Mediterranean Regional Conference of the International Decade for the Reduction of Natural Disasters

Dirección General de Protección Civil

The United Nations General Assembly designated the period running from 1990 to the year 2000 as the International Decade for the Reduction of Natural Disasters with the basic purpose of diminishing the 1oss of 1ives, material damage and the economic and social disturbance, causecd in the different countries, by natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes volcanic eruptions, forest fires and other catastrophes.

Being in the last part of the decade, the Secretary of the United Nations for IDRND has decided to arrange a series of important events, among them a Forum that will take place in Geneve in July 1999, in which the achievements at domestic and regional level and future perspectives in the area of reduction of natural catastrophes will be discussed. For a better development of this Forum the IDRND considers it convenient to previously hold meetings and conferences at a regiona level.

The Spnnish Ministry of Interior, through the General Directorate of Civil Protection, together with the "Generalitat Valenciana" and the collaboration of the rest of Public Administrations and Institutions represented in the Spanish Committee of the International Decade for the Reduction of Natural Disasters, have expressed the desire to be the hosts to the representatives of the National Cummittees and Focal Points of the IDRND of the Mediterranean area countries, as well as of the responsible public organizations of civil defence and protection of those countries.

Thus, the above entities have decided to convene, under the auspices of the Secretariat of the United Nations for the IDRND, a Mediterranean Regional Conference that will have as fundamental objectives the analysis of the current status regarding prevention and mitigation of risks, the existing cooperation mechanisms and the possible measures to be undertaken, looking towards the next years, in order to improve the cooperation among the countries of the area, as well as With other countries, organizations and institutions.

To best accomplish these aims it is anticipated that, together with the handling of problems at national and international scale, local, and regional points of view may be contributed, for which the adequate specific meetings will be set forth.

It is intended that the conclusions of this Conference may serve to enrich the discussions of the International Forum to be held there in after and to guide the strategies that in the matter of prevention and mitigation of disasters may have to be followed in the future. Also it is envisaged that the Conference itself may serve to encourage and evenlually strengthen the relationships of cooperation among the countries of the area.

DECLARATION OF VALENCIA

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE IDNDR REGIONAL CONFERENCE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN

(Valencia, 4-7 May 1999)

The Delegations to the Regional Conference for the Mediterranean of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction held in Valencia,

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT:

1. United Nations General Assembly Resolution 44/236 (22 December 1989) on the International Decade for the Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR), and that the number of victims and economic and materials loss caused by natural disasters in the world, after an encouraging decrease, have augmented in a significant way.

2. United Nations General Assembly Resolution 46/182 (19 December 1991) which recommends an integrated approach for the management of natural disasters and advocates the building of a general culture of prevention.

3. The Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, from 3 to 14 June 1992, in particular for what refers to the need for increased cooperation with the countries prone to natural disasters or other emergencies that may result in damages to the environment.

4. The "Yokohama's Strategy and Plan of Action for a Safer World: Guidelines for Prevention, Preparation and Mitigation" adopted by the World Conference on Natural Disasters Reduction held in Yokohama in May 1994.

5. The Report " Principles and Recommendations for Action. Guidelines for Disaster Prevention and Vulnerability Reduction" adopted by the International Workshop on Disaster Reduction in the Mediterranean Region held in Castelnuovo di Porto (Italy) in September 1996.

REAFFIRM:

1. The Mediterranean region constitutes not only a geographical, cultural and historical entity, but also an area subject to potentially dangerous natural phenomena which, albeit varied, are common to and present similar characteristics in the entire area : earthquakes, volcanoes, flash floods, landslides and forest fires.

2. Risk evaluation is a fundamental tool for effective policies for disaster prevention and mitigation. In view of the particular characteristics of the region, technical co-operation between countries of the region is a major tool to ensure substantial improvement of risk evaluation.

3. Land use planning, including natural hazards zonation, should become an important part of public policies for the prevention and mitigation of natural disaster, particularly in those areas of the Mediterranean region with expanding demography.

4. Public policies for the prevention and mitigation of natural disasters should be integrated into relevant policies for economic development, protection of the environment and safeguard of cultural heritage. This integration, and the subsequent decrease in the vulnerability of society and the individuals, is an essential part of sustainable economic and social development.

