THE INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON EARTHQUAKE DISASTER REDUCTION IN URBAN AREAS

It was a great honor for us to conduct the International Workshop on Earthquake Disaster Reduction in Urban Areas in Jakarta on June 28-30, 1995. This was merely possible because of the kindness of the UNESCO representative for Indonesia, in this case Dr. Michio Hashizume, the IDNDR Secretariat Geneva, and the willingness ofthe Director of Meteorological and Geophysical Agency to carry out this workshop together. It was our real pleasure that commemorating the fiftieth anniversaiy of Indonesia independence, BMG was entrusted to hold such an intemational event together with UNESCO and EDNDR secretariat. The workshop has been attended by participants from 16 different countries, observers, representatives from 3 invited countries, expert from 8 developed countries, and representatives from several intemational organizations; while some Indonesia participants attending the workshop were representatives from relevant institutions. The workshop could run well since there was a good coordination between all participants and the organizing committee, for which as the chairman of the Organizing Committee I would like to thank you all very much. Finally, one of the workshop results is the proceeding you are now about to read. We apologize for the delay on concluding this proceeding, and hope that what we have done altogether would be worthwhile in anticipating natural disasters, in particular in urban areas.