UNDRR News

On 29 July, Indonesia committed to increase the safety of 3,156 schools and 105 hospitals as part of its engagement to the One Million Safe Schools and Hospitals Campaign, launched globally in Manila last April 2010.

Three mayors from the Philippines joined 60 other mayors from around the world who have pledged to meet some or all of the "Ten Essentials" that will make their cities more resilient. A ceremony was held as part of a workshop on strengthening climate resilience, organized by Plan International, the Institute of Development Studies and Christian Aid, from 22 to 23 July 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand.

More than 300 participants from the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the civil society are launching today in Manila the 'One Million Safe Schools and Hospitals Initiative' to make hospitals and schools safer from disasters. This global action is part of the new 2010-2011 World Disaster Reduction Campaign 'Making Cities resilient,' that will be launched in May, 2010, in Bonn, Germany. The One Million Schools and Hospitals Initiative with the slogan “Make a Pledge, Save a Life” encourages an individual, a family, community, organization, government, or business entity to pledge to make a school or hospital safer from disasters in three ways: as an advocate, leader or champion. “Making sure that schools, hospitals and other key public infrastructure meet certain safety standards are key steps to ensure that natural hazards do not turn into disasters,” said Margareta Walhstrom, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction. “Individuals commitments are as important as mutual commitments” she added. Official website of the online pledging initiative: www.safe-schools-hospitals.net/ View media advisory >>>

The “2009 UNISDR Terminology on Disaster Risk Reduction” has been jointly published in Chinese, Japanese and Korean by the Cabinet Office of Japan (CAO), the National Emergency Management Agency of Korea (NEMA) and UNISDR . It was officially launched on

The launch of the 2009 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR), prepared by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, took place yesterday, 28 October 2009, in the urban village of Barangay Nangka, Marikina City, one of the Metro Manila cities severely affected by floods. The report highlights the underlying drivers of disaster risk; poor urban governance, vulnerable rural livelihood and the decline of ecosystems. View full story

Katmandu - A new disaster risk reduction initiative for Nepal was launched by a consortium of partners that comprises the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, other United Nations organizations, the International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank to mark the 2009 International Day for Disaster Reduction. View full story

School children from the Maldives will be visiting one of their native islands, Dhuvaafaru today for an awareness raising activity within the context of the International Disaster Risk Reduction Day. Dhuvaafaru was among the several islands severely affected by the 2008 tsunami. > View full story

The Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction launched for the first time internationally in Bahrain on 17-18 May by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki -moon will be launched regionally in Bangkok on 25 May 2009, at the United Nations Conference Centre, in presence of senior officials from the Regional Organisations, Government of Thailand, senior representatives from the UN Agencies, International Financial Institutions, and the Civil Society, followed by a discussion on the implications of the Reports? findings for the Asia and the Pacific. > View full story

The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR), with the World Bank and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) announced a joint cooperation, during the Bali Disaster Risk Reduction Forum. > View full story

Video : 2009 Global assesment report (GAR) > View full story