Disaster Risk

General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser.
UN Photo/Mark Garten

Disaster risk reduction crucial for sustainable development, Assembly told

12 April 2012
Disaster risk reduction must be incorporated in all sustainable development strategies, the President of the General Assembly emphasized today, noting that the risk of losing wealth to natural disasters is outpacing wealth creation.
Margareta Wahlström, Assistant Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction.
UN Photo/JC McIlwaine

UN-backed study urges donors to place greater emphasis on disaster risk reduction

20 March 2012
International aid donors must do more to ensure that their spending on disaster risk reduction is in line with the needs of affected communities, a new United Nations-backed report launched today reveals.
Margareta Wahlström, Assistant Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction.
UN Photo/JC McIlwaine

UN kicks off talks on new blueprint for disaster risk reduction

5 March 2012
The United Nations disaster risk reduction office today announced the start of consultations on a new international blueprint for reducing disaster losses ahead of a conference on the issue that Japan has offered to host in 2015.
A view of one of many bridges over the Danube River connecting the two sides, Buda and Pest, of Hungarian capital, Budapest.
UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras

Warning of destructive floods as Danube thaw sets in, UN urges better response

21 February 2012
Destructive floods caused by the rapid thawing of the Danube River could add to the fatalities from an already harsh European winter, the head of the United Nations agency dealing with disaster risk reduction warned today.
Flooding in Bangkok, Thailand

UN forum in South-East Asia calls for more investment to reduce disaster risks

20 February 2012
Last year's devastating floods across South-East Asia were a “wake-up call” on the need for much greater investment in disaster risk reduction across the region, a United Nations forum heard today.
Margareta Wahlström, Assistant Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction.
UN Photo/JC McIlwaine

In Bangkok, UN official stresses disaster risk management following deadly floods

23 January 2012
The head of the United Nations agency dealing with disaster risk reduction met today with officials in Thailand to discuss new proposals on risk management and to urge government support for business continuity plans following the costliest disaster in the country’s history.

Three cities win UN-backed award for innovation in disaster risk reduction

12 May 2011
Cities in the Philippines, Argentina and Canada have won United Nations-backed awards for their efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness, the UN office tasked with assisting countries strengthen disaster risk reduction has announced.

As risks from disasters rise, UN chief calls for better preparedness

10 May 2011
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for accelerated efforts to strengthen the capacity to withstand disasters across the world, saying the destruction wrought by such events can be avoided or mitigated by enhancing resilience through technology and other measures aimed at boosting preparedness.
The earthquake in Haiti on 12 January 2010 topped the list of disasters for last year

Countries must aim for more coordinated action to reduce disaster risk – UN report

10 March 2011
The United Nations office assisting countries with disaster risk reduction is calling for more coordinated and coherent action across different sectors of government to reduce setbacks caused by hazards such as droughts, earthquakes and hurricanes.
The earthquake in Haiti on 12 January 2010 topped the list of disasters for last year

General Assembly stresses need to invest in disaster mitigation measures

9 February 2011
With earthquakes, heat waves, floods and snowstorms affecting 208 million people, killing nearly 300,000, and costing $110 billion in losses last year alone, the General Assembly today debated mitigation steps such as building safer schools, hospitals and cities to reduce the terrible toll.