A regional process under the international initiative for IFM

International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM), Public Works Research Institute (PWRI), 1-6 Minamihara, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8516 Japan

^a Corresponding author: m-murase@pwri.go.jp

Abstract

Climate change is likely to result in increases in the frequency or intensity of extreme weather events including floods. The International Flood Initiative (IFI), initiated in January 2005 by UNESCO and WMO and voluntary partner organizations has promoted an integrated flood management (IFM) to take advantage of floods and use of floodplains while reducing the social, environmental and economic risks. Its secretariat is located in ICHARM. The initiative objective is to support national platforms to practice evidence-based disaster risk reduction through mobilizing scientific and research networks. After its initial decade, the initiative is providing a stepping-stone for the implementation of Sendai Framework by revitalizing its activities aimed at building on the sucess of the past, while addressing existing gaps in integrated flood managemnet strategies comprising of optimal structural and nonstructural measures thereby mainstreaming disaster risk reduction and targeting sustainable development. In this context, a new mechanism try to facilitate monitoring, assessment and capacity building in the Asia Pacific region. The primary outcomes of the mechanism are demand-driven networking and related documentations of best practices for 1) hazard assessment, 2) exposure assessment, 3) vulnerability assessment and coping capacity to identify the gaps, and 4) follow-ups and monitoring of the IFM process.