UNDRR News

UNISDR Chief, Margareta Wahlstrom today welcomed the election of UNISDR champion and long-standing advocate for disaster risk reduction, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, as the new President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

The vital role that women play in reducing disaster risk is being increasingly recognized, Members of Parliament from 141 countries have been told at a major international forum of legislators.

RUSTENBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, 14 October 2014 – Senior government figures and several mayors from across South Africa have marked International Day for Disaster Reduction by signing a unique national pledge to implement minimum standards to both engage older persons in disaster risk reduction and to meet their needs.

India has again emerged as a global example of early warning, early action with the timely evacuation of up to 400,000 people ahead of Cyclone Hudhud.

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) today said India has clearly demonstrated to the world that a “zero casualty” focus in the face of extreme weather events is both feasible and actionable following its second major success in 12 months at minimising the loss of life in the face of a severe cyclone packing winds of up to 200 kms per hour.

GENEVA, October 13, 2014 - A tsunami of 4.5 million tweets rolled out across the world today in support of the 25th International Day for Disaster Reduction as UNISDR and HelpAge International joined forces to launch Charter 14 for Older Persons in Disaster Risk Reduction.

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and HelpAge International today issued a joint call for greater involvement of older persons in disaster management efforts worldwide in order to bring down death tolls among those over 60.

GENEVA, October 10, 2014 - Twitter was not around when International Day for Disaster Reduction was launched 25 years ago but it’s proving to be an important rallying platform for this year’s celebration.

The recurrence of flooding, one of Europe’s most persistent natural hazards, presents both a challenge and an opportunity when it comes to disaster reduction, a conference heard on Wednesday.

The 5th European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction (EFDRR) closed today with a strong call for joint action to face the common challenges of climate change, sustainable development and disaster risk reduction.