5. Poverty is a significant factor of vulnerability to natural disasters. Appropriate criteria should be taken into account in the definition and implementation of development co-operation so to contribute significantly to risk reduction.

6. The importance of the efforts of intergovernmental organisations, such as the International Civil Defense Organization and the Arab Agency for Civil Protection and Rescue, among others, which work in the Mediterranean region to improve disaster prevention and mitigation.

7. Further to the efforts by Governmental and Central Administrations, Local and Regional entities, should endeavor to develop active policies for prevention and mitigation of disasters and contribute to population relief in case of emergency, according to the competence provided by their legal and institutional frameworks. The organization and implementation of risk evaluation programmes, based upon common methodologies, with the participation of local and, if appropriate, regional entities, in the Mediterranean area, could be of great interest.

8. The participation of citizen is an essential factor in ensuring the highest efficiency in activities such as prevention, mitigation, alert, rescue and rehabilitation. Appropriate and opportune information to citizens on hazards and the means to mitigate their impact, is not only a right, but also a necessary condition to ensure their self-protection and participation.

9. The importance of involving mass-media as an active actor in awareness raising, information and opinion building in order to increase recognition of the potential of disaster reduction.

10. Individuals should take responsibility for the protection of their lives and properties, adopting necessary precautions and measures to recover from disaster related damages. In this domain, the insurance system can play an important social role. Governments should ensure that affordable contracts covering natural disasters be offered to citizens, as it is already the practice in certain countries. Insurance will be an incentive for insured citizens to adopt risk reduction measures.

11. The validity of the principles expressed in the Beijing Declaration on "Protection and assistance for all in coping with catastrophes in the XXI Century: World Action Plan for the fostering of Civil Protection", adopted in the XI Civil Protection World Conference held in Beijing from 26 to 28 October 1998, and the " Convention on the Supply of Telecommunication Resources for the Mitigation of Disasters and Rescue Operation in Disasters", signed in Tampere, Finland, 16-18 July 1998.

RECOMMEND THAT:

1. The functions of the international co-ordination and promotion of disaster reduction be maintained after the closing of the IDNDR in 1999. To this purpose, the participants support the continuation within the United Nations system of an inter-agency mechanism of a multidisciplinary and inter-sectoral nature. This mechanism should, in particular, continue to foster international co-operation in this domain.

2. The co-operation links between the Mediterranean countries in the domains of disaster prevention, mitigation and mutual assistance should be strengthened. To this aim it is deemed appropriate to give continuity to this IDNDR Regional Conference for Mediterranean held in Valencia, through the periodical holding of meetings of similar scope. These meetings should encourage the discussion and implementation of joint projects and facilitate the definition of a Mediterranean Strategy for Disaster Prevention and Vulnerability Reduction. Once defined, this Strategy should be implemented within a regional framework established to this purpose.

3. Strengthened regional co-operation plays an important role in the prevention and mitigation of the consequences of natural disaster through:

• Data exchange and common use of infrastructure and technical tools to forecast, monitor and timely assess the consequences of potentially dangerous natural phenomena.
• Planning and conducting common exercises.
• Common rules and procedures for improved mutual assistance.
• Exchange of information among specialized institutions of the Mediterranean Region on methodology and means for the education of the public.
• Networking and exchange of experience among public institutions with regard to the training of emergency response teams.

4. As part of an integrated approach to disaster reduction and mitigation, assistance in case of disaster should not be limited to immediate response actions, but be extended to facilitate the return to normality.

5. The scope of future initiatives should be enlarged in order to cope with natural and technological disasters.

6. The programs launched by the Open Partial Agreement on Major Hazards of the Council of Europe (FORM-OSE, STRIM and EDRIM), European Union (EUROMED), the Association of Mediterranean Cities (GEMITIS-Mediterranean), and the activities of the WHO Mediterranean Centre for Vulnerability Reduction should be supported.

7. Special attention should be paid to the next meetings on this matter to be held in the Mediterranean region: Paris (17-19 June 1999), Tunis (14-16 September 1999) and Naples (27-30 October 1999).

REQUEST

The Secretariat of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction to bring the present Declaration to the attention of the international community, in particular through the forthcoming IDNDR International Program Forum to be held in Geneva in July 1999.

Fuente. Dirección General de Protección Civil. Unidad de Apoyo a Dirección.