UNDRR News

Rising disasters in Africa’s cities and their links with poverty and rapid, unplanned urbanisation are ever more apparent from tragedies such as the recent rubbish dump landslide in Addis Ababa, which killed at least 113 people.

Early warning systems and making the link between predictable weather and climate events and their impacts are critical to save lives and property when disaster looms.

Countries from across the Arab region have set out their collective stance ahead of the looming 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, following similar moves by other parts of the world.

Australia estimates that its annual economic losses from disasters will triple to US$17.7 billion by 2050 as it embarks on a new initiative to integrate climate change action and disaster resilience.

Sweden is one of the world’s least disaster-exposed countries and over the last twenty years has had one of the lowest casualty rates anywhere in the world for events linked to natural hazards e.g. there were no reported disaster events in 2015 according to the 2016 World Disasters Report.

The EU Delegation, led by DG ECHO Commissioner Christos Stylianides, is set to play a major role at the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction next month in Cancun, Mexico.

A nightmare scenario for any community is to be taken by surprise in the middle of the night by a sudden disaster such as the mudslide that swept away hundreds of lives earlier this month in the Amazonian town of Mocoa in Putamayo, Colombia.

Five years after the devastating 1985 quake which killed more than 10,000 people, Mexico equipped itself with one of the world’s most effective early warning systems for earthquakes.

Tokyo, 13 April, 2017 - This week saw further strengthening of Japan’s support for disaster risk reduction with the launch of a new non-partisan parliamentarian support group.

The Prime Minister of Mongolia, Mr. Jargaltulgyn Erdenebat, says his country is ready to share its vast experience of managing extreme hazards to support greater implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction across Asia.