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Leaders highlight vital role of information in disaster relief

by NO_AUTHOR | Thomson Reuters Foundation
Monday, 6 April 2009 19:21 GMT

A top-level meeting at the United Nations of people involved in the world of disaster relief - including Alertnet's  Chief Executive Monique Villa - has underlined the increasing attention being given to improving the flow of information to and from stricken communities.

The panel was held at U.N. headquarters in New York on 26 March, hosted by UN OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) , the BBC World Service Trust and Internews.

It was opened by Sir Nicholas Young, Chief Executive of the British Red Cross, representing the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)

An IFRC news release quoted him as saying that people in disaster situations needed information as much as water, food, medicine or shelter. Information could save lives, livelihoods and resources, he said. Information bestowed power, as recognised in the IFRC’s World Disasters Report 2005 - but asked, were these needs being met?  “Sometimes yes, often no,” he said.  He noted the energy and the will among the 150 participants - from UN agencies and member States, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the NGO community and representatives from the private sector - to better serve those most affected.

Moderating the panel, Catherine Bragg, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, OCHA, paid tribute to the World Disasters Report 2005 as a “groundbreaking report”.

One example of effective communication is Radio R-PMI Aceh, an initiative by the Irish Red Cross and the Indonesian Red Cross, which aimed at interacting with the local community and keeping them informed through daily updates, talk-shows and other community interaction.

Lisa Robinson from BBC World Service Trust also stressed the importance of radio as a lifeline and as a powerful tool for giving a voice to the most vulnerable. In conflict-stricken Darfur, for example, the BBC World Service Trust used local shortwave radio to deliver lifesaving information on issues such as malaria prevention to displaced populations who were not in camps.

The panel also addressed the crucial role of training local media in responding to disasters. Best practices were provided by both Internews and Thomson Reuters Foundation - the latter is making available a free Emergency Information Service to help survivors of catastrophes.

Monique Villa, Director of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, of which Alertnet is part, said: “After 13 years of Alertnet, a supplier of mixed information from almost 200 bureaus and an alliance of NGOS, we wanted to be more useful.

“Now hubs are being created in New Delhi, Bangkok, Bogota and Dakar, so our staff can instantly be deployed to serve the affected populations, local media and aid groups during the emergency phase of a disaster.”

Yet challenges remain. Sir Nicholas Young concluded: “To do communications properly comes at a price. It may be hard in the fog of wars and disasters, but we simply need to invest more. It’s important to keep up with technological advances and the opportunities they may bring for better communication while not losing sight of the fact that low-tech approaches are also important in many contexts.”

The agenda was being moved forward by a British Red Cross event called "Dispatches from the Disaster Zone", in partnership with Save the Children scheduled for London on 17 April. It was to focus on the role of local and national media in communicating with affected populations.

       

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