Turning Global Disaster Risk Reduction Aspirations into Local Level

Turning Global Disaster Risk Reduction
Aspirations into Local Level Action
August
13.30-15.00
hrs
Almost 30 years ago, a release of a toxic substance
at a25,
pesticide
plant in
Bhopal, India, resulted in the
deadliest technological disaster in history killing more than 3,000 and injuring 170,000. The plant was
located in a crowded working class neighbourhood, a community which was ignorant about the potential
risks and whose proximity unknowingly contributed to the impact of the disastrous release.
In the late 1980s, in response to the occurrence of a number of devastating technological accidents like
the one in Bhopal, UNEP, in partnership with governments and the chemical industry, initiated the
Awareness and Preparedness for Emergencies at Local Level (APELL) Programme.
Recognising that the impact of an emergency is determined largely by the local level vulnerability and
resilience, UNEP published Awareness and Preparedness for Emergencies at Local Level (APELL)
Handbook in 1988. Since then, the APELL Handbook has acted as the key guidance document for
supporting local efforts to build resilience in the face of potential disasters.
 APELL encourages a multi-stakeholder approach, counting on local authorities, industry, and local
community as partners to implement a stepwise process for emergency awareness and
preparedness.
 So far, APELL has been introduced in over 80 communities across 30 countries.
 APELL considers partnership building, understanding risk, preparedness planning, and
communication important elements in reducing vulnerability for disasters.
Although there has been much progress in industrial safety management and emergency preparedness
since the publication of the original APELL Handbook, tragic technological accidents continue to occur,
reinforcing the need for increased adoption and implementation of the APELL Programme.
v
This
critical need to raise preparedness for disasters at all levels has been highlighted in the Hyogo
Framework for Action (HFA), a 10-year international plan which explains, describes and details the work
required across sectors and actors to reduce disaster losses around the world.
The focus of APELL is on technological accidents at fixed industrial installations, mining and port
operations, emergencies involving transport of dangerous goods through vulnerable communities, and
sensitive environments, as well as on multi-hazard risks in natural disaster prone communities.
APELL provides a practical tool that supports translation of
global and national disaster preparedness aspirations to
local level action by:
 Increasing the local community’s knowledge about
the possible risks in the area
 Creating a shared culture of safety and, hence,
improving resilience at the local level
 Encouraging community-owned actions for coordinated emergency preparedness planning
processes.
The 1988 Handbook is being revised to reflect the growing complexity of industrial operations
and new global emergency preparedness measures. It includes a revised methodology, updated
references, and APELL implementation case studies. The Handbook will be published in 2014.
UNEP APELL session at the 5th International Disaster and Risk Conference will showcase success stories,
introduce the revised Handbook, and encourage discussion on factors that contribute to building an
effective safety culture at local level through multi-stakeholder action. Moderated by UNEP, the session
speakers are:
 Mr. Timothy Gablehouse, President, Colorado Emergency Preparedness Partnership (USA), and
the lead author of the revised Handbook;
 Mr. Jinsong Zhao, Director, Responsible Production and APELL Centre/Department of Chemical
Engineering Tsinghua University, China;
 Mr. Giuseppe Damiano, Director, RAPID LA, Peru;
 Ms. Torill Tandberg, Director of Department for Industry Products and Hazardous Substances,
Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection, Norway;
 Mr. Chayadhana Chaimongkol, Global Co-ordinator of Emergency Response, BASF SE.
UNEP welcomes the diversity and wealth of experience among the Conference’s participants at the
APELL session as it reflects the cross-sectoral work needed to scale up emergency preparedness and
translate plans to local level action.
Contact: Ms. Johanna Suikkanen, Programme Officer, UNEP
[email protected]; www.unep.org/APELL