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Americas makes resilience a priority
Ministers and senior officials from the Americas and the Caribbean are urging progress on monitoring the region’s roadmap for resilience to disasters..In a declaration at the close of the three-day Vl Regional Platform on Disaster Reduction in the Americas, they said members should integrate disaster risk reduction in all areas of activity to promote a “less vulnerable region” and more resilient communities.
2018-07-12 12:19:06
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Jamaica to host 2020 DRR meeeting
An Americas and Caribbean conference on disaster risk reduction closed with ministers reiterating support for a regional plan to accelerate action against natural and man-made hazards that take a heavy toll each year.
2018-07-11 14:23:22
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Climate displacement: "an untold story"
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Ms. Federica Mogherini, convened government ministers, senior UN officials and leading experts to address the growing security risks from climate change.At a high level event “Climate, Peace and Security: The Time for Action”, participants gave testimony to the increasing climate security threats they are witnessing and identified concrete actions to take forward.
2018-07-10 21:40:17
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Sendai can "unleash" science on disaster risk reducti....
The Sendai Framework is an opportunity to “unleash” science in the service of reducing the risks posed by natural disasters that take so many lives each year, a conference on disaster reduction heard.Implementation of the global plan for disaster reduction, which was launched in 2015, and the contribution that academics and scientists can make to attaining its goals are important themes of the Vl Regional Platform on Disaster Reduction in the Americas being held in Colombia.
2018-07-09 13:45:33
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Caribbean rises to resilience challenge
The deadly 2017 hurricanes in the Caribbean posed huge challenges but they also offer opportunities to build better disaster preparedness and response systems, a conference heard.With the region now bracing for the 2018 season, key lessons that emerged from the havoc wrought by hurricanes Irma and Maria, category 5 storms in 2017, include the need for enhanced response capacity for fast-moving, multiple and catastrophic events, and to tackle environmental and development questions, such as building standards and codes for land use and management.
2018-07-05 15:30:48
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DRR before and after Hurricane Mitch
Hurricane Mitch, which in 1998 cut a swathe of destruction across Central America, marked a “before and after” for the region’s approach to disaster risk reduction, an international conference heard.
2018-07-04 13:49:42
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Cities share plans to reduce disaster loss
Representatives of five cities in the Americas met this week in Colombia at the Sixth Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction to discuss progress against the Sendai Framework, the global plan to reduce disaster losses by 2030.
2018-07-03 12:31:37
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Colombia President opens disaster risk meeting
Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos urged the Americas to work closely together to manage the risks the region’s countries face from disasters such as hurricanes, floods and earthquakes, and to build resilience in local communities most exposed to them.
2018-07-02 16:18:14
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Colombia cites progress on risk management
Colombia, one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to natural hazards, has made great progress in implementing disaster risk reduction policies, although much remains to be done, President Juan Manuel Santos said today.
2018-06-29 17:54:16
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UNISDR head calls for more inclusion in DRR
Effective disaster risk management requires an “inclusive, all-of-society approach” that reflects the views of those who suffer most from such events, the head of the UNISDR told a regional conference on disaster risk reduction.
2018-06-28 20:48:19
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Americas works to improve disaster statistics
Representatives of eight national institutes of statistics in the Americas continue to meet today in Cartagena, Colombia, to discuss better ways to work together to collect data and statistics to monitor progress on reducing disaster losses as outlined in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
2018-06-25 20:36:04
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Americas DRR Platform focus on inclusion
Tichico Joel Cobian Mena was a geologist for 26 years in Santiago de Cuba when he became blind in 2005 after a long and painful ocular disease. He is now retired but he has put both his knowledge and handicap at the service of the 10,000 disabled people who have been identified among the most vulnerable groups if his region was hit by an earthquake.
2018-06-22 20:10:00
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CREWS initiative expands coverage
An international initiative to improve early warning systems against extreme weather and support climate change adaptation is gaining momentum to protect more people in more places. Financing has been extended to cover the Caribbean a
2018-06-20 20:10:33
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Putting science to work for resilience
Experts from across multiple sectors and global regions met this week in Geneva over two days to brainstorm ideas for an open user platform that will help communities and decision makers more easily apply their understanding of risk to generate better targeted solutions for resilience.
2018-06-16 19:03:39
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UNISDR assesses progress on Sendai Framework
The Annual Report of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, UNISDR, highlights significant progress in the training of member states in monitoring implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the global plan for reducing disaster losses.
2018-06-12 13:32:12
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Tanzania earthquake prompts safe schools initiative
In September 2016, an earthquake of magnitude 5.9 struck Nsunga in Kagera region, northwestern Tanzania, killing at least 19 people and injuring 253 others. A group of 15 boys from Ihungo Secondary School in Bukoba district were among the dead. Over 800 buildings were destroyed.
2018-06-08 16:34:32
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Poland joins Resilient Cities Campaign
UNISDR’s Making Cities Resilient Campaign in Europe has received a major boost as Poland becomes a participant for the first time.The Provincial Government of Kujawsko-Pomorskie in the north of the country has led the way and it comprises over 50 towns and cities that will now have the opportunity to sign up individually to participate in the Campaign which has 3,800 members around the world. The city of Rypin and district of Powiat Tucholski in the region also joined the Campaign in their own right.
