Two high-ranking U.N. officials reiterated the call for governments to focus on comprehensive disaster management and preparedness to save lives and livelihoods. The call was made in the wake of the devastating floods that hit Pakistan for the second year running and as floodwaters likewise wreak havoc in other Asian countries.
As she was set to depart for a three-day visit to flood-hit Pakistan, U.N. International Strategy for Disaster Reduction chief Margareta Wahlström said Pakistan’s flood risk can be predicted by modelling systems. She noted that this year’s flooding, just like last year’s devastating floods, have been concentrated in rural areas that lack early warning systems and preparedness measures.
Wahlström called on the different actors involved to implement a ”quantum leap in disaster risk reduction in Pakistan.”
International aid agencies have earlier criticized the Pakistani government for failing to install adequate prevention measures despite last year’s disaster. As a result, floods have caused massive destruction in Pakistan anew, affecting some 7 million people and killing 400, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said.
More than a month after the floods hit the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan, the floodwaters have receded, but flood victims continue to live in makeshift shelters and are at risk of hunger and diseases despite the efforts of humanitarian agencies to provide emergency assistance. Sluggish donor response has been blamed.
But Pakistan’s problem is hardly isolated. Wahlström noted the floods that recently devastated other Asian countries, including the Philippines, India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Cambodia, are annual events brought about by the monsoon rains from June to September each year. Therefore, these floods are “signposted long before their arrival,” she said.
“If you know what to expect then adequate preparedness measures should pay off and save lives, homes and livelihood,” Wahlström added
According to Sakharov, the international community spends “a huge amount of money in response to natural disasters, instead of concentrating on a comprehensive risk management and preparedness.”
For Sakharov, governments can better address the situation by installing disaster preparedness measures such as boosting emergency preparedness training, developing early warning systems, and improving placement and structure of basic infrastructure so that they are not vulnerable to natural hazards.
Are you an entrepreneur whose business is growing fast? Can you benefit from increased exposure to potential investors, business partners, customers and suppliers?
Winners of Pakistan 25 recognized by Minister for Finance, Revenue,
Economic Affairs and Statistics and the US Ambassador to Pakistan
The Pakistan 100 will be published nationally and globally, giving visibility to companies and highlighting the entrepreneurial success stories in Pakistan. As a Pakistan 100 applicant, you will be automatically entered into the regional Asia 500 and the Arabia 500.
There are no costs involved, the deadline to apply is June 30, 2011.
Differentiate your company by gaining local and international media attention.
The winners are invited to attend the AllWorld Summit at Harvard University inOctober with fast-growing companies from around the world.
The winners will be showcased and be part of the Arabia 500 and Asia 500.
QUALIFYING CRITERIA TO BE A TOP GLOBAL ENTREPRENEUR You must be:
A private company not owned by a public company or government
Have 10 or more full-time employees in 2010.
Have a minimum 3-year operating history and revenue (USD) of at least $100,000 in 2008 and $500,000 in 2010. Smaller and younger companies can apply to be recognized as Companies to Watch.
Provide audited statements or an audit letter to confirm your company’s revenues.
If you have any questions about the program please contact: Malik Ahmad Jalal – Director of Pakistan Fast Growth 25 l 100 at ajalal@allworldlive.com or Dereje Bereta, Director of Fast Growth Rankings at dbereta@allworldlive.com.
The World Economic Forum has launched an ambitious project to advance global health through improved data collection and management. The Global Health Data Charter recognizes that accurate health data is essential for effective and efficient health management. The Charter aims to enable individuals and patients, health professionals and policy-makers to make more informed decisions through secure access to comprehensive, quality data.
The Charter was developed by the World Economic Forum, with project advisory services and support provided by Deloitte and a broad group of stakeholders.
“This Charter represents a tipping point in our transition from the old days of capturing data on paper to the modern era of global interconnectedness supported by sophisticated and secure data sharing to improve health for everyone,” says Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum. “Our role has always been that of the catalyst – identifying the gaps, creating the solution and activating change. The Global Health Data Charter is a further illustration of that commitment.”
Access to comprehensive health data is critical given increasing challenges to accessibility and delivery of high-quality care under increasing fiscal pressures. Across the health system, in both developed and developing countries, accurate health data is simply not available. Despite the overwhelming demand, there are a number of critical challenges to the collection, analysis and application of high-quality health data.
“Improving quality and access to health data is essential to patients, communities and health service providers worldwide, “ says Marie-Paule Kieny, Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organization and Acting Executive Secretary of Health Metrics Network. “This Charter provides a comprehensive mechanism to engage private and public sector stakeholders to develop better methods of health data management.”
The Global Health Data Charter consists of eight key principles representing the data gaps which the charter founders identified as the most pressing and most realistic to improve in the short term. These principles revolve around two fundamental gaps – access to and privacy of health data.
“Access” refers to the ability to effectively and efficiently get the right data, in the right format, where and when it is needed. “Privacy” advocates for the development of protocols to address the challenges and risks associated with data misuse.
“Access to better data is essential to identifying and understanding gaps, allocating resources and monitoring interventions as well as furthering innovation and research,” says Georges Halvorson, Chief Executive Officer of Kaiser Permanente and Member of the World Economic Forum Global Health Advisory Board. “Better management of data is not only a best practice – it’s a business imperative.”
Sevenfundamental enablers are necessary for successful implementation of the charter.
“The Global Health Data Charter is in line with the long-term strategy of HIMMS to advance the sharing and interoperability of health data – good data is a prerequisite for making the right decisions at all levels”, says John P Hoyt, Executive Vice-President at HIMMS Analytics. The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMMS) aims to encourage the adoption of the charter to its members and the organizations its surveys.”
