UNDRR News

Zara Tonoyan is passionate about her work to make Armenian schoolchildren and their classrooms safer from disaster.

Armenia’s Minister of Emergency Situations has praised the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) for inspiring “significant progress” in his country’s efforts to reduce disaster risk.

Once more, preparedness has proven its mettle. Pre-emptive evacuation saved thousands of lives as Typhoon Glenda (international name: Rammasun) unleashed its fury in the Philippines, the strongest storm to visit the country since Typhoon Haiyan wrought havoc in the central, eastern and western Visayas regions last year.

Governor Joey Salceda of hard-hit Albay Province, today said economic losses from Typhoon Rammasun (local name Glenda) could push over 20,000 families into poverty but many lives have been saved through early warnings and evacuations.

China has succeeded in keeping its direct economic losses from disasters to within a target of 1.5% of GDP for three consecutive years, according to a new film which celebrates the country’s achievements in implementing the five priorities of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), the global blueprint for reducing disaster losses adopted in 2005 by all UN member States.

The major push for disaster-safe schools in the Kyrgyz Republic perfectly illustrates how good risk information can focus political will and help direct resources towards reducing underlying risk factors (in line with Priority 4 of the Hyogo Framework for Action, the global agreement on reducing disaster risk).

“Their houses may fall, their businesses may be lost, but, by God, the men of Guiuan will look good.”

Ministers, top government officials and more than 3,000 delegates from Asia Pacific today recognized the achievements of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) as a springboard to implement a more comprehensive Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Every Saturday afternoon at 5pm, up to 10 million people tune into what is probably the world’s most popular television programme on disaster risk reduction.

When implemented, disaster risk reduction laws save lives and strengthen capacity at local and national level, according to a new study released today.