UNDRR News

25 June 2014, LONDON – The International Insurance Society today hosted a “Financial and Private Sector Disaster Resilience Global Summit” for 500 insurance and business leaders to discuss how to integrate the business sector and financial system within the new global framework on disaster risk reduction which will succeed the current Hyogo Framework for Action in March, 2015.

President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines has stressed the importance of mounting “a focused international effort to address the threats posed by climate change, and to build communities that are resilient in the face of disaster.”

This week, the city of Cetinje (population: 16,800) became the first city in the Balkan state of Montenegro to join UNISDR’s Making Cities Resilient Campaign.“Reducing disaster risk and adapting to climate change is crucial for the sustainable future of our city and community” said Cetinje Mayor Alexander Bogdanovic, at a signing ceremony. UNISDR representative, Demetrio Innocenti, stated: "Cetinje’s beauty and cultural heritage are priceless and constitute a major economic opportunity given the potential of its tourism industry. It is economically, socially and culturally vital to ensure a disaster and climate resilient future for Cetinje.

The European Commission has adopted a Communication on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), making strong reference to building resilience to disasters and pointing out the need to respond to new challenges that were not sufficiently covered by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), such as disaster resilience and risk management.The document titled “A Decent Life for All: From Vision to Collective Action” features disaster risk reduction (DRR) as a cross-cutting issue for sustainable development within the suggested targets and priority areas because they can have a “major impact on the economy as well as on well-being and on the security of citizens, and need to be addressed in the framework in a way that does not replicate or interfere with respective international processes and agreements.

The worst flooding since records began 120 years ago hit Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina over the weekend, when three months' worth of rain fell on the region, bursting river banks and revealing areas at risk that need to be addressed.

For the first time, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) held a special session on private sector contributions to the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction at the European Business Summit. UNISDR’s session, "Reducing Risks in post-2015: Contribution of the Private Sector to Building Resilience to Disasters", addressed three themes that are fundamental to the private sector: Business Opportunity, Business Continuity Management, and Access to Risk Information and Resilience Solutions. Specifically, the discussion focused on how to capitalize on and optimize incentives for disaster resilient business practices and identifying investment opportunities.

The flood-prone capital, Pristina, joined the Making Cities Resilient Campaign today, making it the first city in Kosovo to do so. Floods are a recurring problem in Pristina. The UNISDR Campaign will help bring about a higher level of awareness that there is a compelling need for investment in disaster prevention, rather than focusing on response and allocating resources to cover the damages and economic losses after a disaster strikes.

The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) today welcomed 64 municipalities spread across Spain’s volcanic chain of seven Canary Islands into the Making Cities Resilient Campaign, which now has 1,800 adherents around the world.

A powerful State committee for safeguarding Venice will meet today in Rome for the first time in three years to consider a proposal from the Mayor of Venice and UNISDR Champion, Giorgio Orsoni, to ban large cruise ships from sailing past the city’s most famous landmarks including the Piazza San Marco and the Doge’s Palace.

The city of Gaziantep, Turkey, officially joined the UNISDR’s Making Cities Resilient Campaign today at a special event “Making Gaziantep Resilient: My City is Getting Ready” co-organized by Turkey’s Prime Ministry, Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) - Regional Office for Europe.