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Branson Pitakia, Information Technology Officer at the Solomon Islands National Disaster Management Office, illustrates the potential of knowledge and innovation in disaster management. His story shows how geospatial technology can help in disaster preparedness and response, and ultimately protect communities.
Branson Pitakia's quest for knowledge led him to enrol in UNOSAT's Geographic Information Systems (GIS) training courses, which are part of the project “Strengthening Capacities in the Use of Geospatial Information for Improved Resilience in Asia-Pacific and Africa (...
Jewel's passion for disaster risk management stems from personal experiences during disasters, particularly the 2009 tsunami, which highlighted the importance of community preparedness.As the Manager of the National Disaster Management Unit in Tokelau, Jewel focuses on community capacity building, emergency management planning, and training for first responders.The geographical isolation of Tokelau complicates immediate disaster responses, while the community faces vulnerabilities due to climate change and limited resources.Jewel discovered the UNITAR DRR training program t...
Diego Caicedo - General Secretariat of the Andean Community (SGCAN) The commitment of the General Secretariat of the Andean Community (SGCAN in Spanish) to the well-being of its 115 million inhabitants is more than just a mission - it's a driving force for positive change. In 2023, a pivotal partnership between UNITAR and SGCAN emerged, dedicated to enhancing road safety throughout the Andean Community (CAN in Spanish). This collaboration led to the introduction of the Virtual Road Safety Dashboard, a groundbreaking tool empowering road safety experts and Mi...
10 June 2022, Geneva, Switzerland - On Saturday 15th January 2022, the ongoing volcanic eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai triggered a tsunami across the Pacific. The scale of the explosion was so large, undersea communications lines were damaged, leaving the population of the Kingdom of Tonga out of reach. The dense ash clouds, added to the poor meteorological conditions, limited the flying capabilities and visual confirmation of the situation on the ground. Satellite imagery, therefore, became a key source of information to assess the extent and severity of the damages...
Cindy is an instructional designer and international trainer. Before joining the “Learning Design and Facilitation Masterclass Series”, offered by UNITAR’s Learning Solutions team, she had over six years of engagement with UNITAR as a trainer in topics related to leadership, coaching, communication, and negotiation. Cindy also works full-time as a training and development designer at Unitrade Management Services and is pursuing a degree in instructional design. Clearly, Cindy was not new to the intricacies of training development, however, UNITAR's Masterclass Series provid...
Nikki Antonette De Vera, an advocate for disaster risk reduction (DRR) from the Philippines, emerges as a beacon of change in the field. Nikki’s exposure to emergency response efforts early in life inspired her commitment to sustainable livelihoods and equitable DRR.
As an alum of the UNITAR Hiroshima Women’s Leadership in Tsunami-based Disaster Risk Reduction Training Programme, her journey underscores the symbiotic relationship between culture and learning in building resilient communities.
The UNITAR training programme provides a women's lea...
When Lu’isa Uai Taunga, an officer with the National Emergency Management Office in the Kingdom of Tonga, participated in the UNITAR Disaster Risk Reduction Training which wrapped up in November 2017, she left with renewed energy and ideas for new initiatives to prepare her community in the island group of Ha’apai in the event of a disaster. “This year I changed my approach, and this is something I learned from UNITAR during my school visit where the bottom to top approach was used.” she shared with UNITAR disaster risk reduction training associate, Junko Shimazu.
She wor...
Title: Chief Operations Officer of the National Emergency Operations Center
Country: Solomon Islands
Partnership: CommonSensing Project
Tropical Cyclones are regular and disastrous occurrences for the Solomon Islands. Each year the cyclone season brings powerful wind speeds and high storm surges, threatening SIDS. George Baragamu, Chief Operations Officer of the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC), situated in the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO), in the Solomon Islands, knows the risks of such weather events too well.
George works to protect the country...
Mele Moimoi is a disaster risk reduction trainer at Tonga National Council of Churches (TNCC).
Her preparedness habits and knowledge about disaster risk reduction helped her in the 2022 Tonga disaster.
Mele learned about gender leadership in disasters at the 2021 UNITAR Hiroshima Women’s Leadership in Tsunami-based Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Training Programme.
Tongan women take care of the family while men work far from home. Women need to know how to respond to disasters and lead in crises.
, April 2022 - The volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami that hit Tong...
Name: W.A. Kumudu Sanjeewa
Title: Head of Communications and Information Management (CIMU), United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: South Sudan
Partnership: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
South Sudan is ranked among the five countries in the world most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. In the past years, the country has seen wet seasons becoming wetter, and dry seasons getting even drier. As a result, devastating floods are mercilessly hitting its population with increasingly destructive pow...