Regional Partnerships

The Asia-Pacific region contains a diverse array of cultures, environments, and societies. One of the fastest growing economic regions in the world, it is also the most disaster-prone. While natural disasters affect the region frequently, as this region continues along its path of development, regional partnerships will be essential in developing the capacities of countries to reduce risk and vulnerability and to respond to disasters.

The changing environment and particularly the growing capacity of middle-income countries in Asia and the Pacific mean that ensuring the effective coordination with communities, national/local authorities, regional organizations are a core part of OCHA’s response.

Regional intergovernmental organizations include the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).

OCHA coordinates the ASEAN-UN Strategic Plan of Action on Disaster Management and works closely with the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre).

Elevation and Bathymetry

The region is home to the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest (Sagarmatha in Nepal and Chomolungma in China) at 8,848m, as well as the deepest surveyed point in the oceans,
Challenger Deep in the Marianas Trench at 10,911m.

The Pacific Ocean is the Earth's largest water body, covering a third of its surface and containing more islands and reefs than all other oceans and seas combined, the result of undersea volcanic mountains whose eroded summits from the ocean's many island arcs, chains and clusters. Most notable among these are the hundreds of active volcanoes that make up the Pacific Ring of Fire. The total number of islands in the Pacific is unknown, but estimated at 20,000 to 30,000 and mostly located in the south and west. Among these islands are some of the world's largest, including Borneo, Sumatra and New Guinea.

The main Asian landmass has the highest mean elevation of any continent at 950m, peaking in the high Tibetan Plateau. To the northwest of these mountain chains lie the plains of central Asia, while to the south are the Indian subcontinent and Malay peninsula.

The Human Footprint

Human influence on the earth’s land surface is a global driver of ecological processes on the planet, en par with climatic trends, geological forces and astronomical variations. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University joined together to systematically map and measure the human influence on the earth’s land surface today.

The analysis indicates that 83 per cent of the earth's land surface is influenced directly by human beings, whether through human land uses, human access from roads, railways or major rivers, electrical infrastructure (indicated by lights detected at night), or direct occupancy by human beings at densities above 1 person per KM². The authours refer to the human influence on the land’s surface measure as the "Human Footprint.

Annual Precipitation

This map shows the average amount of precipitation falling in a year, based on approximately 50 years of data. The figures shown do not therefore represent the amount of precipitation that may occur in any given year.

The WORLDCLIM dataset consists of interpolated climate surface data on monthly precipitation and mean, minimum, and maximum temperature at a spatial resolution of 30 arc seconds (approximately 1km spatial resolution). Input data were gathered from a variety of sources and, where possible, restricted to records between 1950 and 2000.

The data are described in: Hijmans, R.J., S.E. Cameron, J.L. Parra, P.G. Jones and A. Jarvis, 2005. Very high resolution interpolated climate surfaces for global land areas. International Journal of Climatology 25: 1965-1978 which can be downloaded at http://www.worldclim.org/

Population Density

Using an innovative approach with GIS and remote sensing, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory LandScanTM is the community standard for global population distribution. At approximately 1 km resolution LandScan is the finest resolution global population distribution data available and represents an ambient population (average over 24 hours).

The LandScan algorithm uses spatial data,imagery analysis technologies and a multi-variable modeling approach to disaggregate census counts within an administrative boundary. Since no single population distribution model can account for the differences in spatial data availability, quality, scale, and accuracy as well as the differences in cultural settlement practices, LandScan population distribution models are tailored to match the data conditions and geographical nature of each individual country and region.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory: http://web.ornl.gov/sci/landscan/

Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification

The highly referenced climate classification map of Wladimir Köppen was published for the first time in 1900 and updated in its latest version by Rudolf Geiger in 1961.

Climate classification is applied to a broad range of topics in climate and climate change research as well as in physical geography, hydrology, agriculture, biology and educational aspects.

Based on recent data from the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia and the Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC) at the German Weather Service, this map presents a new digital Köppen-Geiger world map on climate classification for the second half of the 20th century.

