ECOSF Participated Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Talk on Heritage Sites (Natural and Cultural Heritage, Biosphere Reserve, and Geoparks)
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UNESCO and U-INSPIRE Alliance held a Virtual Conversation on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) for Heritage Sites (Natural and Cultural Heritage, Biosphere Reserve, and Geoparks) on 11 December 2020. This virtual conversation generated a meaningful dialogue with prominent expert from UNESCO and Youth and Young Professionals of U-INSPIRE Alliance members with the objectives to introduce UNESCO’s action in Disaster Risk Reduction, U-INSPIRE’s member activities on Science, Engineering, Technology and Innovation (SETI) for DRR, as well as to bring the voice of youth and young professionals initiatives in line with UNESCO’s Action in DRR, and to communicate science on DRR to public.
The event was moderated by Mr. Suyan Aslam - Co-Chair of U-INSPIRE Alliance Malaysia and the other speakers of the event were Dr. Bingwei Tian Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction (IDMR) Sichuan University, Dr. Tanot Unjah Research Fellow at Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), Ms. Sachi Suzuki Japanese Funds-in-Trust Coordinator, UNESCO Jakarta. On behalf of the ECOSF, President Prof. Manzoor Hussain Soomro participated in the event.
Experts underlined that existing national and local disaster preparedness and response mechanisms usually do not include heritage expertise in their operations. As a result, hundreds of sites are critically exposed to potential hazards, while communities worldwide are not harnessing the full potential of their heritage, both tangible and intangible, for reducing disaster risk.
Experts further stressed that heritage plays a crucial role in providing precious assets for the sustainable social and economic development of an affected region during its recovery phase, by attracting investment, creating employment, or providing renewable natural resources. Thus, strategic need for protection of heritage in the event of disaster is of paramount importance.