At the invitation of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Prof. Lin Hui, director of Institute of Space and Earth Information Science (ISEIS), has visited Palau and Papua New Guinea recently right after the latter was hit by an earthquake to train their government officers in remote sensing and GIS technologies for disaster damage reduction. The two countries highly appreciated the support from ESCAP and CUHK. Professor Lin and UN officers who conducted the training programme have been received by Kerai Mariur, vice president of the Republic of Palau. 

In the face of global climate change, Pacific Island Countries and other least developed countries urgently need satellite remote sensing and GIS technologies to monitor typhoons, storm rain, landslides, sea level rising, volcano, earthquakes, storm surges and tsunamis. Dr. Xuan Zengpei, director of the ICT and Disaster Risk Reduction Division of ESCAP, and coordinator of this training programme, hopes that the Hong Kong government and CUHK will further support these countries by organizing international training programmes on satellite remote sensing and GIS for disaster and risk reduction in ISEIS to train related professionals.  

Professor Lin said, 'We can help reduce the pressure of emergency responses to disasters on the international society by enhancing the capacity of all nations in disaster reduction. As a citizen of the global village, CUHK is obligated to shoulder the responsibility to let the younger generation understand the significance of international cooperation.'

Founded in 1947, ESCAP is the largest regional development arm of the United Nations for the Asia-Pacific region. Hong Kong is one of its nine associate members and ISEIS is the non-governmental contact point of the Satellite Remote Sensing, GIS and Satellite Navigation Working Group under ESCAP.