UN UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS, MR. JOHN HOLMES
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. John Holmes, challenging the international community to enhancing international cooperation to reduce the negative impacts of fire on the environment and humanity
14 May 2007
Published by the Global Fire Monitoring Center
GFMC, Freiburg (Germany) and Sevilla (Spain) – In a public address delivered at the opening of the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference in Sevilla, Spain, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mr.John Holmes, challenged the international community to foster efforts in international cooperation in fire management. He noted that it has been recognized that fire has its place in nature and must be managed carefully. However, there are signs indicating that natural and sustainable anthropogenic fire regimes are changing. Land-use and land-use change, the dependence of growing human populations on the natural environment, as well as the impacts of regional climate change, result in an increasing vulnerability of societies and an increasing risk of wildfire disasters.
He stressed the need of international cooperation to address the growing fire problems worldwide. The need of international, mutual assistance between countries in managing large fire disasters is obvious. The Under-Secretary General underlined, however, that fire prevention and preparedness are most effective in reducing the risk of large, less controllable fire disasters.
He turned the attention to the Global Wildland Fire Network. The Global Wildland Fire Network, which provides an umbrella of 13 Regional Wildland Fire Networks worldwide, is one of the most active programmes operating under the auspices of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR). The last global fire assessments conducted in 2000 and 2006 were based on inputs of the Regional Wildland Fire Networks. With this information and data the United Nations agencies have obtained a realistic picture of the dimension of fire use, wildfire occurrence and the impacts of fire on planet Earth. This information is enabling the UN system to respond within the scope of the mandates of UN specialized agencies and programmes.
He underlined the intent of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction to continue supporting the Global Wildland Fire Network and its Advisory Group. Both bodies are important for the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 “Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters”, which was formulated by the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in 2005. The development of a Global Wildland Fire Early Warning System within the envisaged multi-hazard Global Early Warning System, proposed by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in 2005, will be an essential improvement. The UNISDR International Early Warning Programme is facilitating the realization of this ambitious endeavour.
Mr. Holmes said that the conference is an important milestone for recommending action in view of a possible Global Strategy to Enhance International Cooperation in Wildland Fire Management. He congratulated the Government of Spain and the Regional Government of Andalusia for accepting the challenge of organizing and hosting the 4thInternational Wildland Fire Conference. The outcomes of this conference would be crucial for the consolidation and functioning of the Global Wildland Fire Network and the effective implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action and the ISDR.
He thanked all representatives of the international community for coming to Sevilla and contributing to the success of the conference and to be part of a process, which will contribute to sustainable development and protection of the world’s vegetation resources and to reduce the negative impacts of fire on the environment and humanity.
Mr. Douglas Pattie, Senior Coordinator of the UN/ISDR Platform for the Promotion of the Early Warning delivered the opening address.
Original text of the Opening Address of the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference by the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. John Holmes:
For more information on the 4th International Wildland Fire Conference see:
- https://gfmc.online/iwfc/sevilla-2007.html
- https://gfmc.online/media/2007/05/news_20070502_es.htm
- https://gfmc.online/course/meeting/2007/meet2007_01.htm
Information on the UNISDR Global Wildland Fire Network and the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC):