2018-06-05 12:30:19
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UNISDR head visits tsunami schools
Two schools with tragically different experiences of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami were at the centre of Ms. Mami Mizutori’s first visit to her native Japan since she took on the role of UN Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction in March.
2018-05-25 20:41:51
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Americas to meet on disaster risk reduction
Over a thousand representatives of governments, civil society and the private sector are to meet in Cartagena, Colombia, June 20-22, to discuss the increasing impact of extreme weather events and climate change across the region.
2018-05-23 19:32:50
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Armenia to host regional conference on disaster losse....
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) today announced that Armenia will host countries from Central Asia and the South Caucasus in June to discuss scaling up efforts to reduce disaster losses.
2018-05-21 20:15:31
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Disasters reveal Asia-Pacific's rising inequality
Political leaders and senior government officials recommitted themselves to tackling rising inequality across Asia and the Pacific and to improving disaster-related statistics in the region at a high-level UN Policy forum in Bangkok this week.
2018-05-18 15:53:22
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China’s “transformed approach” to disaster risk
China has transformed its approach to reducing disaster risk following the devastating Sichuan earthquake ten years ago, with citizens including school children more protected and prepared than ever. The 7.9 magnitude quake hit the county of Wenchuan on 12th May 2008, leaving nearly 90,000 dead or missing, hundreds of thousands injured and millions affected.
2018-05-14 15:38:51
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Lessons of cyclone Nargis still need to be applied
In May 2008, less than four years after the Indian Ocean tsunami resulted in the loss of 230,000 lives, the world witnessed another disaster which provided a tragic illustration of the price people and nations pay in the absence of effective early warning systems being in place.
2018-05-08 12:09:23
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Action needed on water and disasters
Urgent action is needed to address water-related disasters which accounted for 90% of the 1,000 most severe disasters that have occurred since 1990, according to the final outcome document – Making Every Drop Count - of the High Level Panel on Water, issued in March to kick off the International Decade for Action on Water for Sustainable Development.
2018-05-07 14:15:39
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Asia-Pacific gears up for major DRR gathering
Efforts to eradicate poverty in the Asia-Pacific region are being impeded by the high volume of disaster events across the region where the lives of millions are disrupted every year by floods, storms, drought and earthquakes.
2018-05-04 19:18:40
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Rwanda advances with Sendai Framework
Rwanda has mainstreamed disaster risk reduction (DRR) across all sectors and put in place strong regulations and contingency plans to address all natural and man-made hazards affecting the country.The country was among the first countries in the world to start using the Sendai Framework Monitor when it was launched in March.
2018-05-03 19:51:43
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European scientists convene on disaster risk
A new European Science and Technology Advisory Group convened this week in Sofia, Bulgaria, to focus on improving disaster risk knowledge in 55 countries across Europe and Central Asia.UNISDR and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre have established the group to tackle new emerging challenges.
2018-04-28 19:22:17
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WTO opens dialogue on trade and disasters
The World Trade Organization today called for greater dialogue on the impacts of the growing number of disasters on world trade and the role trade can play in building resilience to disasters.It also announced that its Aid For Trade section will undertake a mapping exercise to capture the experience of disaster-affected members and release a report early next year.
2018-04-27 17:16:08
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Mongolian journalists learn disaster risk
Journalists from Mongolia have shown their commitment to reducing disaster risk through participating in a unique training course, highlighting reporters’ vital role in bolstering community resilience.
2018-04-24 17:23:12
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Malawi to start disaster loss data base
Malawi today became the latest country in Africa to complete training on establishing a national disaster loss data base, considered an essential prerequisite for being able to report on progress on reducing disaster losses and improving disaster risk management.Opening the workshop on Wednesday in Lilongwe, Principal Secretary for Administration in the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), Mr. Cliff Chiunda, said the workshop is expected to develop a database for tracking disaster damages and losses in Malawi.
2018-04-11 08:38:24
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UN welcomes Bhutan to Making Cities Resilient Campaig....
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) today welcomed Thimphu, the capital of earthquake-prone Bhutan, as the newest member of the Making Cities Resilient Campaign.
Ms. Loretta Hieber-Girardet, UNISDR’s Chief for the Asia-Pacific region, said: “Bhutan is famous for measuring Gross National Happiness which can only increase further following the decision of the Mayor of Thimphu, Mr. Kinlay Dorjee, to join the Campaign. His commitment to deliver on the Campaign’s checklist to prevent future disasters and reduce the city’s disaster risk is good news for the people of Thimphu.”
2018-04-09 11:38:36
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Bhutan joins UNISDR Cities Campaign
Bhutan’s famous Gross National Happiness index has been given a boost with the announcement that its capital, Thimphu, has joined UNISDR’s Making Cities Resilient Campaign.Mr. Kinlay Dorjee, Mayor of Thimphu, became the 702nd local leader in Asia to sign up to the Campaign when he attended last week’s Fifth Asia-Pacific Forum on “Sustainable Development: Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies.”
2018-04-07 20:47:18
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Pacific islands launch Sendai Framework Monitor
Six weeks after it was hit by a Category 4 cyclone, Tonga is now trained in the use of the new online tool for measuring disaster losses, the Sendai Framework Monitor.Rolling out the Sendai Framework Monitor is part of Pacific-wide efforts to implement the global plan for reducing disaster losses, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.
