UNDRR News

The President of the Republic of Vanuatu, H.E. Baldwin Lonsdale, today appealed from the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan, for international support in anticipation of large-scale needs for his island nation following a direct hit from Category 5 Cyclone Pam over the weekend.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon paid tribute today to a group of former and serving politicians who are championing disaster risk reduction and thereby striving to save lives and prevent economic losses.

Early warning systems have a proven track record of saving lives but even the most technically impressive systems “are useless” if people are not reached or do not understand the warning.

In an irony of ironies, the President of Vanuatu, Baldwin Lonsdale, has found himself stranded at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction along with some of the country’s top disaster management officials while a state of emergency has been declared back home.

Turkey has vowed to make all 80,000 of the country’s schools disaster-proof by 2018, senior officials told the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction today.

The opening day of the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction was marked today by a stark reminder that disaster risk management is a matter of life and death.

Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Shinzo Abe today announced that boosting women’s leadership in disaster risk reduction would be a key element of the country’s new programme of international support.

The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, today opened the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, stating that annual economic losses now exceed US$ 300 billion annually.

The Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Shinzo Abe, today pledged $US 4 billion to support implementation of the “Sendai Cooperation Initiative for Disaster Risk Reduction” over the next four years.

The world gathers this weekend in Sendai, Japan, for the third time in 21 years to agree on a new framework for managing disaster risk which will reduce mortality and economic losses.