Housing recovery must be an inclusive process where people are able to express their aspirations.

Friends around the world,

On this International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, I invite you to join us in celebrating this year's theme: Resilience Starts at Home. 

It has been eleven years since the international community adopted the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. During this period, we have made significant progress across several of its targets, most notably in reducing disaster deaths. 

But when we look at some of the other targets of the Sendai Framework, particularly the target on reducing the number of people affected by disasters, we have made little progress. 

Disaster after disaster, even when lives are saved, more and more people are losing their homes. In recent disasters, we see that up to half of all losses have occurred in the housing sector. This not only carries a heavy economic cost, but also social and psychological costs.

Until housing becomes safer and more resilient, we will not be able to significantly reduce the number of people affected by disasters and their cost. That is why I ask that you join us in making disaster risk reduction a global movement, a mass movement - one that involves every home and every community. 

This movement should focus on three priorities:

First, resilience must be built into every home.

Millions of people still lack adequate and affordable housing. As the world works towards closing this housing gap - whether in developing countries or advanced economies – these investments must ensure that every home is built to withstand the hazards of today and into the future.

Depending on the risks they face, this means homes must be resilient to earthquakes, extreme heat, cyclone winds, or floods. 

Second, every home and family should be part of this global movement. 

They must receive early warning in a manner which is trusted, understandable, and actionable so that they can exercise their own agency to protect themselves from disasters. 

They must also have access to risk information to understand the hazards they face - whether they live in an earthquake zone, a cyclone-prone region, or an area vulnerable to flooding. When buying, renting or building their homes, they demand more resilient housing.

Third, post-disaster housing recovery must be prioritized.  

Recovery after a disaster only begins to seep in once people’s homes begin to take shape. That is why it is important that housing recovery is prioritized in a manner that we Build Back Better.

Housing recovery must be an inclusive process where people are able to express their aspirations. Experience shows that when homeowners are involved in their own recovery, it leads to better outcomes and greater resilience.

If we commit to these three priorities, we can achieve a genuine step change in the implementation of the Sendai Framework. In the coming years, we should be able to demonstrate significant and measurable progress in reducing the number of people affected by disasters.

Thank you.