2018-04-01 02:28:03
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UN Member States urged to adopt early warning checkli....
The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) today welcomed the creation of a Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems Checklist as a major contribution to saving lives in an age of increasing exposure to extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change.The UN Special
2018-03-30 00:35:56
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Caribbean hurricane season under review
A comprehensive review on how early warning systems performed in the Caribbean during the record-breaking 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season will highlight in particular how men and women were affected differently by events.
2018-03-28 02:59:41
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Work starts on a new Global Assessment Report
A new Advisory Board convened yesterday to discuss the direction and content of the 2019 edition of the Global Assessment Report for Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR19), the UN flagship publication which first appeared in 2009.
2018-03-26 08:53:11
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New guide on resilience at local level
A new guide designed to support local governments in their efforts to prevent disasters and reduce disaster losses is now available in draft form for public review before it will be finalized and launched in three months’ time.
2018-03-24 00:11:42
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Sendai Framework anniversary: reporting underway
Three years after the adoption of a global plan to reduce disaster losses 148 countries have now committed to report systematically on their disaster losses including deaths, numbers of people affected, economic losses and damage to critical infrastructure including public utilities.
2018-03-22 07:47:46
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Capacity development strategy for Sendai Framework
Over 100 experts today agreed on the key elements of a Global Capacity Development Strategy to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the global plan to reduce disaster losses adopted in March 2015.
2018-03-20 06:06:53
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Sendai Framework Monitor launch in Arab States
That refrain echoed through Cairo, the capital city of Egypt as a 3-day training event kicked off this week bringing together representatives from 11 Arab States committed to implementing the global plan for reducing disaster losses, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
2018-03-18 02:26:20
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"Business as usual" vital to recovery - ARISE Japan
A study of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami has emphasized the importance of economic recovery to the well-being of communities in the post-disaster phase.
2018-03-16 01:33:38
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Sendai Monitor launch in Central Asia/ South Caucasus
Six countries in Central Asia and the South Caucasus are the latest to commit to using the Sendai Framework Monitor, the online tool launched on March 1, to improve disaster loss data collection in order to better inform national and local strategies for disaster risk reduction.
2018-03-14 02:29:42
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Sendai Framework Monitor takes off
One week after the launch of the new online tool, 50 countries have logged on with the intention of using the Sendai Framework Monitor to report on their disaster losses and efforts to increase national and local strategies for disaster risk reduction.
2018-03-12 01:06:04
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International Women's Day: Call for better data on im....
Marking International Women’s Day on March 8, UN Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Ms. Mami Mizutori made an appeal today for UN Member States to provide better data on the impacts of disasters on women and girls.
2018-03-10 00:40:17
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EU examines DRR and finance
Disaster risk reduction is on the agenda as the EU moves towards greater integration of capital markets and a more risk-informed approach to capital investments in a world where disasters are now estimated to cost the global economy US$520 billion annually.
2018-03-08 05:53:27
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Floods test Honiara’s resilience plans
Less than 24 hours after Honiara launched a major review of its disaster resilience planning, heavy rain and flash floods provided an immediate test of the city’s preparedness.Honiara Mayor Andrew Leonard Mua OBE activated the Emergency Operations Centre as water cascaded down from the highlands above the city, flooding storm water drains, creeks and several roads.
2018-03-05 23:16:40
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UN launches effort to collect data on disaster losses
The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) today announced the beginning of an historic effort to collect comprehensive data on disaster losses as UN Member States implement the global plan for reducing such losses, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
2018-03-04 00:19:00
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Drought and flood risk profiles to be developed for 1....
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has engaged CIMA Research Foundation to generate risk profiles on flood and drought in 16 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The countries that will be involved in the risk assessment are: Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Rwanda, Swaziland, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Gambia, Gabon, Cameroon, Ghana, Sao Tome and Principe, and Kenya.
2018-03-02 00:02:55
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Civil protection and finance sector join forces in No....
Norway is launching a new public-private partnership to boost action on disaster prevention and disaster risk reduction in a collaboration between civil protection and the insurance industry.The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) and Finance Norway, the industry association for the finance sector in Norway, signed the agreement in the presence of UNISDR at a major conference this month in Oslo on “Future Challenges - Are We Prepared”.
2018-02-27 16:28:36
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UNISDR launches new collaboration
Disaster risk reduction partners are now considering a proposal to establish a new UNISDR Stakeholder Advisory Group and whole-of-society engagement strategy to support implementation of the global plan to reduce disaster losses, the Sendai
2018-02-24 11:58:58
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Early warning review for Caribbean
Climate change means that coastal communities in the Caribbean need to be self-sufficient for up to three weeks and not just a couple of days if they are to cope with the fall-out from hurricane activity at the level of intensity experienced
2018-02-23 15:18:05
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Fiji to adopt new DRR policy
The enduring wisdom of the Japanese geophysicist Torahiko Terada – a pioneer of earthquake studies almost a century ago – is inspiring a Pacific nation’s effort to strengthen its disaster risk governance.Mr Terada’s famous maxim – ‘The next disaster will strike when the memory of the last one has been forgotten’ – is the very first sentence of Fiji’s National Disaster Risk Reduction Policy 2018-2030.
