Tehran, June 18, 2006 - UNDP is helping Iran to build the national capacity for natural disaster risk management by introducing a standard global methodology that involves development of a historical database on past natural disaster events that will allow tracking of emerging patterns of disaster risks and then looking at their underlying causes. In partnership with the Management & Planning Organization, UNDP organized a national workshop followed by a hands-on Training-of-Trainers session in Tehran from 14-15 June 2006 to introduce the methodology, called DesInventar (Disaster Inventories System), to national partners and stakeholders, and to build consensus on the programme for achieving its goals. UNDP brought in Mr. Julio Serje, a renowned international consultant and Disaster Information Management Systems specialist, to facilitate the workshop. 

"There has been a growing awareness over the past few decades within the disaster management community in the world of the need for an analytical and systematic inventory of small, medium and large-scale disasters that could help provide 
indicators for disaster risk management, rather than mere post-disaster relief or better response preparedness", said UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Yuxue Xue. "It would provide the necessary disaster intelligence to keep a tab on the emerging patterns of disaster risk and then look at the underlying causes. That's what UNDP is trying to introduce to the Government here today," he added. The Training-of-Trainers session focused on how to utilize the DesInventar methodology, and how to install and configure its user-friendly software, as well as how to enter data on damage caused by natural disasters and then analyse it.

As a follow-up to the training, the participants from key ministries and organizations are now expected to support UNDP/Government in initiating the process of creating historical disaster databases for earthquake-affected regions soon.
The workshop followed a high-level consultation meeting held earlier in March on Improving Access to Information in Disaster Risk Management. UNDP supports Iran in strengthening capacities in disaster risk management within
the framework of a five-year national programme.