The Inter-Parliamentary Union passed a resolution, which calls on their governments to provide adequate and accessible resources to support the UN in developing a parliamentary programme on disaster risk reduction that focuses on mitigation, prevention and preparedness and UN agencies involved in providing disaster assistance. UNISDR, the UN’s agency for disaster risk reduction, is calling on international lawmakers to take action on disaster risk reduction as a means to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and adapt to climate change.

Mexico City, a high-risk mega city, expects to train 10,000 civil servants on their responsibilities and options to consistently help reduce risks facing their city. The training is sponsored locally and supported by the UNISDR regional office and the Capacity Development for Disaster Reduction Initiative (CADRI) of the UN. Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, known for his commitment to disaster risk reduction and improving the city's resilience to climate change, made an opening statement where he stressed the importance of training decision makers and technical staff from all the City dependencies and departments, especially those that have a multiplying effect on decisions and plans. >Click for links to news coverage

“Local governments need to develop a culture of security and have access to the means to respond to a catastrophe,” stressed Haiti’s Mayor of Port-au-Prince to other mayors gathered at a forum on disaster risk reduction in Shanghai, which concluded today. His key message to other mayors, based on the experience of Port-au-Prince after January’s devastating earthquake was, “Be ready.” At the same forum, five new mayors joined the Making Cities Resilient campaign, and Governor Joey Salceda of Albay Province, Philippines, was named Champion.

The Dominican Republic became the first country to receive a progress report from the United Nations and partners on its efforts to implement the Hyogo Framework for Action, receiving recommendations to strengthen building codes and incorporate “vulnerability reduction” targets in projects funded by both the public and private sector. Margareta Wahlström, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, presented the report at an event at the Presidential Palace in Santo Domingo.

The event addressed current initiatives related to urban risk reduction, in particular in Port-of-Prince, Tijuana and Kathmandu. Eminent speakers from Haiti, Mexico and Nepal highlighted the importance of reducing risk in the urban context - relevant to achieving the Millennium Development Goals...

It has been six months since a 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti, causing major damage to the capital, Port-au-Prince, and surrounding areas. “Reconstruction will take years but Haiti must emerge safer,” says Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction. “After the tsunami six years ago, people have not yet fully recovered. Rebuilding involving all key national actors takes time and is a necessary step to make Haiti truly sustainable.”

Internationally renowned scientists and engineers will converge on the University of Miami campus March 22-23 for a workshop dedicated to rebuilding the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in ways that make it less vulnerable to damage from future earthquakes and other hazards. View full story ->

As relief continues to be the main priority for thousands of Haitians who have been affected by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Port-au-Prince, the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and its partners are working together to ensure that disaster risk reduction principles are fully integrated into the different phases of the Haitian reconstruction process. View full story ->

At the Montreal Ministerial Preparatory Conference on Haiti held on 25 January, Helen Clark, the Administrator of UNDP and Chair of the UN Development Group, called for the integration of disaster prevention concerns and capacity into the recovery and reconstruction process. UNISDR is actively collaborating with UNDP and all other ISDR system partners to ensure that risk reduction is made an integral component of the international recovery and reconstruction efforts. > View full statement by Helen Clark

It has now been more than a week since two catastrophic earthquakes struck Haiti, leaving much of the Capital city Port-au-Prince and surroundings totally devastated. Haiti had no chance and could not have been prepared for a disaster of this magnitude.