UNESCO showcases its work to build disaster resilience in least developed countries

Least developed countries have borne 70% of the deaths caused by climate-related disasters over the past 50 years. Their lack of financial resources and human capacity make them particularly vulnerable to natural hazards. At the United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries which took place in Doha, Qatar, from 5 to 9 March, UNESCO showcased the ways in which it was working with countries to build their resilience to natural disasters.

In 1960, about 60% of Haitian territory was covered by forest. By 2011, this proportion had shrunk to 3.5%. Since about half of the country is hilly, this deforestation has led to severe erosion. Without trees and shrubs to retain moisture, rainwater carries off precious topsoil and can easily destabilize the soils, leading to landslides. The growing frequency and strength of hurricanes and tropical storms is making both flooding and landslides more common in Haiti.

Since 2018, UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme has worked with local communities and school children in La Selle Biosphere Reserve  and beyond to reforest the bare hills. Over 290,000 seedlings have been planted, including avocado, coffee and tamarind.  

Reforestation is what is known as a ‘nature-based solution’ for reducing vulnerability to climate change. UNESCO is implementing another nature-based solution in the Lake Province of Chad by restoring the local ecosystem to reduce the impact of climate change. The production of spirulina, an algae with nutritional and cosmetic properties, is a key source of income for local women but drought and desertification are silting up the river beds of the wadis, which the disappearance of plant cover has exposed to the wind. When the wind blows, the spirulina disappears from the surface of the water and harvesting has to be interrupted.  

In recent years, science and engineering have taken on new importance as the reach of disaster risk reduction has extended beyond response and recovery to building resilience through prevention and mitigation. We can monitor natural hazards, for instance, and establish forecasts for hazards that are climate-related. 

In Doha, UNESCO presented both conventional risk assessment tools and solutions which use modern technologies such as artificial intelligence and drones to reduce exposure to natural hazards. For example, UNESCO has put in place early warning systems in least developed countries of Southern Africa capable of accurately forecasting floods 24 hours in advance; these early warning systems use data gleaned from Earth observation satellites and artificial intelligence. UNESCO has also supported Gambia’s efforts to use drones to manage flooding.  

In East Africa, UNESCO has developed a mobile phone application with its partners which can maintain communication between emergency services and the public during a disaster. A chatbot powered by artificial intelligence can alert people to approaching hazards through a geologicalised function and, during a disaster, tell them where to go to find food, water and shelter. 

‘Over the next ten years, UNESCO will be training at least 500 practitioners from least developed countries in how to use emerging technologies like artificial intelligence to reduce disaster risk and adapt to climate change’, explains Soichiro Yasukawa, who coordinates UNESCO’s disaster risk reduction programme. 

Haiti is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to earthquakes, as evidenced by the sobering human toll of the 2010 and 2021 earthquakes, which claimed 300 000 lives. Most of the victims were killed when buildings collapsed.  

In August 2021, UNESCO embarked on a project to make Haitian buildings more resilient to earthquakes. UNESCO began by assessing current practices to determine building standards. UNESCO then established training guidelines and carried out workshops for masons and municipal officials. So far, UNESCO has trained 600 masons, 200 foremen and 200civil engineers, including 80 women, in how to retrofit unsafe buildings and use safe construction techniques. 

Civil engineering students have been trained by UNESCO and its partners in the use of three-dimensional (3D) printers. For example, 3D printers can be used to model simple structures to help students understand the level of resilience of a building during earthquakes of different magnitudes. 

Civil engineers are currently inspecting school buildings to determine whether they are safe and, if not, to make them safe. This might entail retrofitting vulnerable parts of a school building. In some cases, it may be necessary to demolish and rebuild from scratch. In total, 622 schools in four departments of Haiti will be inspected over the duration of the three-year project ending in 2023.