19 December 2014
ESCAP, Thailand Commemorate 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami
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During an event that convened ten years after one of the deadliest natural disasters the world has ever seen, panelists took stock of progress made in building greater resilience to disasters in the Asia-Pacific region, and identified remaining gaps and regional priorities going forward.

The event highlighted that while much has been done to fill the gaps in risk reduction, disaster preparedness and early warning systems ten years on from the Indian Ocean Tsunami, which hit on 26 December 2004, much remains to be done, particularly at the local level.

UNESCAP15 December 2014: During an event that convened ten years after one of the deadliest natural disasters the world has ever seen, panelists took stock of progress made in building greater resilience to disasters in the Asia-Pacific region, and identified remaining gaps and regional priorities going forward. The event highlighted that, while much has been done to fill the gaps in risk reduction, disaster preparedness and early warning systems ten years on from the Indian Ocean Tsunami, which hit on 26 December 2004, much remains to be done, particularly at the local level.

The event, which convened in Bangkok, Thailand, on 12 December 2014, opened with the screening of the video, ‘Tsunami: Walking the Last Mile,’ to mark the 26 December commemoration.

Shamika N. Sirimanne, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), stated that a key lesson from the 2004 tsunami was the importance of early warning, and pointed to the establishment of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System in 2011, to which ESCAP had contributed through its Trust Fund for Tsunami, Disaster and Climate Preparedness. She added that warning the most vulnerable people and remote communities at the ‘last mile’ was critical, and that an efficient ‘end-to-end system’ must be developed.

The Trust Fund for Tsunami, Disaster and Climate Preparedness was established in 2005 with a US$10 million contribution from the Government of Thailand, and since then, eight donors have made contributions totaling US$13.8 million.

The Trust Fund has helped: strengthen national- and local-level warning systems; establish regional mechanisms, such as the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System and the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES); and develop early warning for multiple coastal hazards, including typhoons and storm surges. [ESCAP Press Release] [UN Press Release] [Trust Fund Website]

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