Working Group 3: Risk, Vulnerability & Impact Assessment

1. Working Group 3:Risk, Vulnerability &Impact Assessment Presentation by Working Group 3 to the 8th Meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force Geneva 5-6 November, 2003

2. Executive Summary • The last meeting of the ISDR-IATF Working Group 3 was held in Geneva on March 10–11, 2003. The meeting was attended by 32 experts from UN organizations and agencies, academic and scientific organizations, NGO’s, regional organizations and networks and others from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. The Working Group made recommendations to the ISDR-TF7 in its three substantive areas of focus.

3. Areas of Focus Sub-Working Groups: • Improving Quality, Coverage and Accuracy of Disaster Databases (sub-chair: IRI Columbia University) • Review of Indexes Relevant for Risk and Vulnerability Indexing (sub-chair UNDP) • Tools and Best Practices for Risk and Vulnerability Analysis at the Local and Urban Levels (sub-chair UN-HABITAT)

4. Improving the Quality, Coverage and Accuracy of Disaster Database • ADRC and OCHA ReliefWeb hosted a technical meeting on the GLobal unique disaster IDentifier number (GLIDE), Geneva, July 14 – 15 • IRI, Colombia University is carrying out an independent peer reviewed overview of the comparative studies on disaster databases produced by ProVention and Working Group 3. • ISDR Secretariat is undertaking a global survey of national disaster databases through the UN Resident Coordinator system

5. Review of Indexes Relevant for Risk and Vulnerability Indexing • Review of indicators and indexing initiatives posted on Working Group 3 website • UNDP and UNEP/GRID have completed a global Disaster Risk Index that will be published as part of a UNDP publication titled Reducing Disaster Risk: a Challenge for Development to be launched on February 2, 2004 • An Expert Group meeting on the IADB-IDEA Indicators Project on Disaster Risk Management was held in Barcelona in July 2003.

6. Tools and Best Practices for Risk and Vulnerability Analysis at the Local & Urban Levels • UN-HABITAT/DMP and UNDP/BCPR in collaboration with ADPC and OAS have taken the lead in the development of an inventory of risk analysis and vulnerability assessment tools particularly for local and urban applications, which can be easily accessed both by UN-ISDR partners and the general public through the Internet. • Resources have recently been secured for this activity from UNDP, UN-HABITAT and the ISDR Secretariat. The project will be completed within one year; the inventory will then be permanently up-dated on-line and selected tools applied in practice.

7. Future Date Programming 2004 Improving Quality, Coverage and Accuracy of Disaster Databases • The publication of the peer-reviewed overview of disaster data, coordinated by Maxx Dilley, IRI, Colombia University is scheduled for April 2004. • A Working Group 3 technical meeting will be held in April-May 2004 to discuss the multi-user GLIDE generator operation and also GLIDE promotion. • The collaborative proposal with Working Group 1 to compare and link climate and disaster databases through a pilot application in Chile will be completed.

8. Future Date Programming 2004 • The finalization of a proposal to pilot and further develop a multi-tiered system of information on disaster occurrence and loss will be presented to IATF-9 after consultation with all Working Group 3 partners. • A Working Group 3 meeting focusing on indicators and indexing for disaster risk management will be held in March 2004 and will be hosted by the IADB-IDEA Indicators Project on Disaster Risk Management Review of Indexes Relevant for Risk and Vulnerability Indexing

9. Future Date Programming 2004 Tools and Best Practices for Risk and Vulnerability Analysis at the Local and Urban Levels • The UN-Habitat and UNDP project on Tools and Best Practices for Risk and Vulnerability Analysis at the Local and Urban Levels will be implemented throughout 2004. Future of Working Group 3 • Should be reviewed by the IATF in the second half of 2004.