Download the report here.
Download the update to the report here.
Cyclone Nargis was a strong tropical cyclone that caused the deadliest natural disaster in the recorded history of Burma (officially known as Myanmar). The cyclone made landfall in the country on 2 May 2008, causing catastrophic destruction and at least 133,000+ fatalities, over 2.5 million internally displaced with tens of thousands still missing and dead. Soon after the cyclone hit it was evident that damage to life and property far exceeded initial estimates.
At the time, a number of emails from a range of highly-placed actors in government, academia and international NGOs were circulated on how the international community and humanitarian aid agencies could help with relief efforts in the country.
Discussions within the ICT4Peace Foundation on the issues tied to ICT provisioning and relief work within the specific context of Myanmar led to the preparation of a short paper for the Foundation’s Advisory Board and allied partners, outlining key technical, operational and political issues as well as possible solutions. The paper also included a comprehensive media monitoring study of developments on the ground related to communications.
In the interest of stimulating public awareness and debate on these observations, the Foundation has now released this paper to the public.