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Title	Date	Type
World's Future Prosperity linked to Disaster Resilience, says New Report A new report by UN-Habitat links the world's future prosperity to the ability of cities to reduce risk and build resilience to adverse forces of nature.	28 Sep 2012	News briefs
Asia's top business leaders establish key disaster reduction partnership Some of Asia's most influential business leaders today agreed to adopt Business Continuity Management (BCM) as a first step towards safeguarding their businesses against disasters.	25 Sep 2012	News briefs
Governments must recognize their stock of risk - MDG Report UNISDR chief, Margareta Wahlström, today welcomed the focus on the importance of systematic recording of disaster losses and impacts contained in the 2012 MDG Gap Task Force Report launched by the Secretary-General yesterday.	21 Sep 2012	News briefs
Pacific Platform moves on Post-HFA agreement UNISDR Chief, Margareta Wahlström, today welcomed a major policy decision by Pacific Island States to help formulate a new international framework on disaster risk reduction to replace the current Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) in 2015.	20 Sep 2012	News briefs
Pacific Platform opens with call for change The 4th Session of the Pacific Platform for Disaster Risk Management opened today with a strong call for Pacific Island Countries and Territories, and donors to address the challenges of climate change in a smarter way.	17 Sep 2012	News briefs
Africa must prioritize risk reduction The top UN disaster risk reduction official on Friday urged African governments to acknowledge risk reduction as the first line of defense against the impacts of climate change.	17 Sep 2012	News briefs
14th session of the Africa Ministerial Conference on Environment - Statement by Margareta Wahlström Disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation are central elements of sustainable development. They share common root causes and goals: reduction of the vulnerability and exposure of communities and nations. Recognizing and building linkages between them is effective and efficient development.	16 Sep 2012	Statements & speeches
Surge of support for cities campaign in Lebanon A total of 249 municipalities from Lebanon have now officially joined the Making Cities Resilient Campaign, a global initiative led by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk reduction (UNISDR) to protect cities and vital infrastructure.	13 Sep 2012	News briefs
Guangzhou announces urban innovation awards One of China's fastest growing cities, Guangzhou, announced yesterday at the World Urban Forum that it is joining UNISDR's Making Cities Resilient Campaign and also invited applications for the new Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation.	5 Sep 2012	News briefs
World Urban Forum recognises Italian support for UN Global Cities Campaign There was a special ceremony today at the World Urban Forum to mark Italy’s strong participation in the two-year-old Making Cities Resilient Campaign with a formal signing ceremony for nine cities from the Basilicata Region and the commune of Bomporto which was severely damaged by the recent Emilia-Romagna earthquake.	5 Sep 2012	Press release
Study identifies political leadership as No 1 issue in managing disaster risk A new study of a major urban safety campaign launched by the UN two years ago has found that political leadership is more important than a city's wealth when it comes to protecting the lives and economic assets of cities and towns from disasters.	4 Sep 2012	Press release
Australian capital gets UN recognition as a role model city for disaster management Flash floods, bush fires, severe thunderstorms and even snowfalls have resulted in the Australian capital, Canberra, developing organization and coordination mechanisms for disaster risk reduction which have led to it being recognized today by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) as a Role Model for other cities to follow.	4 Sep 2012	Press release
Gothenburg becomes 400th European city to join UN campaign to protect cities The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) today welcomed Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg, into the global "Making Cities Resilient" Campaign, a two-year old campaign to protect lives and reduce economic losses from disasters in urban settings.	4 Sep 2012	Press release
UN-HABITAT and UNISDR sign MoU to mark closer ties for building resilient cities The Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Dr. Joan Clos, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, and chief of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), Margareta Wahlström, signed a Statement of Cooperation today, strengthening collaboration between the two agencies' efforts to promote disaster resilient cities.	4 Sep 2012	News briefs
Urbanization 'like a tsunami' for some countries At the opening of the 6th World Urban Forum in Naples today, the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, Dr. Joan Clos, said many countries were being overwhelmed by urbanization which he compared to a tsunami.	3 Sep 2012	News briefs
