The Ocean Decade Tsunami Programme

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, IOC-UNESCO - France

Increase community resilience to ocean hazards, Indian Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, Programme, South Atlantic Ocean, South Pacific Ocean

Progress actions is envisioned particularly in the fields of rapid tsunami detection, measurement and forecasting capabilities, implementation of Tsunami Ready communities and related capacity development efforts, specifically targeting SIDS and LDCs.

Additionally, the ambition is to identify and advance specific actions that align with the components of UNDRR People-centered early warning systems including:

1. Risk Knowledge

(i) Improve our understanding of the tsunami hazard by expanding our knowledge of past or potential tsunami sources
(ii) Fully understand the impacts to critical infrastructure and marine assets and how to minimize them

2. Monitoring and Warning

(i) More quickly detect and measure tsunamis directly, through ocean observations to include instrumentation of undersea cables
(ii) Ensure critical tsunami generation parameters are identified through the optimal use and real-time sharing of new and existing sensors and data
(iii) Leverage the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 hydrographic survey initiative to ensure nearshore coastal zones have complete bathymetric/topographic data coverage at the required resolution

3. Warning Dissemination and Communication

(i) Ensure full integration of tsunami services within a multi-hazard early warning framework
(ii) Facilitate development of warning dissemination and communication options that are appropriate to geographic, demographic, and infrastructure conditions for the timely dissemination of warnings

4. Response Capability

(i) Tsunami evacuation maps must be available for all coastal communities
(ii) Ensure that 100% of communities at risk of tsunami around the world meet the indicators outlined in the IOC-UNESCO Tsunami Ready programme
(iii) Ensure plans to minimize impacts to critical infrastructure and marine assets are in place to enable quicker post-tsunami restoration of services

5. Capacity Development and attention to SIDS and LDCs

(i) Enhanced capacity development is necessary for the understanding of the tsunami hazard to enhance timely warning, response and resilience
(ii) Ensure that SIDS and LDCs are fully integrated into all development phases of the global Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System

Start Date: 01/09/2022
End Date: 31/12/2030

Lead Contact: Bernardo Aliaga (b.aliaga@unesco.org)