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    Older Persons and Disasters

    This year the focus of the International Day for Disaster Reduction (13 October) is on older people, including their needs and what they contribute to better planning and understanding of disaster risk in their communities. IDDR 2014 intends to to switch on and amplify this critical issue now and for the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction.

    Messages for IDDR 2014

    United Nations: Secretary General message: English - Arabic- Chinese - French - Russian - Spanish - Japanese

    IDDR Survey - Deadline extended!

    As part of the activities leading to the International Day for Disaster Reduction celebrations in October, UNISDR and HelpAge are organizing two surveys related to ageing and DRR.

    For older people:
    English | Francais | Español

    For government disaster management personnel, other agencies and anyone working in emergencies and DRR:
    English | Francais | Español

    The deadline for both surveys has been extended beyond 31 August 2014.

    Your participation in the survey will help us understand how older people are perceived in the context of disasters so as to identify not only their needs and requirements but also the valuable experience they can contribute. This information will also inform the messaging for the International Day for Disaster Reduction on 13 October 2014.

    Voices from the Survey

    What stops you from participating or contributing to disaster preparedness and response (should this be the case)?

    "There is no official or faith-based structure or program for disaster preparedness in my region. Lack of information, knowledge, skills is a major barrier."

    "Proper transportation and resources to support emergency situation."

    "There are no opportunities provided by the [city or state government]. The only source of learning and preparing is attending workshops [organized by civil society organizations].

    Download: Interim Survey Report

    Celebrating IDDR? Share your photos!

    Visit the IDDR 2014 Flickr Set →

    Why should disaster risk reduction involve older persons?

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    Assets

    Guidelines on using IDDR 2014 assets

    Tweet about #IDDR 2014

    About IDDR

    The International Day for Disaster Reduction started in 1989 with the approval by the United Nations General Assembly. The UN General Assembly sees International Day as a way to promote a global culture of disaster reduction, including disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness. Originally celebrated on the second Wednesday of October, the UN General Assembly decided in 2009 to designate October 13th as the date to celebrate IDDR.

    The International Day for Disaster Reduction is a day to celebrate how people and communities are reducing their risk to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of DRR. It's also a day to encourage every citizen and government to take part in building more disaster resilient communities and nations.

    The 2014 theme for the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is part of a Step Up initiative started in 2011. The initiative focuses on a different group of partners every year leading up to the World Conference for Disaster Reduction in 2015.

    Learn more about the Step Up Initiative →

    Have a question?

    For more information on the International Day for Disaster Reduction, contact UNISDR's Communication Team - unisdrcomms(at)un.org

    This webpage was developed following guidance from "Making Accessible Websites for the United Nations".

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