Message from Ms. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the Occasion of the World Tsunami Awareness Day

　　教科文組織總干事伊琳娜·博科娃女士在世界海嘯意識日的致辭

　　5 November 2017

　　2017年11月5日

　　In 2017, on the second World Tsunami Awareness Day, we are committed to reduce the global number of affected people by 2030, so as to lower the average global figure per 100,000 between 2020-2030, as described in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

　　2017年，值此第二個世界海嘯意識日之際，我們承諾在2030年到來之前減少全球受災人數(shù)，以確保如《仙臺減少災害風險框架》所述，降低 2020‒2030年間全球平均每10萬人受災人數(shù)。

　　Our work is crucial, for more than 10 million people were affected by tsunamis between 2001 and 2015. In 2017, tsunamis affected Greenland (17th June), Greece & Turkey (12th June and 20th July) and Mexico (7th September). With recent storms in the Caribbean and Ireland, we see the vulnerability of many coastal nations. About 625 million people live in the low-elevation coastal zone and 189 million live in the 100-year flood plain.

　　我們的工作是艱巨的，2001至 2015年間有超過千萬人受到海嘯災害的影響。2017年，海嘯襲擊了格陵蘭(6月17日)，希臘和土耳其(6月12日和7月20日)，以及墨西哥(9月7日)。近期，隨著加勒比地區(qū)和愛爾蘭遭遇風暴，我們看到了許多沿海國家的脆弱性。大約有6.25億人口居住在低海拔沿海地區(qū)，1.89億人口居住在百年泛洪平原地帶。

　　Education, community awareness of tsunami risk and preparedness are essential to act and react in case of a tsunami. All vulnerable regions need to adopt and develop more effective Tsunami Warning Systems. A perfect warning is useless if people do not know what to do, cannot recognize natural warning signs or do not evacuate immediately on higher grounds.

　　面對并應對海嘯問題，關鍵在于提升教育、社區(qū)海嘯風險意識以及備災措施。所有脆弱地區(qū)都需要采用并開發(fā)出更為有效的海嘯預警系統(tǒng)。另外，如果人們面對預警不知道如何反應、不能識別自然災害預警信號或者不能迅速轉移至高地，那么再完美的預警系統(tǒng)也不能發(fā)揮其功用。

　　Over the last 50 years, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO has coordinated the Pacific Tsunami Warning System. Following the 26th December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, IOC/UNESCO has coordinated the development of a Global Tsunami Warning System, which now covers the ocean worldwide. Periodic exercises are organized and coupled with evacuation drills at the community level, to foster risk awareness, prevention and preparedness, to reduce exposure and displacements through capacity building, knowledge sharing and networking, early warning and policy advice.

　　過去五十年來，教科文組織政府間海洋學委員會協(xié)調了太平洋海嘯預警系統(tǒng)。2004年12月26日印度洋海嘯發(fā)生后，政府間海洋學委員會協(xié)調了全球海嘯預警系統(tǒng)的發(fā)展，現(xiàn)在該系統(tǒng)已全面覆蓋世界范圍的海域。我們還組織了定期演習，與社區(qū)級別的疏散演練相配和，以培養(yǎng)風險意識和防災備災觀念，并通過能力建設、知識共享和聯(lián)網、預警以及政策建議來降低災害風險，減少流離失所現(xiàn)象。

　　To do this, all countries need to work together. Tsunamis pay no heed to border, and no single country can tackle this challenge alone. This is why today, I call on all Member States to renew commitment and to share expertise and knowledge.

　　要達成這一目標，所有國家必須齊心協(xié)力。海嘯無國界，一國之力不足以獨擋海嘯帶來的艱巨挑戰(zhàn)。所以今日，我在此呼吁所有成員國重申承諾，共享相關經驗和知識。