The Governing Council of the Asian and Pacific Centre for the Development
of Disaster Information Management held its first session in New Delhi on
2 November 2016.
The Governing Council adopted its rules of procedure based on the statute of
the Asian and Pacific Centre for the Development of Disaster Information
Management, set out in the annex to resolution 71/11 of the Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and relevant rules of the Commission.
The Governing Council endorsed the strategic plan and programme direction
of the Centre, which are aligned with the statute of the Centre and subprogramme 5
(Information and communications technology and disaster risk reduction and
management) of the Commission’s strategic framework. In support of the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk
Reduction 2015-2030 and relevant Commission resolutions on disaster risk
reduction, the Centre’s aim is to become a hub of excellence built on three pillars:
(a) information and knowledge repository; (b) capacity development in disaster
information management; and (c) regional information services for cross-border
disasters.
The Governing Council endorsed the workplan of the Centre for 2016-2017
and proposed outputs of the Centre for the programme of work for the biennium
2018-2019.
The Governing Council agreed that the Centre would help fill in critical
information and knowledge gaps, particularly on initiating programme activities on
cross-border disasters, with a focus initially on seismic risk and dust and sandstorms
in North and Central Asia and South and South-West Asia.
The Commission may wish to review the report of the Governing Council,
provide the secretariat with guidance on the future work of the Centre and endorse
the report.