UNDRR News

Acknowledging their "critical role in an effective disaster risk reduction strategy," UNISDR will bring together representatives from leading companies in an inaugural meeting of the Private Sector Advisory Group, on 17 December in Geneva. Ten companies forming the Advisory Group are DuPont Sustainable Solutions, PricewaterhouseCoopers SA, Willis Re and Willis Research Network, United Nations Foundation, MunichRe Foundation, Dow Chemical Europe, Titan America, Arup International, Credit Suisse and Small Equity Initiative. Along with other members of the private sector, the Advisory Group will discuss -- for the first time -- the "Ten Essentials for Business in Disaster Risk Reduction," outlining ways in which private companies can support governments to develop institutions and legislation to bolster disaster risk reduction.

The experience of Europe’s big cities, immobilized by the cold snap, shows that the world may be under-prepared to deal with less predictable climate patterns, says UNISDR. “National meteorological services in Europe did well to issue warnings, but being prepared goes beyond prediction,” said Margareta Wahlström, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for DRR. “A complete and effective early warning system also requires planners to understand the risks they face, so that they are able to respond appropriately.”

While communities work diligently to protect vulnerable populations and critical infrastructure, they must remember the other things they would like to see protected -- sacred forests, cultural monuments and heritage sites. A value-based approach to disaster risk reduction is at the heart of discussions at the International Conference on Disaster Management and Cultural Heritage, “Living in Harmony with the Four Elements,” convened by the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs of the Royal Government of Bhutan, in cooperation with the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, from 12 to 14 December.

While at the Cancun cliamte conference on 8 December, UNISDR Deputy Director Helena Molin Valdes discussed the "Making Cities Resilient" campaign at a UN system-wide side event on "Cities and Climate Change: Enhancing mitigation and adaptation action," attended by approximately 150 national officials, members of UN agencies, and civil society representatives.

Just as climate negotiations were wrapping up in Cancún, Mexico, government officials from vulnerable islands in the Philippines took action to reduce the damaging effects of climate change on their communities by joining UNISDR’s world disaster reduction campaign.

In a part of the world struggling with climate-related hazards such as drought and flood, experts are meeting to discuss ways for Africa to cope with disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Addressing participants at the opening of the International Conference on Community-based Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation, Abbas Gullet, Secretary-General of the Kenya Red Cross Society, said that climate-related hazards had far-reaching impacts on the Kenyan economy.

Community-based projects to enhance resilience of hazard-prone Pacific island countries have grown in number over the past 20 years. Some university studies have shown that benefits were particularly apparent in cases where development bodies worked with communities to identify risks using local knowledge.

The need to communicate and share information is strongest at a time of disaster. As social media and mobile phone use has grown, so too has the use of these technologies to signal the onset or aftermath of a disaster. Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and other social media were also used extensively during Haiti to connect people affected by the earthquake with the outside world with reports about the devastation, as well as to ask for help.

As governments enter the second week of negotiations at the United Nations climate summit in Cancun, Mexico, UNISDR today signed an agreement with the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) to strengthen collaboration on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

Kisumu, Kenya – Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya will join the UNISDR-led campaign “Making Cities Resilient -- My city is getting ready!” at a ceremony on 8 December, adding to the list of over 150 other municipalities worldwide. Kisumu is the leading communication and trading centre for countries of the Great Lakes Region that includes Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Like many cities in Africa, Kisumu is vulnerable to risks brought by climate change, which coupled with rapid urban growth, will pose mounting challenges for the local government as it seeks to protect citizens from disaster.