2018-02-22 12:17:49
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Response Times Key To Reducing Tsunami Deaths
More needs to be done to reduce response times to tsunami alerts and and to improve wave height measurement if progess is to be made on reducing mortality from tsunamis, an international gathering of experts heard this week.
2018-02-18 10:56:59
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Building back better restores hope
Just five months after the September earthquakes which completely destroyed 60,000 homes, more than 30,000 have been rebuilt by affected families provided with cash and technical assistance from the Mexican authorities.
2018-02-17 14:44:22
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Resilience is about being ready
Quito listo means Quito is ready. The host city of Habitat III where the New Urban Agenda was adopted, has to be ready for a broad range of natural hazards, according to Mayor Mauricio Rodas, speaking today at the World Urban Forum.
2018-02-13 11:21:25
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WUF9: Call to join Resilient Cities Campaign
Cities and towns attending the World Urban Forum were urged at the weekend to join UNISDR’s Making Cities Resilient Campaign which now has over 3,800 adherents representing almost one billion people in urban centres around the world.
2018-02-12 11:04:42
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How can we restore hope to the world's slum dwellers?
There is much grief and suffering in Nairobi’s Kijiji slum following a fire which has underlined once more the inadequacy of infrastructure and basic services provided to almost one billion people who live in circumstances of unacceptable deprivation in slums around the world.
2018-02-08 17:51:26
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UN SG announces new Special Representative for Disast....
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has announced the appointment of Mami Mizutori of Japan as Assistant Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction.Mr. Guterres expressed his appreciation of the dedication and excellent leadership provided to the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) by Robert Glasser of Australia, during his two-year mandate which concludes at the end of this month.
2018-02-02 19:28:59
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Rivers and Resilience in Latin America
Rivers run through many cities in Latin America that have joined UNISDR’s Making Cities Resilient Campaign, and management of these rivers brought three of those cities together last month to carry out a reality check.Representatives from the municipalities and civil society organizations of Santo Tomé, Argentina, Santa Ana, El Salvador, and Dosquebradas, Colombia, met in Panama to discuss their year-long efforts to encourage community participation in risk reduction and climate change adaptation efforts.
2018-01-27 23:49:42
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Building Kathmandu Back Better
Every day when Purusotam Shakya steps into his office in the heart of Kathmandu, Nepal’s bustling capital city, three words leap to the front of his mind: “Build Back Better”. Mr. Shakya is the Director of Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s Disaster Management Department, and relishes his key role in the ongoing reconstruction of the city after the devastating April 2015 earthquake.
2018-01-26 00:53:41
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Cities Scale Up Resilience
Twenty cities with a combined population of more than 50 million people today began sharing experience on how to save lives and protect livelihoods in the face of mounting disaster and climate risk. The various senior local government officials identified the critical need for political will supported by planning and careful use of resources as the foundation for resilient urban development.
2018-01-23 23:43:17
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Three Year Hot Streak "Existential Threat to Planet"
The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Robert Glasser, today described the accelerating pace of climate change as “an existential threat to the planet”.
2018-01-21 21:51:25
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India seeks coalition on resilient infrastructure
India’s Home Minister Mr. Rajnath Singh, today expressed India’s desire to lead a global coalition which will work towards reducing damage to critical infrastructure as called for by the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
2018-01-18 02:02:29
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Asia prioritizes Sendai Target (e)
Governments and stakeholder partners from across Asia have renewed their commitment to a substantial increase in the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020.
2017-12-25 05:52:40
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Sendai Framework Monitoring Process Kicks Off
The Sendai Framework Monitoring Process took off this week as representatives from 85 UN Member States met in Bonn to share their knowledge and learn of the reporting requirements for the monitoring of the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction,
2017-12-22 16:07:34
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Space technologies key to risk reduction
A number of meetings and declarations in recent weeks have emphasized the importance of space technologies in supporting UN Member States to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the global plan to reduce disaster losses by 2030.
2017-12-21 15:57:10
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Putting Disaster Risk Into Adaptation Plans
The motto of the Republic of Marshall Islands - ‘Accomplishment through Joint Effort’ - has proved an inspiration for the country’s disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) communities to integrate their efforts to boost community resilience.
2017-12-19 15:07:46
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UN: Volcanic eruption on Mount Agung underlines neces....
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Robert Glasser, today expressed his concern for the people and Government of Indonesia as the likelihood of a large volcanic eruption on Bali’s Mount Agung continues to become more imminent.
2017-12-18 17:03:49
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Israel raises tsunami awareness
Do not be surprised to see tsunami warning signs if you walk along the beaches of Tel Aviv, they were set up earlier this month to coincide with the World Tsunami Awareness Day on November 5 by the city authorities to alert tourists
2017-12-15 11:40:09
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Portugal joins tsunami warning network
Portugal today joins France, Italy, Greece and Turkey as a National Tsunami Warning Provider in Europe covering the North-East Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea - which was the source of a devastating earthquake and tsunami which destroyed Lisbon in 1755.
2017-12-13 11:37:09
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UNISDR to set up expert group on risk
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has welcomed a recommendation to create an expert working group that will focus on the creation of a global risk assessment framework.