Maximum Temperature

Temperatures in the Asia-Pacific region can go very high with central India reaching 50oC or more. The Tibetan plateau rarely exceeds 20oC because of its high elevation.

These temperatures are based on average highs over a period of approximately 50 years. Maximum temperatures in the region may therefore be from different months of the year and a temperature in any given location may exceed these maximums.

The WORLDCLIM dataset consists of interpolated climate surface data on monthly precipitation and mean, minimum, and maximum temperature at a spatial resolution of 30 arc seconds (approximately 1km spatial resolution).

Input data were gathered from a variety of sources and, where possible, restricted to records between 1950 and 2000.

The data are described in: Hijmans, R.J., S.E. Cameron, J.L. Parra, P.G. Jones and A. Jarvis, 2005. Very high resolution interpolated climate surfaces for global land areas. International Journal of Climatology 25: 1965-1978 which can be downloaded at http://www.worldclim.org/.

Lima - Finance Ministers of the Vulnerable Twenty (V20), representing close to 700 million people threatened by climate change and spanning world regions, held their inaugural meeting on 8 October 2015 in Lima, Peru. They announced a series of actions to foster greater investment in climate resiliency and low emissions development at home and internationally.

In its first statement the group called the response to climate change a “foremost humanitarian priority”, with the V20 committing to act collectively to “foster a significant increase” of public and private finance for climate action from wide-ranging sources, including international, regional and domestic mobilization.

“In the absence of an effective global response, annual economic losses due to climate change are projected to exceed US$400 billion by 2030 for the V20, with impacts far surpassing our local or regional capabilities,” said Cesar Purisima, Finance Minister of the Philippines. “Here in Lima, we unite for what we believe is the fundamental human rights issue threatening our very own existence today. Global climate action gives us hope that we can still see a future free from the most devastating effects of climate change.”

Finance Ministers decided to develop and apply innovative fiscal measures. They voiced support for an international financial transaction tax to aid the mobilization of additional resources for the fight against climate change. They also called for improved access to international climate change finance for adaptation and mitigation action, the fulfillment of the $100 billion commitment to the Green Climate Fund, and acceleration towards a 50:50 balance in resources mobilized given prevailing shortfalls for initiatives to adapt to climate change.

“This is not a typical group of major economies. Instead we represent countries put at high risk by the economic failures to address climate change,” said Jose Francisco Pacheco, Vice Minister of Finance of Costa Rica, calling the event today in Lima “historic”. “We have decided to work together to ensure we are not made victims, but do everything we can to contribute to a resolution to this crisis.”

Dr. Atiur Rahman, Governor of the Bangladesh Bank, added: “We want to the world to know that we will not overlook the perils that our economies have been placed at due to the shortcomings, particularly of action by major economies. The world also needs to know that working together our vulnerable countries are doing everything in our power to bring the climate crisis under control, and we won’t relent until we’ve succeeded in our ambition.”

Additionally, Finance Ministers agreed to establish a sovereign V20 Climate Risk Pooling mechanism to distribute economic and financial risks, enabling participating economies to improve recovery from climate-induced extreme weather events and disasters and to ensure enhanced security for jobs, livelihoods, businesses and investors. Modeled on similar regional facilities, the trans-regional mechanism would increase access to dependable and cost-efficient insurance while incentivizing scaled-up adaptation measures.

Finally, V20 countries committed to develop or improve their financial accounting models and methodologies to enhance accounting of climate change costs, risks and response co-benefits in all their forms, while seeking a new international partnership to help realize the group’s aims.

“Financial constraints put up serious barriers for climate action and expose millions to disaster and hardship. We believe the V20’s vision to deploy innovation in finance, based on shared experiences, has great potential to knock down such barriers” said Helen Clark, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator.

“The world needs stronger voices from developing countries to draw more attention to their great needs for investment in fighting the impacts from climate change,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. “This new group of 20 countries, led by the Philippines, will play an important role in pushing for greater investment in climate resiliency and low carbon growth at home and internationally.”

