Summary

The UNESCO/IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme (TRRP) is an international community-based recognition programme aimed at building resilient communities through awareness and readiness strategies that will protect lives, livelihoods and property from tsunamis. The Programme is a key activity for achieving the Safe Ocean objective of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030. Under the auspices of the UN Ocean Decade Tsunami Programme, the TRRP aims to help ensure that 100% of communities at risk of tsunamis are prepared for and resilient to tsunamis by 2030. Readiness is achieved through a collaborative effort among government agencies, scientists, community leaders and the public, who work together to meet an established set of 12 indicators covering Assessment, Preparedness, and Response. The UNESCO-IOC TRRP is actioned through Member State National Tsunami Ready Programmes.

Under the Partnership Agreement between UNESCO-IOC and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia, the IOTIC and the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) implemented the IOTIC programme dedicated in supporting the Indian Ocean Member States in training to encourage and develop the capacity for Member States to implement the UNESCO-IOC TRRP. Accordingly, the UNESCO-IOC IOTIC, BMKG, ICG/IOTWMS WG 3, the ICG/IOTWMS Secretariat, in collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority of the Government of Maldives plan to hold National Tsunami Ready Training Workshop in Maldives from on 5-7 August 2023.

The preserving past tsunami information for future preparedness activity aims to collecting and documenting reports and eyewitness accounts of the 2004 tsunami, and ensuring the information is available for the 20^th commemoration of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2024.  The IOTIC of UNESCO-IOC and BMKG in collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority of the Government of Maldives will document the eyewitnesses and survivors’ story of this 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in Maldives on 8-9 August 2024.

The specific objectives of the workshop are:

1. Introduce and promote UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme (TRRP) and related initiatives in Maldives.
2. To initiate the implementation of UNESCO-IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme (TRRP) in Maldives.
3. To document (video recording) the story of the Eyewitnesses and Survivors 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in Maldives