UNISDR head, Mami Mizutori, speaking at the GEO-XV Plenary

KYOTO 31 October, 2018 - Earth observation and geospatial data has “huge potential to put risks into context and to make a strong case for disaster risk reduction.”

This was the message delivered yesterday by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mami Mizutori,  at the GEO-XV Plenary which was part of GEO Week 2018.  

In her keynote speech, the UNISDR chief welcomed the gathering’s focus on three priority areas: the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris Agreement on climate, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The week brings together representatives of GEO’s 105 Member governments and 127 Participating Organizations to explore on-going efforts and new opportunities for the use of Earth observations for the benefit of humankind with "Supporting a Resiliient and Sustainable World" as their chosen theme.

Ms. Mizutori said that as more countries put in place national and local strategies for disaster risk reduction by 2020, in line with the Sendai Framework, “earth observation data can greatly assist countries in assessing current risk trends with a view to determining the most pressing priorities that their disaster risk reduction strategies need to address.”

She also highlighted how earth observation data can assist in monitoring the implementation of the Sendai Framework, the Paris Agreement and the SDGs “in a coherent manner, and hence in taking corrective action where implementation is lagging behind.”