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Kamal Kishore
Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, and Head of UNDRR

On 27 March 2024, the United Nations Secretary-General announced the appointment of Kamal Kishore as Assistant Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction. 

Kamal Kishore is the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction, and Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), based in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Mr. Kishore brings to this position nearly three decades of experience in disaster risk reduction, climate action and sustainable development at the global, regional, national and local levels, having worked in government, the United Nations and civil society organizations.

Prior to joining UNDRR, Mr. Kishore was the Head of Department of the National Disaster Management Authority of India, where he led the G20 Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction and contributed to the development of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.

Mr. Kishore spent nearly thirteen years with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York, Geneva, and New Delhi where he contributed to advancing policy and supported post-disaster recovery in Bangladesh, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka.

Prior to UNDP, he served as Director of Information and Research, and Manager of Extreme Climate Events Programme at the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre in Bangkok (1996-2002), covering Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam and as an Architect at the Action Research Unit for Development (1992-1994) in New Delhi where he worked on post-earthquake reconstruction projects.

Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction

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Articles and Op Eds

The Cool Off in Culture campaign
Op Ed
How cultural spaces offer a cool escape from the heat

The heatwaves of today are the coolest heatwaves we are likely to experience for the rest of our lives. SRSG Kamal Kishore reflects on how cultural institutions can play a central role in extreme heat action – and in disaster risk reduction more broadly.

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Vessels queuing to enter the Panama Canal
Op Ed
Eleven lessons in risk governance from the Panama Canal

In more than a century of operation, the authorities that manage the Panama Canal have accumulated some valuable lessons in risk governance that are relevant to other major infrastructure systems – and to disaster risk reduction more broadly.

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
Raising El Niño awareness in Vanuatu
Op Ed
Kamal Kishore: A “Super El Niño” would be a test for our disaster risk governance systems

Signs are pointing to a potentially powerful El Niño event — but there is no need for panic. It is an opportunity to stress-test our disaster risk governance systems, and to strengthen protection for the most vulnerable communities.

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR)
women doing road building work
Op Ed
Why resilient infrastructure can no longer be optional

In his three decades of responding to catastrophic events around the world, Kamal Kishore, head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, often observed a curious human tendency to overlook the invisible foundations of our safety.

International Organization for Standardization