UNDRR News

It is almost 20 years since the historic United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, alerted Governments and citizens to critical human development issues and made specific demands of countries. Among the issues fuelling the discourse then, was the global sounding off on the depletion of world’s irreplaceable environmental resources.

Serbia has taken a major step towards establishing a National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction with the announcement that 32 Serbian cities have now formally joined the World Disaster Reduction Campaign – Making Cities Resilient: 'My city is getting ready!'

At a time when over one billion dollars has been mobilized to provide humanitarian aid to 13 million people in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa, leaders have issued a strong call to “reform the system of emergency humanitarian response in the region, aiming to enhance resilience and promote long-term solutions.”

国連国際防災戦略事務局（UNISDR）のトップである、マルガレータ・ワルストロム国連事務総長特別代表（防災担当）が9月8～11日にかけて、日本を公式訪問しました。9月9日、日本記者クラブで記者会見が行われました。 Margareta Wahlström, Margareta Wahlström, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction and Chief of UNISDR, visited Japan from 8 – 11 September. A press conference was held at Japan National Press Club on 9 September.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene that hit the east coast of the United States just over a week ago, it is a reminder that disasters caused by extreme weather events are becoming common place even for countries and cities that are considered to be at the pinnacle of development.

The Minister of State for Environment, Hon. Flavia Munaaba, launched a special joint session on disaster risk reduction during the Twenty-Ninth Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum (GHACOF29). The aim of the special session is to move towards a “paradigm” shift when addressing climate change and risks for sustainable development in the Region.

Today marked National Disaster Reduction day in Japan, an annual event which commemorates the Great Kanto Earthquake which devastated Tokyo and surrounding areas in 1923. This year’s event, however, is particularly poignant, being the first since the 11 March Great East Japan Earthquake.

The Southern Africa Development Community Disaster Risk Reduction Unit, GFDRR and UNISDR are conducting a disaster risk reduction stakeholders training workshop from 27-28 August 2011.

Vice-Mayor Al Arquillano from San Francisco, a small town in the Cebu municipality, has been showing off. He has been demonstrating the ingenious ‘Purok system’ which won worldwide attention and the 2011 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction. Four mayors from the Sri Lankan cities of Balangoda, Mannar, Tangalle and Puttalam recently participated in a three-day practical study visit to learn from the town’s experience.

On the opening day of the World Water Week taking place in Stockholm, Sweden this week, speakers called for increased investments in disaster-resilient infrastructure and smarter water management to avoid drought, floods and other water-related disasters, particularly in urban areas.