
Vladimir Sakharov
Position: Deputy Chief, Emergency Services
Branch, and Chief, Environmental Emergencies Services
Address: Palais des Nations, Rm 228,
CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Phone: +4122 917 1142
Fax: +4122 917 0257
E-mail:
sakharov@un.org
Name:
Stefan Micallef
Position: Chief, Disaster Management Branch,
Division of Environmental Policy Implementation
United Nations Environment
Programme
Address: P.O. Box 30 552 Nairobi, Kenya
Phone: +2542 624 254
Fax: +2542 624 249
E-mail:
stefan.micallef@unep.org
Name:
Fritz Balkau
Position: Head, production and Consumption
Branch, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics
United Nations Environment Programme
Address: Tour
Mirabeau, 39-43 quai André Citroë
75739 Paris Cedex 15, France
Phone: +33 1 4437 14 40
Fax: +33 1 4437 14 74
E-mail:
Fritz.Balkau@unep.fr
WSSDPartnershipForm2108