Int'l workshop on earthquake risk reduction held in Kazakhstan

The seventh session of the International Platform for Reducing Earthquake Disasters (IPRED) followed the workshop at the same venue.
About a hundred specialists in the field of seismology, including 20 international experts from 12 countries, took part in the workshop held in Almaty. During the meeting the participants discussed a wide range of issues, notably the development and enforcement of building codes and standards, and their implementation as a major mechanism to secure building safety.
Earthquakes have been the biggest cause of death among disasters during the last decade, and most of the death has been caused by the collapse of buildings. Therefore it was recognized that necessary policies to secure building safety need to be considered by policy-makers.
At the end of the meeting a resolution was signed, in which participants had reflected their proposals and recommendations needed to reduce earthquake losses in the nearest future. A number of recommendations for the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, such as expansion of seismological monitoring network and ensuring seismic stability of housing and educational facilities, located in earthquake prone regions of Kazakhstan, were also included into the outcome document, the UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office said.
Currently the key challenge for major stakeholders in earthquake risk reduction is to implement and socialize these proposed measures in an appropriate manner.