The head of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and Thailand’s foreign minister today signed an agreement expanding the scope of the regional tsunami trust fund to include support for disaster preparedness projects.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed deep sadness at the loss of life and destruction of property in New Zealand resulting from the earthquake that struck Christchurch, the country’s second largest city, and surrounding areas.
United Nations agencies have begun a joint assessment mission with the Government of Sri Lanka after record rains caused flash floods in parts of the capital, Colombo, and other areas.
The United Nations and its partners are helping the Government of Indonesia to assess the needs of people affected by the tsunami and the volcano eruption which hit the country earlier this week, the world body reported today.
Foresight and advanced planning, not just emergency relief, are necessary to slash the tragic toll of extreme natural disasters such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.
Floods across southern Africa, caused by extreme rainfall, have caused massive damage to land and property and displaced thousands of people, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.
Collaboration between Governments in Asia and the Pacific is key to saving lives from natural disasters in the world’s most prone region, a senior United Nations official stressed today at the first session of a new committee on disaster risk reduction.
Ministers from more than 40 Asian countries have gathered at a United Nations-backed meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to discuss ways to reduce the social and financial impact of natural disasters in their region.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed a highly experienced United Nations relief official to a new post created to step up action and international cooperation on disaster risk reduction.
