12 October 2017: In recent adaptation and loss and damage news, Asia-Pacific countries advanced work on disaster resilience in the region during the first UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Disaster Resilience Week, while a joint Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) – World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS) workshop for the Pacific sought to strengthen observational networks on the region.

At the conclusion of the ESCAP Disaster Resilience Week, held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 9-12 October 2017, Asia-Pacific countries endorsed a set of recommendations and initiatives to promote regional cooperation and support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on disaster risk reduction (DRR). The event, which comprised expert meetings and side events, culminated in the fifth session of the ESCAP Committee on DRR held from 10-12 October 2017.

The Asia-Pacific Disaster Resilience Network will integrate ESCAP’s analytical, norm-setting and capacity-development work to reflect the linkages between disasters, climate extremes, poverty and conflicts.

Countries in the region agreed to establish the Asia-Pacific Disaster Resilience Network to strengthen ESCAP’s work on coherence for DRR and resilience across the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ESCAP’s Regional Road Map for Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific. The Network will integrate ESCAP’s analytical, norm-setting and capacity-development work to reflect the linkages between disasters, climate extremes, poverty and conflicts. It will also facilitate collaboration and partnership among key stakeholders, including the Asia-Pacific Regional Coordination Mechanism (RCM) and the Thematic Working Group on DRR and Resilience. [ESCAP Press Release on Disaster Resilience Week Outcomes] [ESCAP Press Release on Disaster Resilience Week] [ESCAP Disaster Resilience Week Webpage] [ESCAP Committee on DRR Fifth Session Webpage]

The GCOS-WIGOS joint workshop for the Pacific, held from 9-12 October 2017 in Nadi, Fiji, aimed to strengthen and further develop the observational networks over the Pacific to advance the Pacific islands’ adaptation and mitigation efforts. The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and WMO co-sponsored the event. [WMO Event Announcement] [WIGOS Newsletter]

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