The V20 was created to promote climate finance mobilization; to share and exchange best practices on economic and financial aspects of climate action; to develop and implement improved and innovative approaches; and to engage in advocacy and other joint actions.

A Working Group of the V20 commenced immediate follow-up to begin implementation of the first Action Plan, progress on which will be presented at the UN Climate Change Conference at Paris (COP21) later this year. The V20 statement said COP21 must deliver “an agreement entirely consistent with the non-negotiable survival of our kind,” while highlighting the significance of a strengthened below 1.5C temperature goal.

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bhutan, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Kiribati, Madagascar, Maldives, Nepal, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Vietnam are part of the V20 and the associated Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) that mandated the group’s formation.

Media inquiries

UNDP/CVF

Mr. Matthew McKinnon, Climate Vulnerable Forum Support specialist +41 78 732 7553 matthew.mckinnon@undp.org

Ms. Sarah Bel, UNDP Communication specialist sarah.bel@undp.org

Office of the Secretary of Finance, Republic of the Philippines

Mr. Harvey Chuahchua@dof.gov.ph +639178747222

World Bank Ms. Josefa Dizondizon@worldbank.org

Ms. Camille Funnellcfunnell@worldbank.org

Online resources

V20 website - http://www.V-20.org CVF website - http://www.thecvf.org Philippines Department of Finance website - http://www.dof.gov.ph UNDP website - http://www.undp.org

Genetic diversity of livestock can help feed a hotter, harsher world

Despite growing interest in safeguarding biodiversity of livestock and poultry,genetic erosion continues

27 January 2016, Rome - Livestock keepers and policy makers worldwide are increasingly interested in harnessing animal biodiversity to improve production and food security on a warmer, more crowded planet, according to a new FAO report issued today. The agency nonetheless warns that many valuable animal breeds continue to be at risk and calls for stronger efforts to use the pool of genetic resources sustainably.

According to The Second Report on the State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, some 17 percent (1,458) of the world's farm animal breeds are currently at risk of extinction, while the risk status of many others (58 percent) is simply unknown due to a lack of data on the size and structure of their populations. Nearly 100 livestock breeds have gone extinct between 2000 and 2014.

Country data shows that indiscriminate cross-breeding is considered as the main cause of genetic erosion. Other common threats to animal genetic diversity are the increasing use of non-native breeds, weak policies and institutions regulating the livestock sector, the decline of traditional livestock production systems, and the neglect of breeds considered not competitive enough.

Europe and the Caucasus, and North America are the two areas in the world with the highest proportion of at-risk breeds. In absolute terms, the highest number of at-risk breeds can be found in Europe and the Caucasus.

Both areas are characterized by highly specialized livestock industries that tend to use only a small number of breeds for production.

Why biodiversity matters

Genetic diversity provides the raw material for farmers and pastoralists to improve their breeds and adapt livestock populations to changing environments and changing demands.

"For thousands of years, domesticated animals, like sheep, chickens and camels, have contributed directly to the livelihoods and food security of millions of people," said FAO Director General José Graziano da Silva, "That includes some 70 percent of the world's rural poor today."

"Genetic diversity is a prerequisite for adaptation in the face of future challenges", according to the Director-General, who added that the report will "underpin renewed efforts to ensure that animal genetic resources are used and developed to promote global food security, and remain available for future generations."

Among the future challenges are climate change, emerging diseases, pressure on land and water, and shifting market demands, which make it more important than ever to ensure animal genetic resources are conserved and used sustainably.

Currently, some 38 species and 8,774 separate breeds of domesticated birds and mammals are used in agriculture and food production.

Rise in national gene banks and improved management

A total of 129 countries participated in the new global assessment, which follows nearly a decade after the release of the first global assessment of animal genetic resources in 2007.

"The data we've collected suggests there's been improvement in the number of at-risk breeds since the first assessment," says Beate Scherf, Animal Production Officer at FAO and co-author of the report. "And governments overall have definitely stepped up efforts to halt genetic erosion and more sustainably manage their national livestock breeds."

