UNDRR News

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.

Australia could see its annual disaster bill rise nearly fourfold by 2050, with the cost of social impacts such as stress-related illness playing a significant role, two reports commissioned by the Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience and Safer Communities warn.

A landmark public-private cross-border partnership in Asia is gathering pace in an effort to protect a multi-billion dollar industry on the frontline of hazard exposure.

A new training centre located close to the scene of Myanmar's Cyclone Nargis, one of the worst disasters of recent decades, is championing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction’s call to engage all sectors and levels of society for effective risk management.

The International Recovery Platform was established after the 2nd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in 2005 to support implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action. The Sendai Framework has given it a new lease of life with a focus on sharing experience and lessons associated with build-back-better.

Greater disaster resilience at community and national level is an important element of a new era of closer integration and cooperation in Southeast Asia, a high-level ASEAN-China cooperation forum was told today.

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.

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.

More than 700,000 people in the central Philippines have been evacuated to safety ahead of a powerful typhoon in the latest example of the country’s ‘early warning early action’ approach to protect lives, livelihoods and assets.

There was a resounding call today for greater inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in disaster risk management worldwide if the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction is to deliver on its promise of being people-centred.