Within the NATO Science for Peace program two important projects that essentially address the development of urban earthquake risk assessment and loss scenarios in important Caucasus and Central Asian Cities were completed. These are: Seismic Risk in large Cities of Caucasus, Tools for Risk Management (SfP 974320) and Assessment and Mitigation of Seismic Risk in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic (SfP 971923). Both of these projects involved through assessments of urban earthquake risk however came up short on the issues of mitigation of these risks. Studies under the UN-IDNDR program (RADIUS) and EU-FP6 program (RISK-EU) have also carried out similar earthquake loss assessments in major cities of NATO member and partner countries, repectively in 2000 and 2004. Urban earthquake risk assessments that were developed in 90’s were the subject of a NATO ARW entitled “An Evaluation of Guidelines for Developing Earthquake Damage Scenarios for Urban Areas” conducted in Istanbul (October 8-11, 1993) which resulted in the volume “Issues in Urban Earthquake Risk” (NATO ASI SERIES E271,1994, ed. by B.Tucker and M.Erdik).

All of these urban earthquake risk assessment studies involved extensive investigations on earthquake hazard, urban microzonation, typification of urban elements (buildings, infrastructure and socio-economic entities) exposed to risk, vulnerabilities associated with these elements and culminated at the quantification of risk in terms of physical and socio-economic losses.  With the exception of some generic statements, the problem that mostly remained to be addressed was the management and mitigation of these risks. The factors that contribute to urban risk, such as vulnerability and human settlement patterns, are directly influenced by urban planning, enforcement of regulatory environments, improvement of social welfare and other acts of governance. The mainstreaming of the disaster risk management and institution of mechanisms for disaster risk reduction in the planning processes of these cities is an important goal. Recent developments on the preparation of “Urban Earthquake Mitigation Master Plan”s and large scale urban retrofit-rehabilitation campaigns are positive initiatives in this direction. The development and implementation of the Istanbul Earthquake Master Plan by the Municipality of Istanbul has impacted governance practices both at the local and central government levels towards the betterment of earthquake mitigation actions.

Another important earthquake risk management tool is the transfer of risk through use of insurance. Although the insurance/reinsurance strategy has evolved as a major risk mitigation tool in managing earthquake risk, it has not received the needed attention in most of these cities, where such a strategy for earthquake risk management is most needed. One clear result of the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake in Turkey has been the recognition of financing the earthquake losses through the institution of compulsory earthquake insurance. These developments were encompassed in the NATO ARW entitled “Mitigation and Financing of Earthquake Risks in Turkey” (Istanbul, June 22-24, 2000).

There exists great merit in sharing, discussing and disseminating these urban earthquake risk management and mitigation tools and techniques through a meeting organized under the auspices of NATO. The subject matter of the meeting falls perfectly in the priority research topics of NATO programme for security through science (Scientific Collaboration to Counter Other Threats to Security) and will also complement the past NATO activities on related subjects described above.

This meeting will be designed to provide a forum to discuss and elaborate innovative and applicable means of disaster risk management and reduction in cities, focusing particularly on cities in the Caucasus and Central Asia. The workshop will also address the practical constraints and innovative opportunities that such a planning process creates to institutionalize sound disaster risk management practices in megacities. It will examine the process of planning for disaster risk reduction in ways that acknowledge the complexity, dynamics, and interdependencies involved in initiating change in the practices and procedures of the city. The primary issues to be encompassed are:

Understanding earthquake risk and developing preparedness programs, planning and implementation strategy.

                 Identifying strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for capacity improvement earthquake risk mitigation programs and building a sustainable infrastructure for dealing efficiently with their seismic risks.

                Risk information and communications for eartquake early warning and rapid response.

                Large scale programs for rehabilitation and earthquake retrofit of physical elements at risk.

                Physical urban planning and building code enforcement.

                Risk transfer mechanisms, compulsory earthquake insurance.

Work groups will be formed on these important issues and their findings and resolutions will be discussed.  An important outcome of the ARW is expected to be the formation of a network of institutions engaged in urban earthquake risk  mitigation in Central Asian Republics. This will build on similar community-based efforts begun by the Central Asia earthquake Safety Initiative sponsored over the past 3 years by USAID/OFDA and GeoHazards International.

In addition to the project coordinators of the referenced SfP projects, the meeting will bring together local officials, administrators and academic researchers and activists in community-based disaster preparedness programs from NATO member and partner countries and international and regional organizations (such as, World Bank, OECD, EU, UN-ISDR, EMI, WSSI) that have been actively engaged in earthquake risk management and mitigation.