UNDRR News

While tsunamis are not common in the Caribbean – the last major one hit 75 years ago – people are well aware of the impact of storm surges and quick to get on board with the “Tsunami Ready” program.

8 November 2021 – Under the theme “From Risk to Resilience: Accelerating Local Action for Disaster Risk Reduction,” the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Regional Office for Arab States (UNDRR ROAS), the Kingdom of Morocco, and the League of Arab States launched the Fifth Arab Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, a ministerial-level conference The platform is organized virtually and hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco.

Tsunamis remain the deadliest of all sudden onset natural hazards and they expose shortcomings in the built environment with deadly precision and fatal consequences. They are the ultimate test for risk governance and the rigor of DRR strategies when it comes to managing risks that originate in the world’s oceans and threaten the coastlines where 650 million people are exposed to tsunami risk, storms and tidal surges. Rising sea levels and industrial pollution are all contributing to the expansion of the tsunami threat. The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction is encouraged by the progress we have seen since the celebration of the first World Tsunami Awareness Day five years ago.

Over 500 people joined an online high-level event to mark the 6th World Tsunami Awareness Day today. The accent was very much on science and youth, and the inclusion of tsunami risk in the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction's message on World Tsunami Awareness Day

International collaboration must be made stronger to make communities resilient to tsunamis

UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction Mami Mizutori has proposed the idea of a “net resilience gain” to match the “net zero” approach to greenhouse gas emissions.

On World Tsunami Awareness Day, we call on countries, international bodies, and civil society to increase understanding about the threat and share innovative approaches to reduce risks.

The 7th Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas and the Caribbean has been a breath of fresh air on the path to building a region that is ready to reduce risk and to avoid the creation of new risk. After four days of enriching conversations and discussions, I am convinced that the region is in good hands. Jamaica, as the first Caribbean host of this gathering, has led the way to ensure the full participation of the region despite the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some 30 countries from the Americas and the Caribbean ended a key conference on disaster risk – which drew a record attendance – with a pledge to step up action to prevent and better manage disasters.