Search
Results for " "
Displaying 15 of about 32 results11 July 2016, GENEVA – The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Robert Glasser, today launched “The Sendai Seven Campaign – 7 Targets, 7 Years”, an advocacy initiative to encourage implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction with the goal of saving lives, reducing disaster losses and…
NEW YORK, 31 March, 2016 - An earthquake off the coast of south-west Japan on 5 November, 1854, triggered a large tsunami that left 15,000 homes either damaged or completely destroyed.
A local farmer, Hamaguchi Goryo, noticed the receding waters and immediately recognised this tell-tale sign of tsunami risk. He set fire to his entire year’s harvest of…
23 December 2015, GENEVA –The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, today welcomed the passing of a resolution yesterday by the UN General Assembly which recognizes November 5 as World Tsunami Awareness Day. The resolution was led by Japan and Chile.
Ms. Wahlström said: “Many disasters would not happen and many lives a…
As the world celebrates World Humanitarian Day, UNISDR, the strategic arm of the United Nations working on disaster risk reduction, recognizes the valuable contribution of humanitarian workers who risk their lives everyday to help others, whilst emphasizing their crucial role in reducing disaster risk.
“On this day we recognize the importance of humani…
GENEVA, 4 July 2011 – As Europe and North America move into the summer season, the risk of wildfires will increase. While these natural hazards may not get the attention of earthquakes, tsunamis and cyclones, their destructive potential is considerable and reducing the risks they present should be a priority for countries who face this threat.
Over two…
New York, 3 November, 2017 - There needs to be an urgent shift from managing disasters to managing disaster risk, according to the UN Deputy Secretary- General, Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, speaking to a High Level Panel this week in New York.
The panel was convened to mark World Tsunami Awareness Day on November 5 and featured representatives…
UNISDR Regional Office for Africa and African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) will venture into a partnership to establish dialogue between climate scientists and disaster risk managers.
The partnership is aimed providing relevant climate services to be translated by disasters risk managers into risk reduction measures, co…
The United Nations National Strategy for Disaster reduction is coordinating the 2010-2011 World Disaster Reduction Campaign “Making Cities Resilient: My City is getting ready!”. The overall campaign goal is to achieve resilient, sustainable urban communities through actions taken by local governments to reduce disaster risk. The International Day for Di…
GENEVA, 15 February 2012 - A new briefing paper from Oxfam identifies "the limited investment in building resilience and disaster risk reduction (DRR), despite rhetoric to the contrary" as one of main failures of humanitarian aid in recent times.
A key theme of Crises in a New World Order: Challenging the humanitarian project is capacity building of st…
UNISDR's Acting Director, Helena Molin Valdes, spoke about the need for improving access to information in dealing with disasters, during the four-day Eye on Earth Summit in Abu Dhabi from 12-15 December, where she was a featured speaker.
"There is a communication gap that leaves people, especially the poor, vulnerable to natural disasters."
In urban…
RIO DE JANEIRO, 21 August 2012 - The Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government, Sir John Beddington, recently spoke to UNISDR about how migration triggered by natural hazards is actually taking people into areas of increasing vulnerability.
Sir John leads the Technology Foresight Programme, which produced the report "Migration and Global Environmen…
GENEVA, 8 May 2017 – Early warning systems and making the link between predictable weather and climate events and their impacts are critical to save lives and property when disaster looms.
Experts from around the world are set to launch a drive to improve warnings for an interlocking range of hazards and step up what is known as impact-based forecastin…
2009 Sasakawa award call for nominations now open
Nominations are now open for the 2009 Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction. Nominees should be individuals and institutions from around the world who have contributed to building the resilience of nations and communities to natural hazards through innovative practices and outstanding initiatives. Nomin…
9 August, Geneva - As the United Nations today commemorates the 17th International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples under the theme of "Indigenous designs: celebrating stories and cultures, crafting our own future", it is perhaps timely to flag the positive contributions such cultures are able to make to disaster risk reduction and climate change a…
25 October 2011 – International efforts to mitigate climate change are insufficient to meet the goal of keeping global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a United Nations report warned, just a month before a major conference on the issue is held in Durban, South Africa.
The report laid out a list of options to achieve the t…