Garry De la Pomerai

London UK- UAE-China DOB 1/4/59 gdpsaraid@aol.com cogssinfo@aol.com Mob: +44 7703337946 Landline: +442072230589 Skype: delapom44

A personal profile for DR within Communities: DRR Education & School Infrastructure resilience, with ESD ,Poverty Reduction policy integration. Building Code and Retrofit standards development and use of Early Warning systems.
2005 Garry was Co-founder Executive Member and Coordinator of the Coalition for Global School Safety (COGSS) (now developed to COGSS DPE Disaster Prevention Education) along with Ben Wisner, Steve Bender, Manu Gupta and Marla Patel with other Steering group members, with several hundred associated individuals and numerous global Agencies representatives. Garry has represented COGSS DPE with key note presentations, facilitating, chairing and coordinating sessions and Conference agendas including at the 2006 Davos IDRC; the 2007 International Conference for School Safety in Ahmadabad, India, sponsored by the Gujarat Administration and SEEDS; and at the 2008 Islamabad International School Safety Conference Pakistan sponsored by the Aga Khan Foundation; at the UNCRD SESI Conference, Kobe Japan; and the IDRC Chengdu China 2009 and again in China at the 1st Dujiangyan International Forum Conference 2010. He has also represented COGSS at International and National Workshops, associated conferences and Platform Meetings speaking specifically on developing DR Education and Infrastructure Strategies in Germany, France, Indonesia, Switzerland, Turkey, and for the UK Gov Cabinet Office during the hosted European Platform 2day conference in London. Garry was a part of a Inter Agency Collaboration with the UN TPKE working with UNESCO UNISDR UNICEF and INGOs to introduce Disaster Reduction into ESD at a special Session fro DR at the Global ESD conference Bonn Germany 2009 Garry is now often requested to include within presentations, updates of Global DR Activities within Schools to demonstrate developments and new initiatives with comparisons of approach to challenges within differing Countries, Regions and Continents. 2006 Garry has presented seminars to Seismic Engineering Students at the German University, Wuppertal and in 2008 & 2009 for Londons UCL EPICentre. He has written articles relating to School Safety strategies and DR education strategies and in 2009 co-wrote a Paper published with HPA (UK Health Protection Agency) colleagues in the London for DR Advocacy in Schools. Since the UK government has initiated the Developing Community Resilience Through Schools project. From 2006 Garry has been supporting the development and promotion of concept for the UNISDR TPK&E (Thematic Platform for Knowledge and Education) and continues to support the Platform activities for Education Disaster Reduction advocacy into global Governmental bodies for DRR policy and strategy development within multiple-hazard vulnerable community environments. Garry represents COGSS DPE on the Platform. In 2006 Garry co-developed and continues as a coordinator for the first responder hazard research database inTERRAgate with and in conjunction with Prof.Bill McGuire through the Benfield Hazard Research Centre at UCL, London. Since 2008 Garry is a COGSS representative on the AGNDR The Advisory Group for Natural Disaster Reduction in the UK, Chaired by the HPA and working closely to assist advice to the UK Government Departments and National Agencies. Garrys specific area of DRR interest is the Physical structures of schools, including; assessments and the analysis of assessments; their new design; build back better post disaster; repair; retrofitting; indigenous adaption and the vernacular; the interior non structural mitigation; maintenance; and understanding their failures; promoting future resilience and DR ownership development within multiple hazard environments and vulnerable communities. In Feb 2008 he was appointed through COGSS-DPE Coalition for Global School Safety and Disaster Prevention Education and the UNISDR Thematic Platform on Knowledge and Education to lead the Work Group "Safer School Construction" being made up of leading Engineers, Architects and Field Construction Project Managers. The purpose is to globally develop a coordinated collaborated strategy in considering and sharing data, assessment and analysis techniques, along with design, construction and retrofit techniques for all vulnerable Schools. The Work Group have undertaken to: 1. Collect and disseminate safe school design principles and open source designs. 2. Promote independent audit of school safety on a national or regional basis. 3. Promote prioritisation strategies for school retrofit. 4. Advocate for school structural safety with national and local governments. From late 2008 The Safer School Construction work group was instrumental in the collaborations with the INEE, World Bank and numerous specialists in the production of the Guidance Notes for Safer School Construction launched at the 2009 Global Platform in Geneva. Garry is acknowledged for contributions in the preface. During 2008 and 2009 Garry was appointed as consultant to the UNCRD Kobe Japan to assist the exit strategy for the SESI (School Earthquake Safety Initiative) programme and to research and write the appraisal of the 4year SESI project within the Asia Pacific region including Uzbekistan, Indonesia, India and Fiji, and then to also develop the forward strategy to expand the pilot projects within the Asia Pacific Region and Globally. SESI includes strategy development within multiple hazard environments for advocating schools retrofitting,

