Avalanche

National and local governments, civil society representatives, the private sector, academia and the United Nations system gathered virtually in July 2020 for the annual High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). Discussions on this year

The Sendai Seven Campaign continues. This year International Day for Disaster Reduction, October 13, will focus on target (c) of the Sendai Framework, reducing economic losses.

The Afghan delegation attending the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction today revealed their plans to have a National Platform for DRR in place later this year.

The first Central Asia and South Caucasus Regional Platform is a landmark moment for the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, a global blueprint adopted last year.

Based on current disaster trends and economic values, the world is looking at a minimum cost in the region of 25 trillion dollars in disaster losses for the 21st century if there is no concerted response to climate change, one which puts the emphasis on practical measures to reduce disaster risk and exposure to future extreme events. Margareta Wahlström, the Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, said: “The robust science behind the latest Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change report translates into a world of catastrophic losses unless there are wholesale changes in how we allocate resources to prepare for extreme weather events. We are looking at losses the equivalent of one-third of annual global GDP. Clearly this is neither sustainable nor acceptable.

The inventor of the world's first interactive digital globe that graphically depicts the vulnerability of our planet to disasters today challenged global policymakers to show more leadership in tackling the growing risks facing populations worldwide.

UNISDR Chief, Margareta Wahlström, today welcomed the European Union's newly announced strategy on adaptation to climate change and stated: "The adoption of this new strategy is a major incentive for European states to step up their efforts for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

Outer space isn't a place organizations usually think of when looking to build resilience and reduce disaster risks. Yet, this is exactly where participants' minds were when experts were invited by UNISDR and the UN's Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) to discuss the incorporation of space technology into the post-2015 disaster risk reduction framework.