Phuket declaration on Tsunami Preparedness for Persons with Disabilities

(Officially Adopted on Mar.1, 2007)

We, participants of the International Conference on Tsunami Preparedness for Persons with Disabilities, assembled on the eleventh and twelfth of January 2007, at Royal Phuket City Hotel, Phuket, Thailand, declare that:

Tsunami disasters can be prevented through:

1. sharing of knowledge and best practices on Tsunami and other disasters,
2. strong commitment and active participation for contribution of all stakeholders including in particular persons with disabilities to eliminate the loss of lives,
3. local community-based initiatives for disaster preparedness and
4. infrastructure building including Tsunami early warning system at all levels to disseminate timely disaster warning to all people concerned,
5. Building of disability friendly infrastructure addressing accessibility issues in all phases of disaster management.

In a knowledge-based society, ICT development, which includes assistive technologies and universal design concept, will contribute to the success of disaster preparedness development that will meet the diverse needs of all people including those of persons with disabilities and other vulnerable people including women, children, old people, cultural minorities, tourists, etc. in the community.

Such ICT development should be based on internationally-recognized standards that are open, non-proprietary, and have proven track record of accessibility.

In commemoration of the Asian Tsunami 2004 and in support of WSIS action plan, Hyogo Frame Work of Action and Tampere Convention, we recommend that:

1. An educational/training center on Tsunami and other disaster preparedness should be established. All aspects of such center, including physical infrastructure and training materials, should be inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities.
2. All stake holders should follow the principles of WSIS and UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to implement effective preparedness for Tsunami and other disasters.