Regional Consultation Meeting on Disaster Preparedness in South East Asia and Bangladesh - Final Report (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters - DIPECHO - ECHO Programme for Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation and Prevention - European Commission Humanitarian Office, 1998, 35 p.): I. INTRODUCTION

Regional Consultation Meeting on Disaster Preparedness in South East Asia and Bangladesh - Final Report (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters - DIPECHO - ECHO Programme for Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation and Prevention - European Commission Humanitarian Office, 1998, 35 p.)

		(introduction...)
		I. INTRODUCTION
		II. BACKGROUND
		III. FINAL CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS - A SYNTHESIS
		IV. GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE CONSULTATION MEETING
		V. PLENARY SESSIONS
		VI. OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE WORKING GROUPS
		VII. APPENDICES

I. INTRODUCTION

On March 17 1998 the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) hosted a Regional Consultation Meeting on «Disaster Preparedness in South East Asia and Bangladesh».

The consultation was held in Bangkok, Thailand and brought together representatives of national administrations and regional organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and experts in the field of disaster preparedness and prevention.

This activity was undertaken with the objective of providing general information on ECHO’S new disaster preparedness approach in order to stimulate the interest and potential contributions of local governments and regional partners for the future. In this context, the draft DIPECHO Regional Programme Framework for South East Asia and Bangladesh was submitted to the participants for consultation: to receive observations and recommendations, the proposed draft document as well as the diagnostic study on the countries in the region was discussed in working groups and a plenary forum.

The consultation meeting not only allowed the incorporation of observations and recommendations expressed by the participants but also “facilitated” the exchange of information between the different actors in this field and gave a broader and more complete overview of the regional situation with regard to disaster preparedness. It also stressed the commitment of the region to improve the existing conditions and structures established to address disasters.

This document represents the final minutes of the meeting and contains a summary of the proceedings and presentations that were given during the event.