safer construction, capacity building for Teachers and Craftsmen, DR Education and Activity development and collaborations and the dissemination of DR philosophy within communities, NGOs and to Governments. April 2009 Garry supported and participated in a Multi Agency Side Event (including UNESCO, UNISDR and UNICEF) at the WCESD World Conference for Education for Sustainable Development in Bonn Germany, making a presentation Educational Infrastructure Incorporating Disaster Risk Reduction within ESD June 2009 Garry was requested to Chair the session co organised by UNESCO and the UNCRD For the Safer Building Codes and Construction: A Strategy for Enforcement, Implementation and Dissemination at the Global Platform meeting in Geneva. From which the Global Task Force for Building Codes was derived. The GTFBC is deemed an essential component in order to achieve the sustainable long term resilience not only within Housing and Commercial facilities but also in Schools and Higher Education facilities. The GTFBC is playing a strategic role within the Recovery strategy of Haiti, collating data and providing an early global forum ensuring initiating the collaborative process for identifying construction best practice; commencing within temporary shelter, leading to rebuild, new build, repair and retrofit during the build up to implementation of bespoke Haitian minimum standards and legislated Building Codes. Garry continues to support and promote the UNISDR GTFBC with UNESCO as a lead, promoting advocacy for the development and implementation of Best Practices, Codes , Retrofit Standards development and Compliance policies into National Strategies; plus promoting collaboration between numerous Global Engineers, Architects and Project Managers, NGOs, US networks, and UN Agencies. In 2009 Garry has initiated and administers the development of a basic visual mapping exercise of all DR activities relating to Schools throughout the world, using a bespoke Google Map located within the COGSS DPE Web site April 2010 Garry presented to the ERRA Conference, Pakistan in the Session Reconstructing Earthquake Damaged Infrastructure: Challenges and Lessons; with a requested Presentation Fast Track Construction for Sustainable Safer Schools. At the End of May 2010 Garry was invited to address the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO Dujiangyan 1st International Forum in Chengdu China for Natural Disaster Preparedness and post Disaster Reconstruction, specifically to key note speak about Education Infrastructure, Recovery and DR Development. In September 2010 Garry was invited to speak and participate as a key consultant to the IPRCC seminar/ workshop in Chengdu with 22 Regional Countries attending In May 2011 Garry attended the UN Global Platform for Disaster Reduction in Geneva, where he chaired the GTFBC Session and participated in the organisation of the UN TPKE Special Education Session. . 2009 2010 Garry takes an active role within the Global and UK Shelter Cluster groups and post Haiti, the Education Cluster along with a variety of Networks concentrating on Recovery within Haiti. He promotes the development of the Cluster system, advocating collaboration and Data sharing between all UN, US, Civil Society Agencies and Goodwill groups. In May 2011 At the UN Global Platform meeting in Geneva ,Garry launched the Real Time Early Warning System SOLUZION, along with a press release to 230 countries, 133 Government NDMA departments and through the PreventionWeb network. This is a collaborative project between the Chinese Scientists (Care-Life Institute- Chengdu) and VVSC, Garry's partnership with DR specialist Khizer Omer (based in Asia). Registered office presently in the UK, being relocated to Dubai. www.soluzionsystems.com In August 2011 Garry addressed the Session Education for Rural Transformation in Inclusive Development at the UNESCO Chengdu China Conference Quality Education for Inclusive Human Development 2nd Dujiangyan International Forum 7th to 8th August In August 2011 Garry moderated the session Disaster and Emergency Management of Cities at the 2011 World Cities Scientific Development Forum, 11th 13th Aug 2011, Chengdu China Presently in continuance of the above commitments: Garry has a specific interest in creating resilient Communities, supporting the UNISDR Resilient Cities programme and the UNESCO/INRULED Education for Rural development and sustainability Garry is specifically addressing the social science of message communication into and preparedness of society for early warnings and future reliable predictions of natural hazards. http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Early-Warning-4094287?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr He also supports the IPRCC in their work for integration of policy between Poverty Reduction and Disaster Reduction, within the Asia Region. Garry is also an advocate to address Environmental Change with Climate Change being part of Environmental Change To view some of Garrys presentations and discussion documents plus other useful resources used for his work see:
http://www.scribd.com/gpomerai

Since 1998-2011 In addition to DR activities, Garry has developed his First Response Rescue interests as an Urban Search and Rescue Technician within International USAR Teams based in the UK. Presently an Operational member of S.A.R.A.I.D. (Search and Rescue Assistance In Disaster). Training in: technical search techniques; collapsed building tunnelling; casualty extrication; stabilising medical procedures; swift/white water rescue & off road 4x4 logistics. With SARAID he attended: the Pakistan Earthquake in 2005, based in Muzaffarabad; the immediate Tsunami relief and recovery in Sri Lanka 2004, at the request of the Sri Lanka Government; plus attended the Sumatra Earthquake 2009 in Padang; and assisted coordinating team activities and logistics in Haiti from within the UK; in addition to a variety of Search taskings supporting the Police in the UK during the last 10 years in Cliff collapses, Flooding' and missing persons. And in March 2011 was Team Leader for the search of a suspected murder victim in the UK, assisting Police S&R Teams. Garry was the International Development Officer for SARAID until he stepped down to concentrate on the SOLUZION System Project since its launch in May 2011.

During the early 1990s Garry studied a Masters Degree in Security and Risk Management at the Scarman Centre, Leicester University UK during the.