Development of a module on terrorism and other man-made disasters
WHO is working with the United Nations Disaster Management Training Programme to develop a preparedness training module, based on risk management principles. In addition to chemical and biological risks, the module covers radionuclear materials and structural incidents. This training module is being developed with Emergency Management Visions International, a non-profit consultancy with experts from Harvard University. One of the main objectives is to improve capacities of national and international partners for enhanced coordination and collaborative efforts in risk management and crisis/disaster response.
The audience for the module is composed of decision-makers, managers and other government officials at the country level, plus their in-country counterparts from UN agencies, including members of the United Nations Disaster Management Teams. Other potential target groups include nongovernmental organizations, donors, and, where appropriate, representatives of the private sector. Therefore the degree of technical discussion centres on the areas those individuals with multi-sectoral responsibilities for preparedness, planning, mitigation and management might need to know and does not cover the specifics of managing certain injury types or the specific management of the individual hazards.
This project started in 2002 and there is a plan for field testing the draft modules in 3 countries in 2003.