"Preparation saves lives". The capacity of public health systems is crucial to reduce the impact of pandemics, as clearly discussed in the practical experience from countries like P.R. China and the Republic of Korea. Experience from past epidemics and the current COVID19 pandemic demonstrate how important it is to break down silos between disaster managers and health workers. Ms. Mami Mizutori, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction and head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) urged national and local disaster management agencies to include health emergencies as a top priority, alongside earthquakes, floods, storms and other natural hazards. Governments must prioritize resilient health systems.
Promoting systematic integration of health into national and sub-national disaster risk reduction policies and plans is a key recommendation of the "Bangkok Principles for the implementation of the health aspects of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030". The Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management Framework (HEDRM) of the World Health Organization is the overarching framework. The public health addendum of the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities is a tool designed for use by local governments to enhance resilience, as guided by the HEDRM Framework.
• How can public health aspects be integrated into disaster risk reduction and resilience planning?
• What is the Public Health Addendum of the Disaster Resilience Scorecard for Cities and how can this tool support strengthened planning and coordination among disaster managers and health workers?
Dr. Peter Williams,
IBM Distinguished Engineer, Retd.
Dr. Benjamin Ryan,
Clinical Associate Professor at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, United States.
Commentator:
Dr. Rajib Shaw,
Professor Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Japan.
Duration: 1 hour
Language: English & Spanish
For more information please contact: Sanjaya Bhatia and Mutarika Pruksapong, UNDRR Global Education and Training Institute (GETI), undrr-incheon(at)un.org
Organized by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) & the World Health Organization (WHO)
Tuesday, 7 April 2020
06:00 Pacific Time (US and Canada) |
08:00 Panama | 09:00 New York | 14:00 London | 15:00 Geneva | 20:00 Bangkok | 22:00 Korea
Register here: https://bit.ly/2xq3RRk