Archived News: 2022 | Avoidable Deaths Network

16 December 2022 – ADN held the 3rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2022

On 16 December, the ADN’s 3^rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) was attended by 7 Core Members, 7 Interns, 4 Regional Coordinators, 2 Advisors and 1 Organisational Partner. The ADN Presidents presented the Key Achievements from 2022 including the ADN Hub India’s outreach work and updates on the four projects: i. Eastern Belt – India, ii. RN4FR in the Caribbean, iii. Snakebite Deaths, and iv. Drowning Deaths.

The AGM also focused on the future action plans for 2023, with special mention to: i. University of Leicester’s Institute for Environmental Futures (IEF), and ii. International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths (IAD4AD).

Among other things, the main outcomes of the AGM were the decision to work on activities with the Regional Coordinators and Organisational Partners in the following four areas: i. Loss and Damage, ii. Launch of the Bangladesh Chapter in May, iii. Webinar on Afghan Women in Transition, and iv. Soliciting new Regional Coordinators and renewals of the existing ones

10 December 2022 – ADN Hub India Distributed 1,500 Flyers on ‘How to Prevent Snakebites’ in Odisha

On 9 and 10 December 2022, led by Regional Coordinator – India, Mr. Dillip Pattanaik (Orissa State Volunteers Social Workers Association), the ADN Hub India printed 1,500 information, education and communication (IEC) flyers on ‘How to Prevent Snakebite Deaths’.

The flyers, which were written by Dr. Amarendra Mohapatra (Indian Council of Medical Research), were distributed across 11 districts of Odisha to a population of approximately 250,000 people.

01 December 2022 – Blog on ‘COP27 Round-Up’

Mr. Tom Caley wrote a blog entitled ‘COP27 Round-Up’. The blog features a quick round up of takeaways from the annual climate change meeting.

To read the blog on our website, please click the following link: https://www.avoidable-deaths.net/2022/12/01/cop27-round-up/

Picture: Members of an Indigenous delegation from Brazil take part in the Walk for your Future Climate March ahead of COP27 in Brussels, Belgium on 23 October 2022 © Shutterstock (2022)

21 November 2022 – ADN Met with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)

Drs Nibedita Ray-Bennett and Winifred Ekezie met with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution on 21 November 2022 to discuss the scope for collaboration for research and enterprise in India, Bangladesh and Tanzania. The meeting focused on exploring mapping global experts on verbal autopsy tools and conducting a systematic review to assess the state of the art on drowning – among other things.

To learn more about our work on Drowning Deaths, please click here.

10 November 2022 – Blog Written by Mr. Tom Caley, Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett and Mr. Alex Skinner on ‘Loss and Damage at COP27‘

Mr. Tom Caley, Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett and Mr. Alex Skinner wrote a blog entitled ‘Loss and Damage at COP27’. The blog features definitions of loss and damage; the importance of loss and damage; a brief history of debate and policy; and the future of loss and damage at the UNFCCC.

To read the blog on our website, please click the following link: https://www.avoidable-deaths.net/2022/11/10/loss-and-damage-at-cop27/.

Picture: COP26 March in Glasgow © Shutterstock (2022)

27 October 2022 – University of Leicester launches five new Research Institutes

On 27 October 2022, Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett attended the launch event for five new Research Institutes at the University of Leicester.

The Institute of Environmental Futures, one of new research institutes, is being led by Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett and Professor Heiko Balzter. There, Nibedita leads the research challenge of ‘Climate Risk and Disaster Risk Reduction’.

To learn more about this institute, please click the following link: https://le.ac.uk/news/2022/october/research-institutes.

19 October 2022 – Blog Written by Mr. Tom Caley, Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett and Mr. Alex Skinner on ‘International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction’

To celebrate International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Tom Caley, Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett and Mr. Alex Skinner wrote a blog entitled ‘International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction’. The blog features the ADN Special Session on International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction; multi-hazard early warning systems (MHEWS) as socio-technical systems; Sendai Target G status report; case study 1: linking forecasting to successful action; case study 2: early warning catering to vulnerable groups; case study 3: the missing link of culture, community and messaging; and analysis and call to action.

To read the blog on our website, please click the following link: https://www.avoidable-deaths.net/2022/10/19/international-day-for-disaster-risk-reduction/

Picture: Tsunami damage in Banda Aceh, Indonesia on 31 December 2004 © Shutterstock (2022)

12 October 2022 – ADN at the RoundTable on “Co-Creating Transformative Knowledge and Action”

On 12^thOctober, 2022, A roundtable titled “Co-Creating Transformative Knowledge and Action” organised by All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI). Avoidable Death Network team members Dr. Madhulika Sahoo, Managing Editor and Ms. Nimisha Goswami, ADN Hub India Advisor participated in the roundtable. The main focus of the roundtable was the links between co-creating knowledge, societal transformations and sustainability. In the field of climate change adaptation and sustainability, co-creating knowledge implies using complimentary knowledge systems that promote transformation pathways.