The study finds that governments are increasingly recognizing the importance of sustainably using and developing the genetic resources embodied in livestock.

When FAO published the first global assessment in 2007, fewer than 10 countries reported having established a gene bank. That number has now risen to 64 countries, and an additional 41 countries are planning to establish such a gene bank, according to the new report.

And these efforts are bearing fruit, experts say: "Over the last decade, countries across Europe have invested heavily in building shared information systems and gene banks as security measures," according to Scherf.

Regional collaborations like the new European Gene Bank Network (EUGENA) are key to managing and improving breeds in the future, she says, and should be supported by in situ conservation of live animals in their natural habitat.

In situ conservation also recognizes the cultural and environmental value of keeping live populations of diverse animal breeds.

Some 177 countries additionally have appointed National Coordinators and 78 have set up multi-stakeholder advisory groups to aid national efforts to better manage animal genetic resources.

Increasing global trade in animal genetic resources

This comes at a time of expansion in the global trade in breeding animals and livestock semen, often for cross-breeding purposes, with many developing countries emerging as significant importers and some also as exporters of genetic material.

Increasingly, farmers and policy makers in developing countries have embraced imports of genetic material as a way to enhance the productivity of their livestock populations - growing their milk output, for example, or decreasing the time needed for an animal to reach maturity.

But if not well planned, cross-breeding can fail to significantly improve productivity and lead to the loss of valuable characteristics such as the special ability to cope with extremes of temperature, limited water supplies, poor-quality feed, rough terrain, high altitudes and other challenging aspects of the production environment.

Challenges to management of genetic resources

In order to better manage livestock diversity going forward, animal breeds and their production environment need to be better described, according to the report, which shows genetic resources are frequently lost when limited knowledge leads to certain breeds going underused.

More also needs to be done to monitor population trends and emerging threats to diversity, according to the report.

Trendspotting will be critical

Among the major changes to the sector over the last decades has been the rapid expansion of large-scale high-input livestock production systems in parts of the developing world, accompanied by growing pressures on natural resources.

South Asia and Africa -two very resource-constrained regions that are home to many small-scale livestock keepers and a diverse range of animal genetic resources - are projected to become the main centres of growth in meat and milk consumption.

Trends like these are grounds for concern because similar rises in demand in other regions have come with a shift away from small-scale production that supports local genetic diversity to large-scale production that is more likely to use a limited number of breeds and can create major challenges for the sustainable use of animal genetic resources.

Changes in food systems are among trends that should be carefully tracked to predict their impact on demand for particular species and breeds, according to the report, along technology, climate changes and government policies.

Need for greater international collaboration

At the same time, the report stresses that international cooperation remains an area requiring improvement in order to support future livestock biodiversity.

Since 2007, countries have been implementing the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources, the first internationally agreed framework of its kind.

But international collaboration remains relatively underdeveloped among countries implementing the Plan, the report cautions. Cooperation should be stepped up to move beyond the limited number of bilateral and regional research programs that are currently in place.

By Andy McElroy

CEBU, Philippines, 24 February 2016 – A landmark public-private cross-border partnership in Asia is gathering pace in an effort to protect a multi-billion dollar industry on the frontline of hazard exposure.

Government officials and representatives of the tourism sector from across the region are working together as part of the Hotel Resilient Initiative to develop disaster resilience standards in holiday destinations and resorts.

The Deputy Minister for the Maldives’ National Disaster Management Centre, Ms. Fathimath Thasneem, the Director of the Philippines’ Office of Tourism Standards and Regulation, Department of Tourism, Ms. Maria Rica C. Buena, as well as tourism association officials, resort managers and hoteliers from Hong Kong, Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam met in Cebu to launch the development of a standard module for hotel resiliency.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction – a 15-year global blueprint adopted last March to reduce deaths and devastation from disasters – places such multi-sectoral partnerships at the heart of efforts to prevent and reduce disaster risk. It is the successor agreement to the Hyogo Framework, which was adopted just weeks after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami rocked the region and hit tourism hard.