Patients, health professionals and policy-makers rely on the right data being available to make decisions about treatment and delivery of health services; the better the quality of the data, the better the decisions they can make. Access to comprehensive health data (both clinical and operational) is more critical than ever given the challenges faced to deliver high-quality and accessible care under increasing fiscal pressures. However, across all varieties of health systems, in both developed and developing countries, accurate highquality health data are not available when and where they are needed. Despite the overwhelming demand for quality health data, there are a number of critical challenges that make its collection, access and application problematic – privacy is of prime concern.
With health data increasingly acknowledged as a prerequisite to effective and efficient health management, the World Economic Forum has led the development of a Global Health Data Charter (the charter). This charter is an expression of the commitment made by a group of organizations to collaborate and work towards addressing key health data gaps.
The charter has been designed to provide direction and help navigate individuals, professional bodies, organizations, countries, etc. as they proceed on the journey towards improving health data management.
It is intended to act as a catalyst to encourage better data management practices that will in turn improve decision-making, and ultimately impact better health. The charter’s goal is not to mandate regulations or define implementation practices, but rather to be used as a foundation document that can be leveraged at all levels. We recognize that there will be different approaches taken by jurisdictions as they implement the charter, however, we stress that all of the components of the charter need to be addressed in concert to ensure success.
The initial global support of the Charter boasts endorsements from The Global Health Council (GHC), Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), International Council of Nurses (ICN), International Federation of Health Plans (IFHP), International Hospital Federation (IHF), International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), Population Services International (PSI), Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) and World Information Technology Services Association (WITSA).
To honour the ones who have lost their lives in the line of duty, Karachi Press Club and Mishal (Pvt) Ltd. announced two scholarships “The Karachi Press Club Scholarship” for students who wish to study Masters in Mass Communication, Journalism or Media Studies offered at all public sector universities or any degree awarding institutions in Karachi. KPC will help Mishal in identifying the most deserving candidate for this joint-scholarship.
The Karachi Press Club and Mishal Pvt. Limited signed a memorandum of understanding on capacity building and training initiatives at the Press Club on Saturday 15, 2011.
MISHAL in collaboration with KPC will also identify the gaps in the curriculum of Mass Communication/Journalism and Media Studies and will provide a guideline to the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan for improvements in the curriculum to develop the capacity of the media industry.
The MoU envisages of empowering media by capacity building initiatives for the members of KPC through interactive workshops, seminars and courses on specific sectors. Both parties will identify the gaps in the reporting structures and develop different media forums within the Press Club on various socio-economic and political sectors.
KPC and Mishal will create knowledge exchange platform; whereby media exchange programs will be developed to build synergies in the field of journalism and technical knowhow. Mishal will develop a framework on journalism/media recognition awards in consultation with KPC. The awards will be developed according to the areas of activities of KPC as well as on national level media and journalism initiatives. Mishal in collaboration with KPC will also develop an annual report on the “State of Media in Pakistan”.
According to the details of the understanding reached between the two parties; Mishal will develop communication collateral in collaboration with Karachi Press Club on the achievements of its members. Mishal will enable collaborative platforms which will assist media in creating and improving the quality of its content.
Speaking on the occasion Mr. Tahir Hasan Khan, President Karachi Press Club expressed his support for the initiative. Khan said that such an opportunity to be available for the media persons, which enhances their capacity and the ability to report on issues relevant to the society, will strengthen the communities and the infrastructure. He further said that, KPC will facilitate MISHAL in identifying the areas/sectors for capacity building of its members and it will also share its knowledge-based resources in developing the annual report on the State of Media in Pakistan.
Amir Jahangir, CEO for Mishal Pvt. Limited appreciated KPC for reposing confidence in Mishal and becoming a partner for a wide-range of activities to empower the media professionals through media trainings, interactive workshops and sector-wise content development trainings for the journalists. Jahangir expressed his concern over the alarming rate of which journalists are losing their lives to suicide bombings, abductions, cross-fires and target killing, the recent most case being the young and dynamic reporter, Wali Khan Babar. He emphasized that Pakistan does not have to be the most deadliest place for Journalists but such cases are making it difficult for these professionals to practice their occupation. He said media can cover issues related to extremism through communicating message of hope by creating media diversity and building capacity of the journalists to report and create more content on the state of economy, innovation, entrepreneurship and on the nexus of water, energy and food security.
He further said, that Mishal will finance technical consultancy for the development of social media platform to create the knowledge-based initiatives for the journalists.
Moosa Kamal, Secretary of the Karachi Press Club appreciated the idea of more interaction between the KPC and academia. He said the KPC would like to facilitate the academia and the students to share their initiatives.
The signing ceremony was attended by the vice President of the club, Fazil Jamili and other office bearers of the Press Club and journalistic community at large.
Mishal, launched in 2003, has been engaged with some of the most dynamic organization in the region for media development.
The Karachi Press Club, is an association of primarily news journalists, but also includes academics business people and members of the public service, and is located at Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. KPC was the first press club of Pakistan. Its first election was held in 1958, I.H. Burney was the first President of the KPC.
KPC today has more than 1500 members and plays a vital role in the democratic struggle in general and the struggle for press freedom in particular.
Mishal’s foremost domain of activity is strategic communication with a spotlight on media, behavior change communication, media capacity building and future scenario predictions using methodologies and resources that service the lifestyle and social needs of individuals, their families, the communities they live in and ultimately their larger domains.
Mishal’s projects, therefore, aim at assisting people gain the awareness, knowledge and ability to meet their developmental needs. The projects center on people, their needs and perceptions, helping them understand issues and be able to act in ways that improve their health, education or economic well-being.http://injo.stanford.edu/node/155
