UNDRR News

Down in the depths of a cutting-edge lab in this English university city, scientists are working to rein in the risk posed by landslides around the globe.

Dr. Robert Glasser, an experienced leader and thinker on development issues, took up his new role this week as head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). He was appointed as Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, succeeding Ms. Margareta Wahlström who completed two terms at the end of 2015.

A new report from the US Department of Agriculture highlights the threat of wildfires to a warming, more drought-prone planet.Yesterday in Washington, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that in 2015, wildfires burned a record 10,125,149 acres across the United States, surpassing the previous record set in 2006.

Africa has cleared a new milestone in its drive to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The pioneer is Malawi, which has undergone a peer review of its policies and actions, almost a year after being battered by floods.

Disasters in Sub-Saharan Africa are increasing in frequency, severity and impacts, and the continent’s rapid urban growth means that risk-sensitive development is crucial, according to participants at an international conference.

India’s Minister of State for Home Affairs and UNISDR Champion, Mr Kiren Rijiju, was today on his way to the country’s north-east to oversee initial rescue and relief efforts hours after a 6.7 magnitude earthquake rocked the area.

Hundreds of science and technology specialists from around the globe will come together next month to harness their expertise to help reduce disaster risk.

In the wake of the extreme tornadoes that struck the United States over Christmas, freak snowfalls in Mexico and heavy flooding in South America and the United Kingdom, Ms. Margareta Wahlström, head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction today urged governments to take more prevention actions to reduce human and economic losses caused by weather related disasters.

The head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, today welcomed the passing of a resolution yesterday by the UN General Assembly which recognizes November 5 as World Tsunami Awareness Day. The resolution was led by Japan and Chile.

Japanese members of the UNISDR Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies, known for short as ARISE, are moving ahead with implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the global blueprint for reducing disaster losses adopted at a UN conference in Japan earlier this year.