Days before the devastating earthquake and tsunamis hit Japan, the United Nations and GVF, U, the non-profit association of the global satellite industry, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate more effective use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) to support the humanitarian community before, during, and after disasters.
During a meeting held in New York City on 15 March, the Secretary General of GVF and the United Nations Secretariat, acting through the Technical Coordination and Partnerships Unit (TCPU) of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), reached a landmark agreement to co-ordinate satellite-based support for humanitarian organisations.
Central to the agreement is implementation of the "GVF Disaster Preparedness Registry", an online platform that will facilitate humanitarian organisations' efforts to sustainably leverage satellite-based systems, services, and personnel for relief efforts, as well as for medium and long-term development programs that are conducted following disasters.
