This proposal requests funds for partial support of 4 U.S. and 16 developing country participants in the International Seminar in Socioeconomic Aspects of Disasters in Developing Countries in the Asian Pacific Region to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, March 20-24, 1989. The U.S. Coordinator is Dr. Russell R. Dynes, Chairman, Department of Sociology, and Co-Director, Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware. Dr. Brian A. O. Ward, Director, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, will be Co-Director of the Seminar. Scientists from the ASEAN countries, Bangladesh, India, Korea, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka will be invited to participate. The major themes of the seminar will be an assessment of the current status of research within the Asian Pacific region; the current status of research on socioeconomic aspects of disaster in developed countries; exploration of high priority research for developing countries; research opportunities created by different types of disaster agents; development of cooperative research projects; development of a sustaining network of help and advice to researchers isolated from other research colleagues; and consideration of development of research "technical assistance" based at the host institution. The coordinators of this international conference are highly respected scientists with extensive experience in organizing international cooperative activities. This project is relevant to the objectives of the Science in Developing Countries (SDC) Program which seeks to increase the level of cooperation between U.S. scientists and engineers and their counterparts in developing countries through the exchange of scientific information, ideas, skills, and techniques and through collaboration on problems of mutual benefit. Under the SDC Program, conferences may be supported to explore the application of science and technology to development problems. This project supports the SDC Program in each of these areas through the scientific exchanges and cooperative activities proposed.