2017-12-12 10:57:48
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Experts meet on global risk framework
Disaster risk reduction experts from around the world today began discussions on a new Global Risk Assessment Framework which can support UN Member States seeking to reduce disaster losses through implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
2017-12-11 10:03:54
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Public Health England reviews Sendai implementation
Public Health England (PHE) has demonstrated its commitment to reducing the numbers of people affected by disasters by publishing a national review of its progress on implementation of the key international agreement, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
2017-12-08 15:05:59
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Japan hosts World Tsunami Museum Conference
Directors and representatives from eight museums and organizations around the world, recently came together with government officials in the Japanese city of Ishigaki in Okinawa for the first ever World Tsunami Museum Conference.
2017-12-07 14:37:31
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PreventionWeb marks 10th anniversary with launch....
PreventionWeb, the global knowledge sharing platform on disaster risk reduction (DRR), celebrates today its 10th anniversary. Launched in 2007 to support the work of DRR professionals, the site is managed by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).
2017-12-05 09:05:01
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COP23 focus on early warning systems
Vulnerable communities in Africa, the Pacific and Caribbean are now benefiting from improved early warning systems against extreme weather as part of an international drive to boost resilience and climate change adaptation.
2017-12-04 13:52:39
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Iran to investigate construction in quake zone
The collapse of some state-built homes in Sunday’s earthquake in western Iran was evidence of corruption, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told a cabinet meeting today, according to state media. The 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit western Iran as well as northeast Iraq on 12 November 2017, and has claimed over 450 lives and injured close to 7,700 people.
2017-12-01 01:37:51
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Youth hold tsunami summit in Japan
13 November 2017: Students from 26 countries came together last week for a pioneering event to mark World Tsunami Awareness Day in Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture in Japan.The spirit of “Yui Maaru” which means mutual support and bonds between people in the Okinawan dialect, was at the heart of the High School Students Islands Summit for World Tsunami Awareness Day (WTAD), that gathered 255 high school students from 26 countries around the world on November 7-8.
2017-11-29 06:27:10
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Can COP23 fill the ambition gap?
The Kyoto Protocol was adopted 20 years ago and since then we have seen an explosion of extreme weather events which have cost many lives and made the struggle to end poverty more challenging than it otherwise needs to be.
2017-11-27 01:47:50
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How can small islands survive a tsunami?
Thirty youth ambassadors from five Pacific countries will tomorrow share their ideas on building tsunami resilience with young people from around the world.
The Pacific youngsters will join hundreds of students from Japan and 20 other countries for the High School Students Islands Summit, in Okinawa, to mark the 2017 World Tsunami Awareness Day.
2017-11-23 06:30:31
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Education is key to preparing for tsunamis
There needs to be an urgent shift from managing disasters to managing disaster risk, according to the UN Deputy Secretary- General, Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, speaking to a High Level Panel this week in New York.
2017-11-19 04:36:37
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UN Urges States at Risk Not to Ignore Tsunami Threat
Portugal is to formally open a National Tsunami Warning Centre on November 21, which will extend Europe’s capacity to issue tsunami alerts to its citizens. This center will monitor an area where a large earthquake followed by a big tsunami destroyed Lisbon in 1755.
2017-11-18 23:37:08
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Rising to the Tsunami Challenge
Over the last week I have moderated discussions in Geneva and New York in which representatives from tsunami-exposed countries including Chile, Indonesia, Japan and Maldives have shared their recent experiences of this rare but most deadly of disasters.
2017-11-17 06:44:07
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UN Appoints Tsunami Survivor as Global Advocate
A tsunami survivor who has dedicated herself to building and supporting safe schools in disaster zones has been appointed as the UN’s first World Tsunami Awareness Advocate by Mr. Robert Glasser, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction.
2017-11-15 00:41:07
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Tsunami Advocate Focuses On Safe Schools
Czech model and entrepreneur Petra Nemcova was yesterday officially recognized by Robert Glasser, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction as World Tsunami Awareness Advocate in a ceremony held at the Japan Society in New York.
2017-11-13 00:35:25
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Report highlights Seismic Gaps in Tsunami Risk Areas
A review of tsunami hazards over the last 400 years highlights “seismic gaps” or locations in the Pacific region where there may be complacency about the tsunami threat following long periods of seismic inactivity.
2017-11-11 08:12:20
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TSUNAMIDAY2017: Climate and geohazards
Nine years ago, scientists from the UK, Europe and the USA met in London to discuss a new and unexpected way that global warming might be threatening the planet.
2017-11-09 00:56:01
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Tsunami countries share lessons learned
The build up to World Tsunami Awareness Day on November 5 started in earnest today with a high-level gathering of tsunami-affected countries discussing how to reduce tsunami risk
2017-11-05 02:28:13
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Hurricanes spur calls for disaster resilience
Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohammed, has called on Member States to do “more at all levels to manage disaster and climate risk and to prepare for future extreme weather events, which are likely to grow in severity and frequency.”
2017-11-02 23:23:30
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DRR addresses causes of fragility
Environmental and energy security require innovative approaches that go beyond national borders, Mr. Michael Linhart, Austrian Deputy Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs said at a high-level discussion in Vienna this week.
2017-11-01 16:02:40
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Africa gets ready for Sendai Monitor
The African Union has announced plans to increase the number of member States with national disaster loss data bases and to put a training programme in place in preparation for the roll-out next year of the Sendai Monitor, the UNISDR-backed mechanism for measuring progress in reducing disaster losses.
