Ambassador Svein Sæther opening the conference on reduction disaster risk. On the right, IFRC's Carl Naucler. Photo: Anna Hamre
Disaster risks reduction
The Norwegian Red Cross has developed an active partnership with its sister organizations in China and Vietnam. Together the three national organizations co-organized a conference on reducing risks of natural disasters in Beijing November 9th. Ambassador Svein Sæther opened the conference with a speech that emphasized that no country should have to deal with humanitarian disaster alone. The Norwegian cooperation with Chinese and Vietnamese Red Cross is part of the Norwegian MFA’s framework agreement with the Norwegian Red Cross from this summer concerning prevention.
Adaptation
As a continuation of the conference the Norwegian MFA and the Embassy together with the Norwegian Red Cross Secretary-General Børge Brende and Beijing Red Cross went on a fieldtrip to Beicun, a mountain village outside of Beijing. During meetings with local people they were told that during the last decades surface water has disappeared, and as a result it has been necessary to drill deeper and deeper wells to be able to find water. The increasing depletion of water is partly explained by climate changes.
Børge Brende talking with the locals in Beicun. Photo: Tommy Flakk
Grass root level
The Norwegian MFA’s main cooperation partner on prevention work in China is the National Disaster Reduction Centre of China (NDRCC). The goal is to work out a MoU which includes 4-5 areas of cooperation, and which will be signed within summer 2010. NDRCC invited the Norwegian MFA and the Embassy to Zhejiang Province to get a better understanding of the local prevention work. The local government in Ningbo emphasized how competence on grass root level is being build up by having regular exercises and a clear organizational structure where both the general public and the government have clear responsibilities in case of disaster.
Sigvald Hauge being briefed about grass root activities. Photo: Tommy Flakk
Cooperation on expert level
The cooperation between and China and Norway on prevention work has come far, especially between Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) and the Chinese Water Directorate, Bureau of Hydrology. The Norwegian MFA and the Embassy took part in some of NVE’s program during its third visit to China. NVE’s cooperation with its Chinese partners is evolving from dialogue to concrete cooperation on project which aims to model water level and water stream in some watercourses in Norway and China. The main goal is to be able to notify of possible flooding at an early stage.