UNDRR News

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has engaged CIMA Research Foundation to generate risk profiles on flood and drought in 16 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The countries that will be involved in the risk assessment are: Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Rwanda, Swaziland, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Gambia, Gabon, Cameroon, Ghana, Sao Tome and Principe, and Kenya.

The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) held a conference this month on "Future Challenges - Are We Prepared?" which saw the launch of a new collaboration between DSB and the insurance industry.

Following a two-day meeting in Geneva this week, DRR partners are considering a proposal to establish a new UNISDR Stakeholder Advisory Group to support implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in coherence with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Climate Risk and Early Warnings System (CREWS) hosted a session on lessons learned from the devastatiing effects of the 2017 hurricane season in the Caribbean. Early warning systems for the region are under review ahead of this year's season which starts on June 1.

The enduring wisdom of the Japanese geophysicist Torahiko Terada – a pioneer of earthquake studies almost a century ago – is inspiring a Pacific nation’s effort to strengthen its disaster risk governance.

More needs to be done to reduce response times to tsunami alerts and and to improve wave height measurement if progess is to be made on reducing mortality from tsunamis, an international gathering of experts heard this week.

The print version of the Making Cities Resilient Campaign Handbook was launched today at the World Urban Forum following a discussion on urban risk featuring Quito and Kampala.

The opportunity to build back better is an opportunity not just to prevent loss of life but to restore a community's morale and to integrate disaster risk reduction measures into daily civil life, UNISDR head, Robert Glasser told a Special Session at the World Urban Forum yesterday.

UNISDR head, Robert Glasser, issues call at the World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for more cities and towns to join the Making Cities Resilient Campaign.

The World Urban Forum opens this week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In this opinion piece, UNISDR head, Robert Glasser stresses the importance of local governments catering to the needs of low income groups when building resilience to disasters.