KHOROG, May 28, 2009, Asia-Plus — Issues related to role of media in raising disaster awareness of population and improving the capacities of communities at risk to better prepare and protect themselves were discussed at a May 27 seminar in Khorog, the capital of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (Gorno Badakhshan or GBAO).
Organized by Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS) in Tajikistan, the seminar was held in the framework of the Disaster Preparedness-ECHO (DIPECHO) program that is funded by European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO).
The event brought together journalists from all districts of Gorno Badakhshan, senior representatives from local emergencies, firefighting service, hydrometeorology and avalanche stations to discuss issues related to raising disaster awareness of the population and improving the capacities of communities at risk to better prepare and protect themselves.
The meeting participants, in particular, considered raising disaster awareness of the population and preparing them for disasters through media.
DIPECHO program was launched by European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department in 1996. Typically, DIPECHO-funded projects cover training, capacity-building, awareness-raising, early-warning, and planning and forecasting measures. DIPECHO funds support training, capacity-building, awareness-raising and early-warning projects as well the organization of relief services. The program has shown that even simple precautions can help save lives and property when disaster strikes. The funds are directed through ECHO and implemented by aid agencies working in the regions concerned.
Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS) is an international group of agencies established in Europe, North America and South Asia to complement the provision of emergency relief, principally in the developing world. It helps people in need reduce their dependence on humanitarian aid and facilitates their transition to sustainable self-reliant, long-term development. Focus Humanitarian Assistance is affiliated with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a group of institutions working to improve opportunities and living conditions, for people of all faiths and origins, in specific regions of the developing world. Underlying the establishment of FOCUS by the Ismaili Muslim community is a history of successful initiatives to assist people struck by natural and man-made disasters in South and Central Asia, and Africa. FCUS has worked in Tajikistan since 1997
