HFA-PEDIA:About
From HFA-PEDIA
Contents |
Introduction
HFA-Pedia was initially developed in early 2008 by the United Nations, secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, regional unit for the Americas. It aims to assist all actors in their understanding of the Hyogo Framework for Action, the workings of the ISDR secretariat and ISDR system, as well as to complement other tools being developed and promoted surrounding disaster risk reduction.
While initiated for the region of the Americas, HFA-Pedia is intended as a global mechanism encompassing inputs and initiatives from all geographic regions and from all ISDR system partners.
It's growth and therefore its evolution will depend on its users as the intended developers of HFA-Pedia. Upon registering, members of the user community are granted editing rights which then allows them to make changes or add new pages, as they see fit.
Objective
The objetive of HFA-Pedia is to make DRR and HFA information available in an easy to understand and comprehensive way to a wide array of actors while encouraging the active participation of individuals from all sectors and all levels of intervention.
This tool is developed, maintained and hosted by the United Nations, Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR), regional unit for the Americas for ISDR system-wide use.
In our continuous efforts to improve DRR-related information management, we are constantly seeking new ways of better managing country and regional information as a step towards more comprehensive reporting on the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), including regional reporting for the global report (2009). One of the spin-offs of the progress we are making in this endeavor is the use of this special mediawiki open source software for making the wealth of HFA information available on intra or internet level. This will make it much easier to share this important information, link it to country profiles, contact data and many other information services, as appropriate at the time. Of course, the main issue in having HFA-related information is getting good content and ensure adequate analysis, so that is the primary priority. To date, HFA-Pedia is proving to be a useful tool for improved organization and sharing of HFA-related information.
HFA reporting
For making HFA reporting more interactive and to build a model that will enable governments and other interested parties in knowing progress and details regarding the implementation of the HFA, this tool was designed in a convenient, cost efficient, constantly evolving and flexible way. It is adjustable and ensures that information can be shared in real time using the internet. HFA-Pedia is intended to complement other reporting tools and mechanisms currently being devised such as the HFA Reporting Monitor, an online reporting tool soon to be available through PreventionWeb to facilitate online HFA reporting, based on the 2007-2009 ISDR system-wide HFA Reporting Framework.
HFA reporting is based upon two main axes, namely:
- Geographical Dimension: Global, Region, Subregional and National;
- Thematic Dimension: Reporting on sectors or cross-cutting issues.
How it came about
The regional unit for the Americas of UN/ISDR is constantly seeking new ways to better organize and improve the quality and content of the country and regional information as a step towards more comprehensive reporting on the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA). One of the spin-offs of the progress we are making in this endeavor is the use of this special mediawiki open-source software for making the wealth of HFA information more widely available and participatory. This will make it much easier to share this important information, link it to country profiles, contact data and many other information services, as appropriate at the time. Of course, the main issue in having HFA-related information is getting good content and ensure adequate analysis, so that is the primary priority. In this sense, the HFA-Pedia is proving to be a good means to improve organization and sharing of HFA-related information.
HFA reporting is one of our main tasks and mandates. For making HFA reporting more interactive and to build a model that enables governments and other interested parties to exchange information surrounding the progress and tendencies regarding the implementation of the HFA, this tool was developed in a convenient, cost efficient, constantly evolving and flexible way. It is adjustable and ensures that information can be shared in real time using the internet. HFA-Pedia is intended to complement other more formal reporting tools and mechanisms currently being devised such as the HFA Reporting Monitor, an online reporting tool available to HFA focal points through PreventionWeb to facilitate online HFA reporting, based on the 2007-2009 ISDR system-wide HFA Reporting Framework.
Contact us
Hosted by the ISDR secretariat's regional unit for the Americas' Internet server, we invite you to share with us your comments, questions or suggestions by writing to us at the following e-mail address: hfa@eird.org
