International day for disaster reduction 2008

The International Day for Disaster Reduction raises the profile of disaster risk reduction, and encourages every citizen and government to take part in building more resilient communities and nations.

This year’s International Day for Disaster Reduction falls on the third anniversary of the massive 2005 South Asian Earthquake that devastated a whole region of Pakistan. Similarly devastating disasters this year have highlighted the urgent need to reduce disaster risk and vulnerability to natural hazards. Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, the Wenchuan Earthquake in Sichuan province of China, historic floods from the United States to Bihar in India, and deadly drought in the horn of Africa, all show that more needs to be done worldwide to safeguard lives, livelihoods, and economic development.

Last year, the International Day was marked the world over by teachers and schoolchildren, at the conclusion of the World Campaign for Disaster Reduction 2006-2007: Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School. This year, the emphasis on critical infrastructure continues, with a new focus on making hospitals and health facilities safe from disaster. As part of the new World Disaster Reduction Campaign 2008-2009: Hospitals Safe from Disasters, UNISDR Secretariat is working closely with the World Health Organization, with support from the World Bank, in the effort to reduce risk, protect health facilities, and save lives.

Events are being coordinated worldwide by UNISDR secretariat and its partners such as WHO and national governments, including the global event in New York, and regional events in Cairo, Bangkok, Panama, Dushanbe, and others.