Unicef and WHO call for disaster risk measures
1 July 2009
Unicef and the World
Health Organisation (WHO) have called for governments worldwide to
refine their approach to natural disaster management.
The two bodies are asking that leaders take note of four key
ways in which education and health systems can be made more
resilient against earthquakes, tsunamis and climate change.
Included in the measures are the need for strong physical
infrastructure, health and safety measures, contingency plans and
disaster education.
Unicef notes, for example, that the earthquake that hit the
Chinese province of Sichuan in 2008 damaged 40 per cent of the
region's schools, causing a great number of deaths among
children.
Louis-Georges Arsenault, Unicef director of the office of
emergency programmes, said: "The school must be a safe place that
protects children and defends their right to education."
"The integration of disaster risk reduction into the school
curriculum equips children with knowledge of the risks and what
actions can be taken to mitigate the risks," he added.
Unicef's Climate Change campaign seeks to highlight the effect
carbon emissions are having on developing countries, such as water
shortages and natural disasters.
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