Myanmar

Participants at a UN-backed meeting that wrapped up Oct. 28 in Bangkok have agreed that the need to “build back better” and a focus on disaster risk reduction should be key elements of the post-Cyclone Nargis recovery process in Myanmar. Some 2.4 million people were affected by the cyclone, which battered the country in early May, leaving around 140,000 dead or missing and displacing 800,000 from their homes. The two-day meeting in the Thai capital brought together Myanmar’s partners and disaster response experts, and drew from previous natural disasters such as the 2004 Asian tsunami, the 2005 Pakistan earthquake and 2007’s Cyclone Sidr. (UN News Service)