UNDRR News

Bangladesh, one of the most hazard-prone and climate-vulnerable countries in the world, is widely recognised as a leader in tackling the threat of disasters. Policymakers and practitioners in the South Asian nation are ramping up their efforts to make their country even more resilient as they move to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

A 16th century Samurai has left a powerful legacy on the floodplain as well as the battlefield in one of Japan’s most beautiful yet hazardous regions.

Four years on from the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan, the country’s business sector has lived up to its reputation for resilience and shown clearly why disaster preparedness is so important for recovery.

The fishing industry along the eastern coast of Japan is still reeling from the twin earthquake and tsunami that rocked the region four years ago, demonstrating starkly how disasters can strain key economic sectors and test resilience.

Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Shinzo Abe today announced that boosting women’s leadership in disaster risk reduction would be a key element of the country’s new programme of international support.

The Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), Margareta Wahlström, today took part in the solemn remembrance ceremony in Tokyo for all those who died in the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami which occurred on March 11, 2011.

More than 250 representatives from Japan’s business community have held an information-packed session to prepare for next month’s World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, which will see the adoption of a new global framework to guide risk reduction over the next decade.

With fewer than 50 days to go before the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction top scientists have called on governments to put evidence-based disaster risk reduction at the heart of their strategies for sustainable development.

Of the many milestones on the “Road to Sendai,” the Kobe earthquake stands out. The learning from the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake remains relevant today as governments from around the world prepare to meet in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in March.

A firm resolve to build a more resilient future in honour of those who lost their lives in the Kobe earthquake 20 years ago was evident amid the sombre services of remembrance over the weekend.