The key speakers of the session were Dr. Lars Otto Naess, Research Fellow, Institute of Development Studies, UK, Mr. Sam Bickersteth, Climate and Development Adviser, UK and Mr. Philip Tamminga, CHS Revision Manager, Geneva, Switzerland. The speakers spoke on the topics on a) revising and updating the humanitarian standards as an opportunity for co-creating Transformation, b) transformative actions to address loss and damages, c) exploring socially just and transdisciplinary pathways to sustainability in marginal environments. The Roundtable addressed the critical need of the co-create policy solutions which are bottom-up because they are more likely to generate usable actions and outcomes. Therefore, co-creating knowledge in the fields of climate change, environment and development policy is key to achieving enduring outcomes.

28 September 2022 – Blog Written by Mr. Tom Caley, Dr. Nimra Choudhary and Ms. Anusha Manahil on Flood Damage and Loss in Pakistan

To raise awareness of the flooding disaster in Pakistan, Mr. Tom Caley, Dr. Nimra Choudhary and Ms. Anusha Manahil wrote a blog entitled ‘Rapid Review of Flood Damage and Loss in Pakistan’.

To read the blog on our website, please click the following link: https://www.avoidable-deaths.net/2022/09/28/rapid-review-of-flood-damage-and-loss-in-pakistan/

Picture: Flood damage in Pakistan © Shutterstock (2022)

08 September 2022 – ADN Article on Sendai Framework’s Global Targets A and B Published in International Journal of Disaster Risk Science

Journal article written by ADN President Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett and ADN Regional Coordinators for the Caribbean, Mr. Krishna Clarke and Mr. Daniel Mendez is published in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Science.

Entitled, Sendai Framework’s Global Targets A and B: Opinions from the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction’s Ignite Stage 2019, this article contributes to the understanding of the targets by exploring: (1) what are the conditions that may hinder achieving targets, as well as those that may accelerate their achievement at the national and local levels; and (2) which types of organizations should lead a country’s effort to reduce disaster deaths?

Citation: Ray-Bennett, N.S. Clarke, K. Mendez, D. (2022) Sendai Framework’s Global Targets A and B: Opinions from the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction’s Ignite Stage 2019, International Journal of Disaster Risk Science. Available online at: Link Springer

07 September 2022 – Special Session on International Snakebite Awareness Day Featured in India’s Down To Earth Publication

On Wednesday 7 September 2022, Down To Earth featured the article entitled Odisha carries a huge burden of snakebite deaths – but is it avoidable? for the Special Session on International Snakebite Awareness Day: Challenges and Opportunities to Reduce Avoidable Snakebite Deaths in Odisha/ India.

The hybrid event will be hosted by the ADN India Hub on Monday 19 September 2022 at 18:00 – 20:00 IST (India), which equates to 13:30 – 15:30 BST (UK) on Zoom.

To read the full article in Down To Earth, please click the following link: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/wildlife-biodiversity/odisha-carries-a-huge-burden-of-snakebite-deaths-but-it-is-avoidable-84787

02 September 2022 – ADN mourns the loss of our Founding Advisor Professor Peter Jackson

It is with deep sadness we inform you the passing of Professor Peter Jackson. Professor Peter Jackson was a very dear friend and an extraordinary mentor to Dr Nibedita Ray-Bennett for over a decade. He was our Founding Advisor and shaped ADN’s vision and advised and collaborated in a number of research projects including the most recent project on ‘Regional Network for First Responders in the Caribbean Region’. Professor Peter Jackson was looking forward to reading the Roadmap for this project. Professor Peter Jackson’s passing is a personal loss for ADN and will be greatly missed. We would like to convey our condolences to Professor Peter Jackson’s family.

To read his legacy and obituary on the University of Leicester website, please click here.

05 August 2022 – Regional Network for First Responders Project Featured in Barbados Today news outlet

On Friday 22 July 2022, Barbados Today featured the article entitled ‘University Researchers Meet Disaster Responders In Barbados’ for the research project Regional Network for First Responders (RN4FR).

The project is funded by the University of Leicester’s Knowledge Exchange, Impact and Proof of Concept Fund and is led by Dr. Nibedita S. Ray-Bennett.

