At the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO will announce a new global programme to ensure 100% of coastal communities will be “Tsunami Ready” by 2030. Other conference highlights include the designation of Maya Gabeira, the Brazilian surfer, as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.
UNESCO leads the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development from 2021 to 2030. In this context, several international summits are organized this year to amplify the international mobilisation for the ocean, the most important of which is the UN Ocean Conference, from 27 June to 1 July, in Lisbon, Portugal.
At this conference, UNESCO’s Director General will announce an ambitious new commitment: the global deployment of the “Tsunami ready” program, which will result in the training of all at-risk coastal communities in the event of a tsunami by 2030.
To become “Tsunami Ready” a community must develop a tsunami risk reduction plan, designate and map tsunami hazard zones, develop outreach and public education materials, create public-friendly tsunami evacuation maps, and publicly display tsunami information.
Already piloted in forty communities in 21 countries, across the Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Ocean regions, the Tsunami Ready Programme will be extended globally to thousands more vulnerable coastal communities. The programme sets out twelve indicators covering all steps, from hazard assessment and evaluation to preparedness and response, adapted to local needs.