UNDRR News

Mexico City’s devastating, 8.1-magnitude earthquake of 1985 was a stark illustration of the disaster risks faced by the health sector, but it also triggered what became a global effort to protect hospitals from hazards.

The United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Robert Glasser, today extended his condolences to the people of Peru on the loss of life caused by the on-going deadly rains, floods and landslides which have led to the declaration of a state of emergency.

Bearing in mind that the worst disasters that could happen have not happened yet, Cancun must become a turning point. The world must scale up action to the level required to build resilience in a century that will test us on the disaster front as never before...

Shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck the southern USA, 200 Mexican troops crossed the US border outside Laredo, Texas, and made their way towards San Antonio.

UNISDR Global Champion for Resilience, Senator Loren Legarda, is seeking unanimous approval tomorrow of a Resolution which would see the Philippines ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The Americas region today took a landmark step on the road to resilience by adopting an action plan to tackle the huge array of natural and human-induced hazards that its dozens of countries and territories face.

Baillie the Border Collie stands motionless, eyeballing her handler, then springs into action when he gives the command: “Find it!” The four-year-old is part of the Canada Task Force 2 Disaster Response Team, among the thousand delegates at the 5 th Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas.

Canadian businesses have joined a UN-backed drive to bolster resilience to natural and human-induced hazards, sending a strong signal during the Americas region’s top disaster risk reduction conference.

Empowering women to tackle the threats that natural and human-induced hazards pose to their communities is a critical means to reduce the risk of disasters, delegates at a conference on the Americas said today.

"Too few countries in disaster-prone parts of the world have a clear understanding of how gender inequality contributes to higher death rates among women and girls in disasters," says UNISDR chief, Mr. Robert Glasser, on International Women's Day.