To read the full article in Barbados Today, please click the link below: https://barbadostoday.bb/2022/07/22/university-researchers-meet-disaster-responders-in-barbados/

03 August 2022 – Second Phase of Meals on Wheels Project Has Been Completed

On the 2nd of May 2021, we launched an appeal to raise funds to respond to the second surge of COVID-19 in India, through a novel initiative called ‘Meals On Wheels’. The project aim was to reduce avoidable deaths from nutritional crisis and starvation amongst the tribal community of Kandamahal district in Odisha who have been the hardest hit by the impact of economic lockdown through the ‘Meals on Wheels’ initiative. The ADN team raised £1,255 through the GoFund Platform in the UK, and INR19,100 in India. With the help of this fund, the host of ADN Hub India, Orissa State Volunteers Social Workers Association (OSVSWA) distributed 821 food parcels across 18 villages of Kandamahal district from the 2nd to the 5th of July 2021.

Due to COVID-19 protection measures, the second phase of food distribution was delayed. We are however pleased to announce that the second phase of the Meals on Wheels project has been completed. During the second phase of distribution, 298 packets of food were distributed on 9 and 10 July 2022 in the district of Nayagarh. The villages included Baliberena, Chadeyapalli, Uthanisahi, Pathargadia, Harijan Sahi, Dudura, Kujamendhi and Beberi.

Over the first and second phases, a total of 1,119 packets/ meals were distributed to reduce avoidable deaths from nutritional crisis and starvation amongst the socio-economically vulnerable groups of population in Odisha. The ADN team are grateful for the support and donations for this project.

29 July 2022 – Blog Written by Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett on World Drowning Prevention Day

Children jumping in body of water To raise awareness of drowning prevention, Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett wrote a personal blog entitled ‘Drowning Prevention – Personal Story from my Village Runia, India‘. To read the blog on our website, please click the following link: https://www.avoidable-deaths.net/2022/07/28/drowning-prevention-a-personal-story-from-my-village-runia-india/

For more information on World Drowning Prevention Day, please visit our website: https://www.avoidable-deaths.net/adn-special-sessions/special-session-july-2022/

25 July 2022 – Special Session on World Drowning Prevention Day: The Future of Drowning Risk in the Context of COVID-19 and Climate Change

Today is World Drowning Prevention Day, organised by World Health Organization.

To raise awareness of drowning risk and prevention, we hosted a Special Session on World Drowning Prevention Day: The Future of Drowning Risk in the Context of COVID-19 and Climate Change. To watch the full session on our YouTube page, please click the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8YBEuLV4K0

For more information on our Special Session on World Drowning Prevention Day, please visit our website: https://www.avoidable-deaths.net/adn-special-sessions/special-session-july-2022/

10 July 2022 – ADN selected for the Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments (VC) platform

On 22 November 2021, Dr Nibedita Ray-Bennett received an invitation from Yuki Matsuoka, Head, UNDRR Office Japan, to showcase ADN on the Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments (VC) platform. The VC platform provides an opportunity to:

Inform the public about our work;
Facilitate learning and collaboration by knowing who is doing what, and where; and
Motivate others, share updates and highlight good practices.

ADN is live on the UNDRR webpage and can be accessed here: https://sendaicommitments.undrr.org/commitments/20211123_001

What’s more, ADN is cited in the UNDRR’s recent Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments Synthesis and Analysis Report (2022, p, 98 e-page 113). The report can be read here: https://lnkd.in/dUNmvZnd

04 – 05 July 2022 – Research Trip to Barbados to Meet with Disaster Response Stakeholders

