II. OBJECTIVES OF THE ASIAN CONFERENCE ON DISASTER REDUCTION

    The conference provides a platform for Asian countries to share and exchange best practices and lessons learned from disaster risk reduction;

    elaborate priorities for action that may be considered by individual countries for implementation in Asia as identified under the Hyogo Framework for Action; and promote regional cooperation for disaster risk reduction in Asia.

    III. RECOMMENDED PRIORITY AREAS AND EXPECTED RESULTS FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HYOGO FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION IN ASIA

    The HFA sets three strategic goals and five priority areas in disaster risk reduction to reduce losses of lives and social, economic and environmental assets of communities and countries from disasters. Asian countries have discussed and emphasized recommended priorities to be pursued under the five HFA priority areas, and also prioritized activities under each of those five areas, based on the common concerns and needs of all Asian countries.

    As disaster risk reduction is a cross-cutting issue with great complexity, which requires understanding, knowledge, commitment and action, it should be addressed systematically with the active participation of all stakeholders, especially national governments.

    As a first step towards reducing disaster risk and attaining sustainable development, Asian countries are encouraged to proceed in accordance with the HFA to achieve the tangible results of a set of time-bound activities (listed hereinafter), which are of immediate concern to all Asian countries in their pursuit of poverty reduction and sustainable development.

    1. Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and local priority with strong institutional basis for implementation

    1.1 Promoting inter-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder coordination and collaboration is a must for effective disaster reduction actions. Disaster risk reduction is an issue of great complexity that requires close cooperation among stakeholders representing comprehensive skills and knowledge needed for disaster risk reduction and mainstreaming it into development planning and practice. Lines of official communication and public information flow throughout the society from high level officials to local communities at risk are essential elements of effective coordination and wide-ranging collaboration. In the last two decades, there has been, in all Asian countries, growing understanding of the need for a systematic approach to disaster reduction. This underscores the urgent need to establish or enhance national platforms for disaster risk reduction.

    1.2 Building the resilience of nations and communities is primarily the responsibility of national governments and local community leaders. The sustained involvement of national governments and local community leaders is crucial to provide political direction and commitment, to create necessary enabling environments and to encourage national and local ownership of disaster risk reduction processes. The existence of appropriate national policies and legislation for disaster risk reduction at national and local levels is a demonstration of the commitment of national governments to pursue disaster risk reduction in the context of sustainable development. Civil society organization and volunteer networks such as National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are equally important for awareness raising and actions to create more resilient communities. National and local ownership, for both their parts, enable genuine and effective responses to respective national and local needs and realities, thereby promoting proactive participation at all levels of activity. Therefore, national governments are encouraged to take further actions to develop and review policies and legislation on disaster risk reduction at all levels, and promote national and local ownership of disaster risk reduction processes. 

    1.3 Providing resources on a continuing basis for disaster risk reduction is an investment for sustainable development. The current lack of understanding of disaster risk reduction results in limited commitment to allocate sufficient resources to reduce communities' vulnerabilities to disasters. This has partially contributed to increased impacts of disasters and perpetuated the need for humanitarian assistance, hence slowing down the achievement of poverty reduction across the region. Therefore, when planning for countries' development goals, national governments are encouraged to invest adequate national resources for disaster risk reduction at all levels of activity and in addition to mobilize external resources through bilateral and multilateral cooperation;

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