Tehran, December 29, 2005 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has initiated a joint programme with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran on strengthening national capacity for disaster risk management. The programme links disaster risk management policy to practice through a pilot earthquake risk management programme in two demonstration cities. The programme focuses on reducing risks associated with earthquakes, as the major natural hazard in Iran, in urban areas. The programme document was signed last week between Technical Affairs Deputy of MPO Mr. Mehdi Tafazoli and UNDP Resident Representative a.i. Mr. Yuxue Xue on behalf of the Government and UNDP respectively. Mr. Tafazoli described the programme as "a turning point in Disaster Risk Management Programmes in Iran" and expressed the hope that its successful implementation would lead to its replication at national level. He also emphasized the importance of continuing the participatory approach in planning and implementation of the programmme by involving local authorities and stakeholders. "Iran's relatively high vulnerability to disaster risk needs to be tackled through strategic programmes that address disaster risk reduction across sectors," said Mr. Xue upon signing the programme document at MPO. He added, "While identifying such strategies, the key objective of this programme is to translate national policies into local and intermediate level practices towards sustainable risk reduction".

 UNDP is to engage in this process through initiating a pilot Earthquake Risk Management Programme in two demonstration sites to be selected from among the cities of Lar, Kerman, Gorgan and Jiroft. The selection would be made through participatory consultations with national, provincial and local authorities, using such global tools like the Global Earthquake Safety Initiative (GESI) and Earthquake Disaster Risk Index (EDRI).

The demonstration exercise will ultimately be combined with a process of creating benchmarks leading to standardisation and regulation of building codes across the country. The cost-shared four-year programme, with a total value of about USD 6 million, will be executed by the MPO through collaboration with all key stakeholders, including relevant Government organizations, national and international research centres, and local NGOs. At a broader level, the UNDP-supported programme is expected to develop, over the next four years, two regional knowledge networks on earthquake and drought risk management in Central and South West Asia. Iran lies on a major seismic line and has been a regular victim of quakes, some of them of catastrophic proportions. Some 30,000 people were killed and thousands more were injured on 26 December 2003 when the 6.5 magnitude quake razed the ancient Silk Road city of Bam, rendering some 200,000 people homeless and damaging or destroying some 42,000 houses.