Media Release 12 October 2007

NZ hosts international UN disaster response training

Representatives from 24 countries and international agencies will be in New Zealand for the next two weeks for a major international disaster response training exercise.

The Director of the Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management, John Hamilton, said that New Zealand is hosting the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Co-ordination (UNDAC) Asia-Pacific group training in Christchurch from October 15 to 26.

"UNDAC teams respond to disasters by deploying teams into affected countries to support the national government and coordinate the international response," Mr Hamilton said.

The objective of the training is to build capability in the Asia-Pacific region.

The training begins with lectures and presentations, group work and small simulations, culminating in a full UNDAC exercise on October 24 and 25. That exercise will involve responding to a simulated disaster in New Zealand by deploying an UNDAC team and its equipment. The team will set up an On-Site Operations Co-ordination Centre (OSOCC) to be part of national crisis management arrangements.

The Chief of the UN's Emergency Services Branch, Gerhard Putmann-Cramer, will officially open the training on Monday at 9am at the Holiday Inn on Avon in Christchurch. The training will be led by the UN's Chief of the Field Co-ordination Support Section, Arjun Katoch. Both Mr Putmann-Cramer and Mr Katoch are based in Geneva.

About UNDAC, from UN website
http://ochaonline.un.org/Coordination/FieldCoordinationSupportSection/UNDACSystem/tabid/1414/Default.aspx

"The United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team is a stand-by team of disaster management professionals who are nominated and funded by member governments, OCHA, UNDP and operational humanitarian United Nations Agencies such as WFP, UNICEF and WHO.

"Upon request of a disaster-stricken country, the UNDAC team can be deployed within hours to carry out rapid assessment of priority needs and to support national authorities and the United Nations Resident Coordinator to coordinate international relief on-site.

"Members of the UNDAC team are permanently on stand-by to deploy to relief missions following disasters and humanitarian emergencies anywhere in the world."

UNDAC deployments with New Zealanders as part of the team have included:

Papua New Guinea, 2001, earthquake and volcanic eruption
Federated States of Micronesia, two deployments in 2002, cyclones
Vanuatu 2003, cyclone
Indonesia and Sri Lanka, 2004, Boxing Day tsunami
USA, 2005, Hurricane Katrina
Solomon Islands, 2007, earthquake and tsunami

Other UNDAC responses this year not involving New Zealanders have included:
Peru, earthquake
Caribbean, hurricanes Felix and Dean
Western Africa, floods
Uganda, floods

Training participants

Participants in the training are all experienced, senior emergency management staff from:

Australia
China
Cook Islands
International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent
India
Indonesia
Israel
Japan
Republic of Korea
Malaysia
Mongolia
Netherlands
New Zealand
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Singapore
Solomon Islands
SOPAC
UNICEF
UAE
USA
World Food Programme
World Health Organisation

ends

© Scoop Media