UNESCO/IOC Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme.

The Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme is an international community-based recognition programme developed by Intergovermental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. It aims to build resilient communities through awareness and preparedness strategies that will protect life, livelihoods and property from tsunamis in different regions.

On 5 December 2017, the United Nations declared that a Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development would be held from 2021 to 2030 (Ocean Decade). In June 2022, the IOC Assembly approved the establishment of the IOC Ocean Decade Tsunami Programme. The implementation of the Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme will be a key contribution to achieving the societal outcome ‘A Safe Ocean’ of the Ocean Decade.

The main goal of the Programme is to improve coastal community preparedness for tsunamis and to minimize the loss of life, livelihoods and property. This is achieved through a collaborative effort to meet a standard level of tsunami preparedness through the fulfilment of a set of established indicators.


The indicators facilitate the establishment of a consistent standard to evaluate and mitigate the risk of, prepare for, and respond to tsunamis.

Communities must meet all 12 indicators, which cover Assessment, Preparedness, and Response, will be recognized as ‘Tsunami Ready’ by the UNESCO/IOC. The recognition is renewable every four years.

The Tsunami Ready Recognition Programme is implemented as a voluntary, performance-based community recognition programme that promotes an understanding of the concept of readiness as an active collaboration among national and local warning and emergency management agencies, and government authorities, scientists, community leaders and the public.

Although communities can be recognized as being ‘Tsunami Ready’, this recognition does not imply approval or confirmation that a community can or will perform at a certain level in the event of an actual tsunami.

 

Tsunami Ready recognition does not mean that a community is tsunami proof; rather, it is an acknowledgement and recognition that a community has adopted mitigation measures to cope with their tsunami risk.

Tsunami Ready Viewer (click for community status)


For more information, contact the IOC's Tsunami Information Centres in the Caribbean (CTIC, ctic@unesco.org), indian Ocean (IOTIC, iotic@unesco.org), Northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean (NEAMTIC, neamtic@unesco,org), and the Pacific (ITIC, itic@unesco.org).