“The tourism industry in Asia is a strategic part of the economies of many countries – including, very much, the Maldives – and there is no doubt we need bold ideas and robust actions to adapt to a changing climate and changing world,” Ms. Thasneem said.

The Maldives has 1,200 coral islands that sit an average of one metre above sea level. The tourism sector contributes 30 percent of the country’s GDP directly and 60 percent indirectly. From humble beginnings in 1972, with the establishment of the country’s first two resorts, the Maldives now has 105 resorts that receive 1.2 million visitors a year, four times the local population.

“When a disaster occurs there is a major impact on the Maldives’ way of life and the economy. The success of the tourism sector is vital to the people and the country. That is why this Hotel Resilient Initiative matters so much,” Ms. Thasneem said.

The expansion of the tourism sector in the Philippines has been impressive also. Annual revenue has doubled over the past six years to US$5 billion. Hotel capacity has risen to almost 203,000 rooms nationally. The industry now employs almost 5 million people, approximately 10 percent of the country’s workforce. On average, each overseas visitor spends US$103 a day and stays for 10 nights. This combines with the expenditure of the 54.6 million domestic tourists who travel the country each year.

This growth has occurred amid major progress to strengthen risk assessment, early warning and disaster risk governance. However, significant challenges remain. The experience of several disasters, including the Bohol earthquake and Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, act as a powerful reminder of the need to strengthen resilience in a sector that generates substantial economic wealth and provides for millions of livelihoods.

“This initiative represents a call for action,” said Ms. Buena of the Philippines’ Office of Tourism Standards and Regulation. “We have a very fragile environment and once destroyed, we lose the very resource from which the tourism industry thrives.”

The draft standards have been developed by a multi-discipline team led by Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), in collaboration with Bournemouth University, UK, as well as Griffith University and the University of Queensland, Australia.

Dr. Bijan Khazi of KIT, who overseeing the standards’ development, said the aim is to offer a tool that combines high technical calibre with easy use, including by small and medium-sized hotels.

The draft standards have four elements: hazard risk, and the robustness of buildings, systems and management respectively. Hotels and resorts would gain some credits for basic resilience measures. Additional credits would be awarded for a more exemplary approach.

The current piloting of the tool in the Philippines will explore issues such as whether it should lean towards a more basic checklist or a more complex system that includes certification and periodic monitoring.

The Hotel Resilient Initiative was launched in July 2015. It is jointly organized by the Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management run by German international cooperation body GIZ, the Pacific Asia Travel Association and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, and supported by the German federal government.

SUMMARY

• From 1 January 2007 to 6 April 2016, Zika virus transmission was documented in a total of 62 countries and territories. Five of these (Cook Islands, French Polynesia, ISLA DE PASCUA – Chile, YAP (Federated States of Micronesia) and New Caledonia) reported a Zika virus outbreak that has terminated. Six countries have now reported locally acquired infection through sexual transmission (Argentina, Chile, France, Italy, New Zealand and the United States of America). Viet Nam is the country to most recently report mosquitoborne Zika virus transmission.

• In the Region of the Americas, the geographical distribution of Zika virus has steadily widened since the presence of the virus was confirmed in 2015. Mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission has been reported in 33 countries and territories of this region.

• From 2007, mosquito-borne Zika virus cases have been reported in 17 countries and areas of the Western Pacific Region.

• Microcephaly and other fetal malformations potentially associated with Zika virus infection or suggestive of congenital infection have been reported in Brazil (1046 cases), Cabo Verde (two cases), Colombia (seven cases), French Polynesia (eight cases), Martinique (three cases) and Panama (one case). Two additional cases, each linked to a stay in Brazil, were detected in the United States of America and Slovenia.

• In the context of Zika virus circulation, 13 countries or territories worldwide have reported an increased incidence of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and/or laboratory confirmation of a Zika virus infection among GBS cases.

• Based on a growing body of preliminary research, there is scientific consensus that Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome.

• The global prevention and control strategy launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Strategic Response Framework encompasses surveillance, response activities and research. This situation report is organized under those headings.