UNDRR News

The 2017 Joint Pacific Platform for Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Roundtable today committed “to amplify efforts” towards an all-of-society approach that builds disaster and climate resilience across this huge maritime region.

The Pacific region today challenged itself to make disaster risk reduction everybody’s business and convert one of the main calls for action of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction into an everyday reality.

A landmark meeting in the Pacific focused on integrated efforts to protect lives and livelihoods from the negative impact of disaster and climate risk will open tomorrow.

International Day for Disaster Reduction on October 13 will see the launch of a major awareness raising initiative in Australia on the role that gender plays in disasters and how improved understanding can help reduce the numbers of people affected by disasters, the theme of this year’s International Day.

The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Robert Glasser, today expressed his sincere condolences to the people and government of Mexico on the tragic loss of life from the September 19 earthquake.

Two years ago this month, Tropical Storm Erika, dumped an enormous quantity of rain on the small island of Dominica in the Caribbean.

Mexico has been working to improve its early warning systems and disaster risk management for over three decades. There are few countries in the world resilient enough to respond to a hurricane and the strongest earthquake in a century, accompanied by a tsunami threat, all within hours of each other. Such was the challenge that confronted Mexico last week.

The head of UNISDR, Mr. Robert Glasser, today issued a strongly worded statement in response to the unprecedented volume of extreme weather events unfolding around the world this week.

The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Robert Glasser today extended his condolences to the people of the US State of Texas for the loss of life in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey which has affected millions along the coastline.

Until recently it has been well understood that the main drivers of weather-related disasters were increased exposure and vulnerability due to poverty, the breakneck pace of urbanization in low and middle income countries, population growth, the destruction of protective eco-systems and low institutional capacity to manage disaster risk.