UNDRR News

The United Nations General Assembly today adopted a resolution containing indicators for measuring global progress in reducing disaster losses.

The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has called on governments, businesses and communities in island nations to work together to curb the impact of hazards stoked by climate change.

One is a Czech model-turned-activist, and the other a student who hails from Spain. Their lives changed forever on 26 December 2004, when they were caught up in the tragedy of the Indian Ocean Tsunami. Both have become tireless campaigners for disaster risk reduction.

The future of Fukushima Prefecture dramatically changed on 11 March 2011. A 9.0 magnitude earthquake off Japan’s eastern seaboard unleashed a powerful tsunami that triggered a devastating nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant.

The risk of dying in a hurricane or flood is lower today than it was 20 years ago, in most parts of the world. In Haiti, however, the toll of Hurricane Matthew has already reportedly passed 1,000. The issue of how to reach countries and communities left behind and struggling to reduce their disaster mortality rates was the focus of a meeting at United Nations Headquarters, held ahead of International Day for Disaster Reduction.

Governments at the UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants have adopted a landmark declaration that underlines the role of environmental degradation, climate change and disasters alongside conflict as drivers of the ongoing crisis.

Extreme weather events are becoming the “new normal” and climate change is compromising people’s resilience, meaning that humanitarian action and development must be part of the same process, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Mr. Jan Eliasson has told a meeting on disaster risk reduction.

Strong leadership is critical to ensure that no one is left behind amid global efforts to achieve sustainable development by 2030, the United Nations’ top disaster risk reduction official has told a high-level global forum.

Indigenous peoples have spotlighted the need to take their concerns into account when it comes to reducing disaster risk, notably for members of their communities with disabilities.

The devastating impact of the El Niño phenomenon on more than 60 million people was the focus of a Special meeting of the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at UN HQ in New York on Friday.