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Second session of the Preparatory Committee meeting for the World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR)

Geneva, Switzerland | 11-12 October 2004

WCDR

  


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The second session of the Preparatory Committee for the World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR) met at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, from 11-12 October 2004. Over 400 participants attended the meeting, including representatives of 106 UN Member States, as well as UN agencies, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The Preparatory Committee was established to review the organizational and substantive preparations for the WCDR, approve its programme of work and propose rules of procedure for the Conference. In particular, the Preparatory Committee is charged with the preparation of two outcome documents for adoption at the WCDR: a political declaration with a strategic vision to reduce risk and vulnerability to natural and technological hazards in the period 2005-2015, and a programme document containing elements for policy measures to implement the strategic vision set out in the declaration, tentatively entitled “Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters: Elements for a Programme of Action, 2005-2015” (referred to as the “programme of action”). An ongoing review of the implementation of the 1994 Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World and its Plan of Action is intended to provide the context for these documents.

Building on discussions at the Preparatory Committee’s first session and intersessional activities, delegates to the second session considered a new version of the draft programme of action. Discussion on the political declaration is expected to begin once further progress on the programme of action has been achieved. In addition, delegates attending the Preparatory Committee addressed: the accreditation of NGOs and other major groups to the preparatory process and the WCDR; the provisional rules of procedure for the preparatory process and the WCDR; the proposed format and draft agenda of the WCDR; and the proposed “partnerships mechanism.” Delegates also heard a progress report on the preparatory process of the WCDR and discussed the draft review of the Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World and its Plan of Action.

At the conclusion of the second session, participants agreed to establish an open-ended drafting committee to continue working on the draft programme of action, which will meet regularly in Geneva until Friday, 14 January 2005. The drafting group will also consider the draft political declaration.

 

 
Links |

UN/ISDR (the Conference Secretariat)
 Preparatory process for WCDR
 PrepCom2: Official documents
 Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action for a Safer World
 ENB summary report of the First Session of the Preparatory Committee to the World Conference on Disaster Reduction: English (HTML, PDF, TEXT) French (HTML, PDF, TEXT). 
ENB summary report of the Second Conference on Early Warning: English (HTML, PDF, TEXT) French (HTML, PDF, TEXT). 
 

 
   
 

 

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