UNDRR News

Representatives of UN Member States were informed today in Geneva that the 5th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction will take place in Cancun, Mexico, in May 2017. It is held every two years and is the largest gathering of its kind. The next Global Platform will focus on implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction which was adopted on this day last year at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.

Mexico is forging ahead with implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and investing heavily in resilient infrastructure. A high level delegation is visiting the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva.

Australian businesses are coming together to improve community safety and outcomes following natural disasters in a country that is confronted reguarly by events such as bushfires, floods, cyclones and severe storm activity.

East African countries have reached a landmark in their efforts to curb the impact of natural and man-made hazards, by enacting regional legislation on the management and reduction of disaster risk.

This week last year the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction was preparing to adopt the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction on March 18, 2014. The new head of UNISDR, Mr. Robert Glasser, has just paid his first visit to Sendai.

The Bangkok Principles were agreed today at the conclusion of the first international conference on the health aspects of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction which was attended by government officials from 54 countries.

The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Robert Glasser, today attended the fifth anniversary memorial service for those who lost their lives in the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of March 11, 2011.

The Sendai Framework aims to achieve a substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health. It is fully aligned with the International Health Regulations, which aim to help the international community prevent and respond to acute public health risks that have the potential to cross borders and threaten people worldwide.

The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the World Health Organization today issued an appeal for national disaster management agencies to develop their preparedness and response capacities to include health emergencies alongside earthquakes, floods and storms as a top priority.

Delegates from across Africa have met to identify the continent’s priorities for sustainable urban development, addressing a critical component of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.