Working Group 3:
Risk, Vulnerability &
Impact Assessment
Presentation by Working Group 3
to the 8th Meeting of the
Inter-Agency Task Force
Geneva 5-6 November, 2003
Executive Summary
 The last meeting of the ISDR-IATF Working Group 3
was held in Geneva on March 10–11, 2003. The
meeting was attended by 32 experts from UN
organizations and agencies, academic and scientific
organizations, NGO’s, regional organizations and
networks and others from Africa, the Americas, Asia
and Europe. The Working Group made
recommendations to the ISDR-TF7 in its three
substantive areas of focus.
Areas of Focus
Sub-Working Groups:
1. Improving Quality, Coverage and Accuracy
of Disaster Databases (sub-chair: IRI Columbia
University)
2.
3.
Review of Indexes Relevant for Risk and
Vulnerability Indexing (sub-chair UNDP)
Tools and Best Practices for Risk and
Vulnerability Analysis at the Local and
Urban Levels (sub-chair UN-HABITAT)
Improving the Quality, Coverage
and Accuracy of Disaster Database
 ADRC and OCHA ReliefWeb hosted a technical
meeting on the GLobal unique disaster IDentifier
number (GLIDE), Geneva, July 14 – 15
 IRI, Colombia University is carrying out an independent
peer reviewed overview of the comparative studies on
disaster databases produced by ProVention and
Working Group 3.
 ISDR Secretariat is undertaking a global survey of
national disaster databases through the UN Resident
Coordinator system
Review of Indexes Relevant for
Risk and Vulnerability Indexing
 Review of indicators and indexing initiatives posted on
Working Group 3 website
 UNDP and UNEP/GRID have completed a global
Disaster Risk Index that will be published as part of a
UNDP publication titled Reducing Disaster Risk: a
Challenge for Development to be launched on February
2, 2004
 An Expert Group meeting on the IADB-IDEA Indicators
Project on Disaster Risk Management was held in
Barcelona in July 2003.
Tools and Best Practices for Risk and
Vulnerability Analysis at the Local &
Urban Levels
 UN-HABITAT/DMP and UNDP/BCPR in collaboration
with ADPC and OAS have taken the lead in the
development of an inventory of risk analysis and
vulnerability assessment tools particularly for local and
urban applications, which can be easily accessed both
by UN-ISDR partners and the general public through
the Internet.
 Resources have recently been secured for this activity
from UNDP, UN-HABITAT and the ISDR Secretariat.
The project will be completed within one year; the
inventory will then be permanently up-dated on-line and
selected tools applied in practice.
Future Date Programming 2004
Improving Quality, Coverage and Accuracy
of Disaster Databases
 The publication of the peer-reviewed overview of
disaster data, coordinated by Maxx Dilley, IRI,
Colombia University is scheduled for April 2004.
 A Working Group 3 technical meeting will be held in
April-May 2004 to discuss the multi-user GLIDE
generator operation and also GLIDE promotion.
 The collaborative proposal with Working Group 1 to
compare and link climate and disaster databases
through a pilot application in Chile will be completed.
Future Date Programming 2004
 The finalization of a proposal to pilot and further
develop a multi-tiered system of information on disaster
occurrence and loss will be presented to IATF-9 after
consultation with all Working Group 3 partners.
Review of Indexes Relevant for Risk and
Vulnerability Indexing
 A Working Group 3 meeting focusing on indicators and
indexing for disaster risk management will be held in
March 2004 and will be hosted by the IADB-IDEA
Indicators Project on Disaster Risk Management
Future Date Programming 2004
Tools and Best Practices for Risk and Vulnerability
Analysis at the Local and Urban Levels
 The UN-Habitat and UNDP project on Tools and Best
Practices for Risk and Vulnerability Analysis at the Local
and Urban Levels will be implemented throughout 2004.
Future of Working Group 3
 Should be reviewed by the IATF in the second half of
2004.