Mary Fran Myers Gender and Disaster Award

This annual award recognizes the leadership of women and men around the world to promote gender equality and disaster risk reduction. Sponsored by the global Gender and Disaster Network and the Natural Hazard Center at the University of Colorado, many GDRA members have contributed to the Mary Fran Myer award and several have been past recipients.

2010 Award Winner–our very own Brenda D. Phillips from Oklahoma!

The 2010 Mary Fran Myers Selection Committee, an international judging panel, selected GDRA member Brenda Phillips. We join them in thanking and congratulating Brenda for her path-breaking support of work to promote gender equality and disaster risk reduction in the classroom, in theory and method, in research, and always in practice.

Please visit the website of the Gender and Disaster Network for information about current Mary Fran Myers Gender award recipients from other nations.

Brenda D. Phillips’ work is distinguished by the innovative and holistic way she approaches the disadvantages faced by women in disaster. Phillips sees gender in disaster as enmeshed in a wider pattern of disadvantage and discrimination that compounds female vulnerability. Her take on improving resiliency sees women not as potential victims, but as essential and untapped resources. Her research, much of which is framed by concerns about social justice, has been instrumental in spotlighting issues of domestic violence following disaster.

As a professor in the Oklahoma State University Fire and Emergency Management Program, Phillips ensures that emergency responders are well-grounded in social vulnerability and instilled with a passion for building community disaster resilience. A senior researcher with the Center for the Study of Disasters and Extreme Events, she is among the first women worldwide to attain full professorship in an emergency management program. An accomplishment due—in part—to the support and dedication of her colleague, Mary Fran Myers.

Phillips, a founding member of the Gender and Disaster Network, was recommended for the Mary Fran Myers Award based on her prodigious writing, keen analyses, and unstinting commitment to increasing knowledge on gender and disaster. Her leadership—often behind the scenes—has enriched disaster scholarship, empowered students, and inspired a new community of practice.

International Day of Disaster Risk Reduction

Making cities safer for women–ideas for action, from our colleagues at the UN ISDR. How about “tweeting” your city or town emergency planners asking whether women’s clinics and shelters are included in their emergency planning team or in their activities? And ask your local child care center or shelter if they have a good emergency plan in place that will help users, volunteers, staff and board members cope with the unexpected?

Consider the information below from the UNISDR about how to raise awareness–and perhaps International Women’s Day, to raise awareness about gender equality and disaster risk reduction?

Look here for more information about how UN Habitat works on gender issues globally, and in US cities.

See their Women and Gender Roundtable focusing on urban women’s safety. For a full report if the workshop click here.

US women can partner with GROOTS (Grassroots Organizations Operating Together in Sisterhood) in their work around urban women’s safety and disaster resilience. Would you like to become involved? Drop us a line!

From UN ISDR-Gender lens needed!

To mark the International Day for Disaster Reduction, the UNISDR secretariat is calling on its partners to play a more active role to protect cities against disasters. As part of its “Making Cities Resilient: My City is getting ready!” campaign, UNISDR will encourage more mayors and local governments to join the 100 cities that have already signed up to the global campaign.

Many cities have been disrupted this year by disasters: earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and New Zealand; floods and heavy rainfalls in Pakistan, Eastern Europe, Mozambique and other parts of Africa; forest fires in Russia; and volcanic eruptions in Indonesia and Iceland. All have caused huge human suffering and economic damage. Cities have never been so at risk.

More action is needed to anticipate the negative impacts of such disasters; no city is immune.  Is your city GETTING ready? What are you doing to make cities more resilient and protect citizens?

We encourage all partners, National Platforms for Disaster Reduction and cities to use the International Day for Disaster Reduction to raise awareness on how to build resilience to disasters, to publicize the “ten essentials” and how YOUR community, town, city or province is advancing in getting ready.

Please send your plans for the International Day for Disaster Reduction to isdr-campaign@un.org. UNISDR will post your plans and experience reports on
the website.

Ideas for the International Day for Disaster Reduction:

Organize radio programs, press briefing or public debates on how your community/municipality/city is getting ready: Read the UN Secretary-Generals message and add a message from your Mayor or other personalities on what is being done in your community

Organize a disaster drill or exercise preparedness plans in your community/ school/ municipality/ city

Launch the call for nominations for good practice and candidates for the UN-Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction, which will feature achievements in making cities resilient. The Award will be delivered in May 2011 at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva

Showcase to the public (“open day” or round tables) any visible activity or project undertaken by participants in the campaign (see www.unisdr.org/campaign – Section “How to get engaged in the campaign”)

Promote the One Million Save Schools and Hospitals Pledging Initiative and encourage pledges. (The initiative calls for pledging of specific schools and hospitals to be safe, sign-up for individuals or groups to become advocates or champions, collects good practice and provides guidance documentation prepared by partners and /or UNISDR.) www.safe-schools-hospitals.net

UNISDR campaign team