2017-10-31 10:55:46
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Fiji calls for action on climate
The Prime Minister of Fiji and the incoming COP23 President, Mr. Vorege Bainone, is hosting a pre-COP23 meeting to galvanise action on climate change and disaster risk.
2017-10-30 13:11:52
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UN Secretary-General: Sendai Framework is essential t....
Millions of lives have been shattered this year by drought, storms, earthquakes, landslides and heatwaves. Last weekend, I witnessed first-hand the dramatic levels of devastation caused by severe hurricanes in the Caribbean.
2017-10-28 19:13:15
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UN Bonn Office to Monitor Global Disaster Losses
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Robert Glasser, today announced that next year will see the start of worldwide monitoring of disaster losses from extreme weather events and earthquakes through the Bonn office of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).
2017-10-27 13:43:50
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Disasters are driving world hunger
“World hunger is on the rise and the estimated number of undernourished people has increased from 777 million in 2015 to 815 million in 2016”, according to Ms. Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett Director, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) - Liaison Office in Geneva.
2017-10-26 13:32:26
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Sudden Onset Disasters To Make 14 Million People....
Research findings released today on International Day for Disaster Reduction forecast a continued rise in homelessness among people in the world’s most disaster prone countries unless significant progress is made in managing disaster risk.
2017-10-25 13:34:42
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American industry launches UN backed network to build....
Private sector representatives from key American companies met yesterday in Miami, Florida, to start a US network of a UN-backed global initiative to create greater understanding of disaster risk in the business community, to safeguard future investments and reduce economic losses from disasters.
2017-10-24 10:51:32
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Improving our understanding of disaster risk
The United Nations today launched new guidelines to encourage more countries to undertake national disaster risk assessments and to link them closely with policy and investment processes in order to take better preventive action to reduce disaster deaths and the soaring numbers of people displaced every year by floods, storms, drought and earthquakes.
2017-10-23 14:12:46
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IDDR2017: Dominica PM calls for climate action
Following the devastation wrought on his Caribbean island home by Hurricane Maria, the Prime Minister of Dominica, Mr. Roosevelt Skerrit, is calling on the world not “to turn its back” on the problem of climate change and for greater investment in disaster risk reduction.
2017-10-20 17:53:13
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IDDR2017: UN Geneva Seminar Targets Youth
Valentina comes from Nancy and Agathe from Strasbourg. They are completing their final year at university and are among 150 students who are attending a two-day UN Geneva Seminar series on disaster risk reduction that started today.
2017-10-19 17:10:49
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UN SG: Disasters Driving Poverty
A new report by UN Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, on the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction warns that annual average loss from disasters in less developed countries is accounting for more than 20 per cent equivalent of social expenditure.
2017-10-18 19:26:03
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Italy establishes Heritage Resilience Centre
Italy will further strengthen its reputation as a leader on protection of cultural heritage from disasters when it opens a new Heritage Resilience Centre on October 13, International Day for Disaster Reduction.
2017-10-17 20:27:32
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Climate change and disasters “a suicidal development”
Visiting hurricane devastated islands in the Caribbean at the weekend, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres Guterres, stated that “the link between climate change and the devastation we are witnessing is clear, and there is a collective responsibility of the international community to stop this suicidal development.”
2017-10-16 20:26:24
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Tsunami and earthquake risk on agenda at....
Earthquakes and tsunami may be rare events in Switzerland but they can happen. In 563, a mudslide triggered a tsunami in Lac Leman (Geneva's lake) creating waves which reached around 8 meters in Geneva and 13 meters in Lausanne.
2017-10-12 21:06:18
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Pacific commits on inclusion
The 2017 Joint Pacific Platform for Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Roundtable today committed “to amplify efforts” towards an all-of-society approach that builds disaster and climate resilience across this huge maritime region.
2017-10-11 16:51:55
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Pacific: DRR is everyone’s business
The Pacific region today challenged itself to make disaster risk reduction everybody’s business and convert one of the main calls for action of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction into an everyday reality.
2017-10-10 17:23:49
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Pacific tackles disaster and climate risk
A landmark meeting in the Pacific focused on integrated efforts to protect lives and livelihoods from the negative impact of disaster and climate risk will open tomorrow.
2017-10-09 13:10:30
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Australia to hold Diversity in Disaster Conference
International Day for Disaster Reduction on October 13 will see the launch of a major awareness raising initiative in Australia on the role that gender plays in disasters and how improved understanding can help reduce the numbers of people affected by disasters, the theme of this year’s International Day.
2017-09-29 10:52:43
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UN: Mexico earthquake underlines importance of....
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Robert Glasser, today expressed his sincere condolences to the people and government of Mexico on the tragic loss of life from the September 19 earthquake.
2017-09-22 21:11:53
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Hurricanes expose resilience gap on small islands
Two years ago this month, Tropical Storm Erika, dumped an enormous quantity of rain on the small island of Dominica in the Caribbean.The night-time event took the country by surprise. There were 31 deaths, and, by one estimate, 200 landslides. The main airport was severely damaged.
2017-09-21 17:21:43
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Is leaving home the answer to climate change?
For island nations on the frontline of climate change and a swathe of natural hazards, the issue of whether communities should give up the battle and leave is never far away.Meeting on the eve of the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Cancun, Mexico, representatives of the world’s Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have come together to exchange lessons and spotlight the challenges that they face.
