ASIAN GOVTS SHOULD INVEST MORE ON DISASTER PREVENTION, SAYS ESCAP DIRECTOR

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 (Bernama) -- Asian governments should invest more on
disaster prevention measures in order to save more lives and money, said Xuan
Xengpei, the director of the ICT and Disaster Risk Reduction Division of the
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

He said studies conducted by the World Bank showed that for every dollar
spent in disaster risk reduction measures, seven dollars was saved in the
cost of recovery and reconstruction after disasters happened.

"A small investment now can bring immediate benefits... from experiences of
the countries making presentations at this conference, it shows not only the
investments can save humans, but can bring significant economic value," he
said at the Third Asian Ministerial Conference On Disaster Risk Reduction here
Wednesday.

Xuan said Asian governments were also encouraged to develop regional
partnerships and cooperation in the information and technology aspect.

"It has been proven how important its for countries to make effective use
of technology in regional cooperation to strengthen their human, technical and
financial resources for disaster risk reduction, including early warning
systems," he said.

"Countries can very much learn from each other's experiences through
sharing of experiences," he said.

He said the disaster risk reduction was not just the responsibility of
governments but was a shared responsibility based on multi-stake holder
partnerships, for instance with the NGOs, private sector and international
community.

He said countries could also benefit from partnerships with the scientific
community and academic institutions to enhance their scientifically informed
multi-hazard risk assessment including through space technology.

"This can increase the effectiveness of investments of disaster risk
reduction by bringing the right information to the right people at the right
location at the right time," he added.

-- BERNAMA