Over the course of two days, Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett (University of Leicester (UoL)/ Avoidable Deaths Network (ADN)), Mr. Steve Glovinsky (PeerConnect), Mr. Alex Skinner (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)/ ADN), Mr. Krishna Clarke (Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)/ ADN – Barbados) and Ms. Keisha Linton (Regional Security System (RSS) met with key stakeholders to develop a roadmap for the next stage of the RN4FR. Their trip commenced with a group Hybrid Stakeholder’s Meeting at the RSS Airwing at Paragon Base, Christ Church. In person attendees included Mr. Graham Archer (RSS), Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Forde (RSS), Mr. Errol Maynard (Caribbean Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC)/ Barbados Fire Service), Mr. Paul Saunders (CDB), Dr. David Byer OBE (Queen Elizabeth Hospital Emergency Ambulance Service (QEH-EAS)), Major Clemens Buter (Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO)), Mr. Peterson Yearwood (Barbados Red Cross Society), Dr. Rochelle Hunte (Barbados Red Cross Society), Mr. Rasheed Pinder (Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)), Mr. Frank Caswell (World Food Programme) and Mr. Mark Boyce (QEH-EAS). The meeting was attended virtually by Dr. Evangeline Inniss-Springer (University of West Indies Disaster Risk Reduction Centre (UWI-DRRC)), Ms. Simone Ward (Neptune Communications Inc.), Dr. Idelia Ferdinand (Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines) and Mr. Denver Chiquot (Saint Lucia Fire Service); project Collaborators Professor Alois Hirschmugl (DMAT Consulting KG), Dr. Albrecht Beck (Prepared International PPI), Dr. Hideyuki Shiroshita (Kansai University/ ADN) and Mr. David Wales (Shared Aim); the project Consultant Ms. Nupur Gupta (PeerConnect); the Research Administrator Ms. Lauren Macleod (UoL/ ADN); and project Interns Ms. Anusha Manahil (ADN) and Mr. Abdullahi O. Umar (UoL). After refreshments, the day continued with 1-1 meetings with Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Forde (RSS), Mr. Errol Maynard (CAFC)/ Barbados Fire Service), Mr. Paul Saunders (CDB), Dr. David Byer OBE (QEH-EAS). The second day consisted of 1-1 meetings with Ms. Danielle Toppin, Mr. Peterson Yearwood, Dr. Rochelle Hunte (Barbados Red Cross Society); Ms. Simone Banister (FCDO); Mr. Marlon Clarke (UNDP), Ms. Andria Grosvenor (CDEMA) and Major Clemens Buter (PAHO). To end the trip, the RN4FR team continued conversations over dinner at the Radisson Aquatica Hotel with Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Forde (RSS), Mr. Errol Maynard (CAFC)/ Barbados Fire Service), Dr. David Byer OBE (QEH-EAS) and CDEMA. For more information on the Caribbean project, please click here.

09 June 2022 – Preparation for World Drowning Prevention Day

25 July is World Drowning Prevention Day. This year’s theme is “Do one thing to prevent drowning”. To address to this theme, the ADN team, for the first time has decided to hold a global webinar on 25 July to raise awareness on the prevention of drowning. To discuss the details of the webinar and solicit support for the same, Dr Nibedita Ray-Bennett met Ms Gemma May from the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) on 9 June 2022. The outcome of the meeting was positive. The RNLI is a leading organisation at home and abroad for saving lives at sea and from other natural water bodies. Recently Dr Nibedita Ray-Bennett in collaboration with the University of East Anglia’s Water Security Research Centre concluded a RNLI-funded consultancy project on “Climate change and drowning risk in Bangladesh and Tanzania and the implications for RNLI programmes.” The WHO has created a strap-line, social media tiles, hashtags, Guidance for Organisations and common assets to celebrate World Drowning Prevention Day. For more details, please visit the WHO website: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-drowning-prevention-day/2022

02 June 2022 – Meeting with the Head of the UNDRR Office in Bonn

ADN President, Dr. Nibedita Ray-Bennett met with the Head of the UNDRR Office in Bonn, Mr. Animesh Kumar and UNDRR Programme Management Officer, Mr. Martin F. Ras to discuss the outcome of the Co-Chairs’ Summary: Bali Agenda for Resilience and how ADN Members can contribute to the section on Damage and Loss. Dr. Ray-Bennett was accompanied by ADN’s Organisational Partners, Dr. Albrecht Beck, Prepared International and Professor Alois Hirschmugl, DMAT Consulting KG; ADN Member Dr. Golam Rasul, ICIMOD; and ADN Research Administrator, Ms. Lauren Macleod. ADN would like to thank all those who participated. To read the Co-Chairs’ Summary: Bali Agenda for Resilience, please visit the UNDRR website: https://www.undrr.org/publication/co-chairs-summary-bali-agenda-resilience

20 May 2022 – Dr Nibedita Ray-Bennett, ADN’s President and Convenor attended the Away Day for the newly established Leicester’s Institute for Environmental Futures (IEF)

Dr Ray-Bennett in collaboration with Prof Gawen Jenkin lead the Research Challenge Theme on ‘Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction’. The IEF is led by Prof Heiko Balzter and it brings together over 40 world class scientists from different disciplines tackling the challenges of the climate crisis, disaster risk reduction, and environmental health, amongst others. As a Research Challenge Lead, Dr Ray-Bennett aims to promote proactive engagement between the IEF and the members of ADN. More to follow on ADN’s engagement activities.

6 May 2022 – Avoidable Deaths Network concludes project on Understanding the impact of climate change on drowning risk in Bangladesh and Tanzania

The project ran from December 2021 to March 2022, and was funded by the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI). The project examined weather-related impacts of climate change in Bangladesh and Tanzania, and determined the most likely implications for shifts in drowning risk in those countries because of climate change, ultimately providing a report to support RNLI’s International programmes in Bangladesh and Tanzania.