Table 1.1 shows contributions of United Nations specialized agencies and programmes and financial institutions to a globally concerted, cooperative fire management programme. Country programmes are not yet listed (agencies for international development or for technical cooperation) and will be added in updated versions of the paper (see Foreword and footnote 7).
TABLE 1.1
Contributions of United Nations specialized agencies and programmes and
financial institutions
Organization, programme or secretariat |
Related activity, programme or product |
Contribution to synergy |
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) |
In addition to details in Table 1: outreach work of the FAO Regional Forestry Commissions Instrument: technical cooperation programmes and government cooperative programmes Support to international fora |
Capacity-building in fire prevention, community-based fire management; global fire assessments |
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR) |
Global Wildland Fire Network and Wildland Fire Advisory Group Coordination: Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) |
Interagency and intersectoral platform for harmonization of approaches and coordination of synergies; facilitation of cooperation in fire management within and between regions; advisory body to the United Nations system |
World Health Organization (WHO) |
Health guidelines for vegetation fire events |
Public health policy advice |
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) |
International standards for weather observation and forecasting through WMO member states and their national hydro-meteorological services |
Global weather station network to be used in the Global Wildland Fire Early Warning System |
UN Environment Programme (UNEP), with UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) |
Joint Environment Unit Advisory Group on Environmental Emergencies (AGEE) Environmental Emergencies Partnership (EEP) |
Mobilization and coordination of the international response to environmental emergencies: support to the UN and countries in vegetation fire emergencies through on-site assessment and coordination of international response; promotion of prevention and preparedness for vegetation fire disasters |
UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UN-OOSA) |
Space Technology and Disaster Management (STDM) Programme |
Facilitate access and incorporate space technology for risk reduction and disaster management, including the application of the International Charter “Space and Major Disasters” |
United Nations University (UNU) |
UNU institute for Environment and Human Security (EHS) and UNU associate institute Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) |
Contribute, through research and capacity-building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that are of concern to the United Nations, its peoples and members |
International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) |
Follow-up to/implementation of ITTO guidelines on fire management in tropical forests |
Contribute to national and international efforts in the area of prevention and management of fire in relation to tropical timber-producing forests |
World Bank |
World Bank Country Assistance Strategies (CAS) |
Financing of national fire management projects (grants or loans) |
Regional and subregional development banks, multilateral financial institutions |
African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Inter-American Development Bank Group Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF), Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), East African Development Bank (EADB), West African Development Bank (BOAD) European Commission and European Investment Bank (EIB), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Islamic Development Bank (IDB), Nordic Development Fund (NDF) and Nordic Investment Bank (NIB), OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) |
Financing of national fire management projects (grants or loans) |
Global Environment Facility (GEF) |
Independent financial organization providing grants to developing countries for projects that benefit the global environment and promote sustainable livelihoods in local communities |
Cooperation in financing fire management projects through GEF implementing agencies (UNDP, UNEP, The World Bank) |
Table 1.2 offers examples of contributions of non-UN international/non-governmental organizations and initiatives to a globally concerted, cooperative fire management programme.
TABLE 1.2
Contributions of non-UN international/non-governmental organizations and initiatives
International organization |
Related activity, programme or product |
Potential contribution to synergy |
Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) |
UN-ISDR facility providing: • Early warning portal of fire danger and near-real-time monitoring of fire events • Interpretation, synthesis and archiving of global fire information • Support to local, national and international entities in developing long-term strategies or policies for fire management, including community-based fire management approaches and advanced fire management training for decision-makers in accordance with the UNU mandate • Advisory body to the UN system as member of the UN-ISDR Global Platform for Disaster Reduction, through coordination of WFAG and GWFN • Emergency hotline and liaison capabilities providing assistance for rapid assessment and decision support in response to fire emergencies, under cooperative agreements with OCHA, Emergency Services Branch, and AGEE • Production of UNECE/FAO International Forest Fire News (IFFN) (printed and online) |
In conjunction with the mandates of UN-ISDR and the Inter-Agency Task Force for Disaster Reduction (from 2006, the UN-ISDR Global Platform for Disaster Reduction): facilitation of an interagency and cross-sectoral platform for international cooperation in the area of fire management, and secretariat of GWFN and WFAG. |
Global Environment Centre (GEC) |
Assessment and management of wetlands at local, national and global levels, including fire management |
To provide expertise in peatland/wetland fire management |
Global Fire Partnership (GFP) |
Joint activity of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and TNC to promote awareness and catalyse action to reduce the threat of altered fire regimes to biodiversity conservation Latin American and Caribbean Fire Learning Network |
To maintain or restore ecologically and socially acceptable fire in ecosystems that depend upon it, and reduce the incidence of unwanted fire in ecosystems where it is detrimental |
Eurasian Fire in Nature Conservation Network (EFNCN) |
Eurasian network for research and development in the area of cultural and natural history and prehistory of fire; application of prescribed fire in nature conservation and landscape management and fire ecology |
To maintain or restore ecologically and socially acceptable fire regimes and fire management in ecosystems that depend upon it |
Comité Technique International du Feu (CTIF – International Technical Committee for the Prevention and Extinction of Fire/International Association of Fire and Rescue Services) |
Forest Fires Commission |
To develop interface procedures and training materials for interagency cooperation in fire suppression |
