Strategy

• UNESCO/CSI/LINKS, Bangkok

The 1st biennial priority of UNESCO's Natural Sciences sector for 2008-2009 is "Promoting research and capacity-building for the sound management of natural ressources and for disaster preparedness and mitigation".

UNESCO is strongy committed to the Hyogo Framework of Action 2005-2015. The Organization plays an advocacy role on the need for a shift in emphasis from relief and emergency response to prevention and increased preparedness and education of potentially affected populations. The approach supported by the Organization stresses the merit of preventive approaches through the design and dissemination of mitigation measures, proper information education and public awareness.

The purposes of UNESCO in the field of natural disasters are: to promote a better understanding of the distribution in time and space of natural hazards and of their intensity, to set up reliable early warning systems, to devise rational land-use plans, to secure the adoption of suitable building design, to protect educational buildings and cultural monuments, to strengthen environmental protection for the prevention of natural disasters, to enhance preparedness and public awareness through education and training communication and information, to foster post-disaster investigation, recovery and rehabilitation, to promote studies on the social perception of risks.

In furthering an interdisciplinary approach to natural hazards, UNESCO aims to:

• Assert an active role in the combat that it is engaging since 1960 against natural hazards through a new "culture" based on disaster prevention which is exercised by the advance of science and technology and their applications, multidisciplinary education and training, disaster awareness of the policy-makers, the community leaders and the public;
• Further affirm the alignment of its programmes with the new emerging needs of hazard-prone Member States, particularly developing and least advanced countries, who are legitimately aspiring for security and limited vulnerability;
• Consolidate its partnership potential for donors and development funds seeking to engage further in disaster prevention rather than mere relief and recovery.

UNESCO action is carried out through networking and strengthening of regional and international co-ordination systems, direct partnership with Member States, field implementation of operational projects, reconnaissance and advisory missions, and preservation and dissemination of data, seminars and training courses. Constant co-operation is maintained with competent international and non-governmental bodies.
UNESCO acts as a catalyst, particularly in capacity building and in regional and international cooperation. It plays a major role in the creation of scientific institutions and/or in the improvement of facilities of existing institutions by strengthening their scientific infrastructure and access to information, as well as by facilitating opportunities for training and research.