Press release

The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), Margareta Wahlström, today said the true legacy of Hurricane Katrina, America’s costliest hurricane disaster, was to raise the bar for disaster risk management worldwide.

The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), Margareta Wahlström, today announced a plan to develop and pilot disaster risk management standards for the hotel industry in Asia and the Pacific, home to 80% of the world’s disaster events.

The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) today launched a search for communities that demonstrate excellence in managing disaster risk in order to draw attention to the importance of local knowledge, traditions and customs in the struggle against extreme weather events, climate change and earthquakes.

Representatives of 37 African governments today agreed to work together to achieve substantial reductions in disaster losses over the next 15 years, including reductions in mortality, the numbers of people affected and the economic damage caused by natural and human-induced hazards.

Details of an €80 million package of support from the European Union to disaster risk management across sub-Saharan Africa over the next five years, were unveiled today at the Third International Conference on Financing for Development.

The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, today welcomed the UN General Assembly’s endorsement of a new global plan to reduce deaths and injuries, the numbers of people affected and economic losses arising from disasters.

The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, today praised Geneva for its management of the exceptional floodwaters which have threatened the city in recent days following torrential rain in the French Alps. Geneva is home to UNISDR and 40 other UN agencies.

The Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, today expressed her condolences to the government and people of Nepal on the loss of life, injuries and devastation caused by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake at the weekend.

The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), Margareta Wahlström, spoke today of her concerns about the future development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the face of extreme weather events.

Representatives from 187 UN member States today adopted the first major agreement of the Post-2015 development agenda, a far reaching new framework for disaster risk reduction with seven targets and four priorities for action.