2017-09-20 19:59:42
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UN business group calls for resilience
A UN-backed group of companies working to curb hazard impacts has unveiled a new plan of action on the eve of the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.The UNISDR Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies, or ARISE for short, issued its seven-point plan during a business-focused preparatory meeting ahead of Wednesday’s official opening of the Global Platform.
2017-09-19 19:47:57
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Mexico steps up to unique triple disaster threat
Mexico has been working to improve its early warning systems and disaster risk management for over three decades.There are few countries in the world resilient enough to respond to a hurricane and the strongest earthquake in a century, accompanied by a tsunami threat, all within hours of each other. Such was the challenge that confronted Mexico last week.
2017-09-18 17:22:30
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Early warning where there is no internet
Living on an island in the middle of the ocean with no internet, television or mobile phones is a real-life disaster risk nightmare for one Pacific nation.Yet, the prospect of reaching the last mile – a phrase with true meaning in this part of the world – has inspired the tiny band of disaster risk reduction policymakers and practitioners of Tuvalu to establish an early warning system to protect some of the world’s most isolated communities.
2017-09-14 15:54:55
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Mexico Hosts Record Gathering on Disaster Prevention
The escalation of economic losses from disasters is expected to draw a record attendance of 7,000 people at a biennial UN forum that will bring world leaders and representatives of civil society together to agree ways and means of preventing and mitigating disaster impacts.
2017-09-13 18:21:22
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UN: Huge Volume of Extreme Weather Events Pose Major ....
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Robert Glasser, today expressed his deep concern at the volume of extreme weather events unfolding across the world and the implications for future loss of life and economic damage to the world economy.
2017-09-11 17:03:52
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Tsunami survivor's plea for early warning
A major global initiative to improve the generation and use of early warnings against extreme weather, earthquakes and a cascading range of hazards has been launched with a powerful plea from a tsunami survivor to build more resilient societies.
2017-09-07 11:09:46
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President of Mexico opens Global Platform
The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction was inaugurated today by the President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, as some 6,000 participants descended on the coastal town of Cancun for a series of working meetings to make progress on reducing disaster losses.
2017-09-06 11:43:54
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Nepal nursing project wins Risk Award
A cutting-edge plan to deploy the power of technology to monitor health risks in Nepal has won an international award at the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.Risk Award laureate the Nursing Association of Nepal won the prize for its “EpiNurse” project – short for “Epidemiology Nurse” – which will equip nurses in the Himalayan nation with monitoring and surveillance tools to prevent and control infectious diseases after disasters.
2017-09-05 11:23:48
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Early warning for all
Advances in early warning systems and disaster risk awareness have saved tens of thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars.However, care must be taken to ensure that all people and sectors benefit and that the development of such systems does not create new divides between haves and have-nots.
2017-09-05 11:27:58
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Hurricane Harvey underlines need for strong risk gove....
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Robert Glasser today extended his condolences to the people of the US State of Texas for the loss of life in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey which has affected millions along the coastline.
2017-08-30 00:02:56
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UN Sasakawa Award honours efforts to curb disaster de....
Efforts to reduce disaster death tolls in Portugal, Iran, Brazil and Fiji have been honoured by an international award from the United Nations and Japan’s Nippon Foundation.Issued at the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, the biennial Sasakawa Award recognised projects that have made a substantial contribution towards saving lives and reducing global disaster mortality.
2017-08-28 01:27:35
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Strategies key to Sendai progress
The 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction today urged countries and cities to develop clear, aligned, integrated and supported DRR strategies in order to move forward on the Sendai Framework.Such national and local government strategies require dedicated budgetary support with a particular focus at the municipal level to empower and resource DRR at the frontline.
2017-08-28 00:37:08
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UN, Red Cross/Red Crescent join forces to reduce disa....
A major initiative to prevent large numbers of women and girls dying in disasters and to ensure they are included in disaster risk management was launched today at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Cancun, Mexico, by the United Nations and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
2017-08-28 00:34:29
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A new milestone for risk mapping
The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction today launched a landmark interactive atlas that exposes the hidden threats posed by natural hazards in national economies and countries’ urban centres.The Global Assessment Report Risk Atlas (GAR Atlas), released at the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, builds on a multi-year effort by a consortium of leading scientific institutions coordinated by UNISDR, and provides a global vision of where and how disaster risk can undermine development.
2017-08-28 00:31:16
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The Cancun High-Level Communiqué
A Leaders’ Forum was held on Wednesday 24 May 2017 in Cancun, Mexico, at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction chaired by H.E. Mr. Enrique Peña Nieto, the President of Mexico with the participation of H.E. Mr. Jovenel Moïse, the President of Haiti, H.E. Mr. Taneti Maamau, the President of Kiribati, H.M. King Mswati III, Head of State of Swaziland, H.E.Mr. Robert Mugabe, the President Zimbabwe, H.E. Mr. Mattlan Zackhras, Minister in-Assistance to the President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, H.E. Mr. Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, the Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia, H.E. Ms. Inonge Wina, the Vice President of Zambia, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Vice-President for Sustainable Development of the World Bank, executives of intergovernmental organizations, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, parliamentarians, local government representatives, business and civil society executives and other stakeholders to determine and commit to practical measures for the reduction of economic losses to disasters and the resilience of persons, communities, countries and their assets and livelihoods with a focus on infrastructure and housing.
