MANAMA, MAY 10 (BNA) FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA (MENA) AND UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF PRIME MINISTER SHAIKH KHALIFA BIN SALMAN AL KHALIFA, BAHRAIN IS TO HOST ON MAY 17 18 THE INAUGURATION OF THE 2009 UN GLOBAL REPORT ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION.
UN SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON WILL ATTEND THE EVENT ALONG WITH AN ELITE OF WORLD FIGURES, EXPERTS AND INTERESTED OFFICIALS.
IN A STATEMENT GIVEN LAST NIGHT BY FOREIGN MINISTER SHAIKH KHALID BIN AHMED AL KHALIFA TO COMMENT ON THE OCCASION, HE SAID THE REPORT DENOTES BAHRAIN'S VISION AND COMMITMENT TO THE UNITED NATIONS' OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES.
HE WELCOMED THE EVENT AND ITS PATRONAGE BY THE PREMIER, SAYING IT IS AN INDICATION OF BAHRAIN'S RESOLVE TO REINFORCE THE COUNTRY'S COMMITMENT TO PROTECTING CITIZENS AND PRESERVING ECONOMIC ACHIEVEMENTS.
HE ALSO WELCOMED THE ATTENDANCE OF UN SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON.
OUTLINING THE AIMS OF THE REPORT, SHAIKH KHALID SAID IT AIMS TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE DANGER OF NATURAL DISASTERS AND THE NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR ANY EMERGENCY IN ORDER TO ENSURE PEOPLE'S SAFETY.
THE REPORT WILL OUTLINE NATURAL HAZARDS AND CLIMATE CHANGE AND WILL COME UP WITH RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO ACHIEVE A BETTER PROTECTION AGAINST DISASTERS, HE SAID.
THE MINISTER LAUDED THE EFFORTS EXERTED BY THE UN TO ADVANCE THE WHEELS OF DEVELOPMENT WORLDWIDE POINTING IN PARTICULAR TO ITS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CONSTRUCTION BOOM IN BAHRAIN.
BAHRAIN HAS FOSTERED THE DISASTER RISK REDUCTION INITIATIVE AND EARMARKED ONE MILLION DOLLARS FOR IT, THE EQUIVALENT OF 25 PERCENT OF ITS TOTAL COST, ESTIMATED AT 4 MILLION US DOLLARS, HE SAID.
BAHRAIN HOSTS THE CEREMONIAL INAUGURATION OF THE DRR IN LINE WITH A DECISION TAKEN BY THE CABINET ON APRIL 30, 2009 TO FURTHER REINFORCE BAHRAIN-UN COOPERATION, SHAIKH KHALID ADDED.
THE DRR REPORT INAUGURATION WILL TAKE PLACE JUST ONE MONTH BEFORE WORLD CONFERENCE ON NATURAL DISASTER REDUCTION , DUE IN GENEVA ON 16-19 JUNE, 2009, THE MINISTER SAID.
IN A PREFACE FOR THE REPORT, THE UN SECRETARY GENERAL WARNED THAT THOUGH DISASTER RISKS REPRESENT A REAL HAZARD TO THE WHOLE WORLD, THEY PUT THE POOR AND THOSE WHO HAVE LIMITED INCOME AND LIVE IN SHANTY HOUSES AT A GREATER RISK.
PREVENTION IS THE SOLE WAY TO REDUCE HUMAN LOSSES AND MATERIAL DAMAGE AND INVESTMENT IN DISASTER RISK REDUCTION MEANS PROTECTION OF ECONOMIC GROWTH, REDUCTION OF POVERTY LEVELS AND MORE ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE, HE SAID, AFFIRMING UN'S RESOLVE TO CUT DOWN DISASTER RISKS TO LOWER LEVELS BY 2015.
BAN KI-MOON LAUDED THE REPORT INAUGURATION AS AN INDICATION OF THE UN'S CARE AND PRAISED THE CONTRIBUTION OF UN MEMBER-STATES IN GENERAL AND BAHRAIN IN PARTICULAR.
THE PREFACE PROVIDED SOME STATISTICS, REVEALED BY THE 2007 REPORT, SHOWING THAT BETWEEN 1975 AND 2005, DISASTERS CLAIMED LIVES OF AROUND 2.3 MILLION PEOPLE AND COST THE WORLD BETWEEN 1975 AND 2006 AROUND USD 10 BILLION.
BEING THE HOST COUNTRY AND THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO THE DRR, BAHRAIN, IN COOPERATION WITH THE UN, UNDP AND CONCERNED INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS, IS RACING AGAINST TIME TO ENSURE SUCCESS FOR THE BIG EVENT.
MTQ.
10-MAY-2009 09:54