Establishment of an Advisory Scientific and Technical Group for the ISDR

Inter-Agency Task Force on Disaster Reduction, third meeting, Geneva, 3-4 May 2001

The purpose of this paper is to briefly examine the main lessons learnt from the IDNDR Scientific and Technical Committee (STC) experience and to formulate proposals for the establishment of a scientific advisory structure for the ISDR.

Throughout the IDNDR and during the first year of the establishment of the ISDR, science and technology have been explictly recognised as a key input in the strategy aimed at promoting successful risk reduction. The Inter-Agency Task Force includes a number of scientific organisations such as UNESCO, WMO and ICSU while the ISDR Secretariat has a desk dedicated to scientific and technical issues. The experience of the IDNDR shows that successful longer-term prevention strategies must be based on cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary co-operation involving the scientific community, national and local governments, NGO's, the private sector, as well as the organisations and agencies of the UN system.