2017-08-27 23:24:17
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Women must be central in disaster prevention
Countries around the world need to focus on women if they are to achieve the aims of a 15-year agreement to curb hazard impacts, according to delegates at the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
2017-08-22 19:25:17
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Governments and business should engage to curb risk
Businesses and the authorities need to work hand in hand to prevent natural and human-induced hazards from sparking disasters, a top international conference has heard.
2017-08-21 22:56:19
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From Ghost Town to Sue Nami: art and disaster prevent....
The sound of a brass band cover of the iconic song Ghost Town and the sharp-tongued advice of human hazard Sue Nami have echoed in the packed halls of the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, thanks to an art installation that aims to entertain and spark debate.
2017-08-21 22:53:35
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Preserving heritage boosts disaster resilience
Cultural heritage and indigenous knowledge are key resources of community and national disaster resilience across the world.However, much of this heritage and knowledge is being lost to both sudden and slow-onset disasters, weakening the resilience capacity of future generations.
2017-08-21 22:49:28
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Reducing risk means harnessing data
Data is a vital raw material if countries are to meet the aims of an international agreement on lowering hazard threats, the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction heard today, as a new monitoring report underscored what needs to be done.
2017-08-16 16:25:54
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Global Platform stresses action on Sendai
The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction closed today with a call for accelerated efforts to ensure all countries systematically account for disaster losses by 2020, the deadline set out in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction for all countries to have strategies in place to reduce disaster losses.
2017-08-16 16:58:51
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Sendai Framework monitoring starts early 2018
Monitoring of progress in achieving agreed global targets for reducing disaster losses will get underway early in 2018, it was confirmed Friday, the closing day of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Cancun, Mexico.
2017-08-16 17:03:39
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Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States....
The Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, whose 79 members include some of the most disaster-prone and climate-vulnerable nations in the world, have prioritised the power of international cooperation to reduce the impact of natural hazards.
2017-08-16 18:13:27
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Inclusive technology … at the Double!
It may look like a gadget to many but this robot is a shining example of inclusive technology for disaster risk reduction.
2017-08-16 16:33:37
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East Africa backs Sendai Framework implementation
Members of parliament from the six-nation East African Community have vowed to step up a drive to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in their region.
2017-08-16 17:19:48
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Vatican supports Sendai Framework implementation
In a special message to the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, Pope Francis has said that the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction for reducing disaster losses, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, are "all profoundly interrelated and significant for the future of humanity."
2017-08-16 16:30:01
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Making cinemas resilient: Cinemex shows the way
Mexico's Cinemex, one of the world’s largest movie theatre groups, has scaled up a resilience campaign with its country's national disaster prevention authorities.
2017-08-16 17:13:31
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Mongolia’s Deputy PM honoured as Asia ....
The Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia, H.E. U. Khurelsukh was today recognized as an Asian Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction at the Global Platform in Mexico.
2017-08-17 10:57:26
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Climate Change Is Key Driver Of Disasters
Until recently it has been well understood that the main drivers of weather-related disasters were increased exposure and vulnerability due to poverty, the breakneck pace of urbanization in low and middle income countries, population growth, the destruction of protective eco-systems and low institutional capacity to manage disaster risk.
2017-08-16 18:41:13
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Disaster resilience is a core business issue
Businesses of all sizes need to ensure that resilience lies at the core of their decision-making processes in order to help the authorities and the wider community reduce the risk of disasters.
2017-08-16 18:30:15
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‘Tsunami literacy’ saves lives
Early warning technology is vital to save lives if a tsunami strikes, but public awareness of how to react is the critical factor, according to experts at an international meeting.
2017-08-16 18:18:04
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Climate change will increase fire risk
Robert Glasser, the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction expressed his deep condolences to the families affected by the devastating fires in Portugal.
2017-08-16 18:07:31
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Disaster prevention champion Legarda calls for resili....
International disaster prevention advocate Senator Loren Legarda has called for a strengthening of the resilience of critical infrastructure, in the wake of a magnitude 6.5 earthquake that hit Leyte in her homeland the Philippines last week.
2017-08-16 18:22:48
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Media call for bigger disaster risk reduction role
International broadcasting federations have vowed to step up their work to spread information about disaster risk reduction to their audiences, thereby giving a critical boost to efforts by governments.
2017-08-16 17:52:20
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Fires in Europe Fuelled by Urbanisation and Climate C....
Rapid urbanisation and climate change are major drivers of the many forest fires which continue to sweep across parts of southern Europe claiming many lives and causing significant economic losses, according to a leading expert.
2017-08-16 18:38:19
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UNISDR Champion Highlights Youth Role
UNISDR’s newest Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction has called upon youth leaders from around the world to make a bigger contribution to global efforts towards sustainable and resilient development.
2017-08-16 18:32:44
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Madagascar sees early warning and preparedness as key....
Struck three months ago by a cyclone that affected 500,000 of its 24 million people, the climate-vulnerable Indian Ocean nation of Madagascar sees early warning and disaster preparedness as fundamental to its future resilience.
2017-08-16 17:59:56