Tunisia announces Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction The Government of Tunisia announced that it will establish a National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), a multi-stakeholder national mechanism that will provide coordination and analysis of DRR at different levels in the country. There are now 82 National Platforms worldwide supporting implementation of the priorities outlined in the Hyogo Framework for Action.	31 Aug 2012	News briefs
Building resilience to disasters in Western Balkans and Turkey The United Nations, European Commission and national authorities have launched a new project in the Western Balkans and Turkey that will reduce disaster risks and increase resilience to climate change.	30 Aug 2012	Press release
Community resilience tops Davos agenda Major roll-outs of UNISDR's Making Cities Resilient campaign in Austria and Iran were outlined yesterday at the 4th International Disaster and Risk Conference, in Davos, Switzerland, which has brought together experts from around the world.	29 Aug 2012	News briefs
First international risk award goes to protection of vulnerable townships in Mozambique The flood-prone coastal city of Beira in Mozambique was named today as the winner of the first RISK Award, a collaboration between UNISDR, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Munich Re Foundation and the Global Risk Forum, Davos. The €100,000 prize for project implementation is funded through the Munich Re Foundation.	27 Aug 2012	Press release
The 4th International Disaster and Risk Conference - Address by Margareta Wahlström Any worthwhile narrative on the 21st century must begin with a prologue on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation and end with an epitaph on the triumph of human resilience if there is to be any narrative at all for future generations.	27 Aug 2012	Statements & speeches
Call for better planning in wake of Manila floods Even by the standards of one of the world's most disaster-prone countries, the August floods which hit Manila and other parts of the Philippines have been devastating. Latest reports indicate that four million people have been affected and as many as one million people are living with relatives or in evacuation centres.	23 Aug 2012	News briefs
Climate migrants risk more harm in new surroundings The Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government, Sir John Beddington, recently spoke to UNISDR about how migration triggered by natural hazards is actually taking people into areas of increasing vulnerability.	21 Aug 2012	News briefs
UNDP to double its support for disaster reduction UNDP Administrator, Helen Clark, said today the agency intends to double its overall support for disaster reduction over the next five years and will add five countries per year to the "growing list of countries on track to becoming champions in disaster resilience."	15 Aug 2012	News briefs
Indigenous people threatened by Mexico's worst drought in 70 years Mexico is in the grips of one of the worst droughts in 70 years - a catastrophe which has devastated agricultural production for over one year now. According to the National Water Commission the prolonged drought has affected 70 percent of the country and decimated agriculture in the states of Aguascalientes, Coahuila, Durango, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas, among others.	14 Aug 2012	News briefs
Education - a launch pad for disaster resilience A new study by UNICEF and UNESCO is a timely assessment of just how some countries are faring, or not, with the implementation of disaster risk reduction education seven years after such education was requested by the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA).	13 Aug 2012	News briefs
Unplanned urbanization increasing flood impacts Following 12 days of rains brought on by seasonal southwest monsoons, there are signs that the chronic floods which have submerged 50 percent of Manila as well as nearby areas are abating.	9 Aug 2012	News briefs
UNISDR champion applauds African Union for decision on disaster insurance UNISDR Parliamentary Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction, Abdou Sané, Member of Parliament from Senegal, recently welcomed the African Union's decision to establish an African Risk Capacity Secretariat - a specialized agency of the African Union which will help elaborate a legal agreement on a pooled risk insurance facility for droughts, floods, earthquakes and cyclones.	6 Aug 2012	News briefs
Filipino commercials promote disaster risk reduction A series of radio and television commercials aimed at educating and sensitizing millions of viewers in the Philippines about disaster risk reduction have just begun airing throughout the disaster prone south-east Asian nation.	31 Jul 2012	News briefs
Children ask to be heard on post-HFA Japanese school children have asked the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, to make sure that children's views are taken into account in the consultations on a new framework agreement on disaster risk reduction to succeed the Hyogo Framework for Action.	30 Jul 2012	News briefs
UNISDR and China launch new urban resilience award The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and the World Cities Scientific Development Alliance (WCSDA) today announced the launch of the Resilient Cities Award to recognize excellence in land use planning and design and other activities that help protect communities from the impacts of natural hazards.	26 Jul 2012	News briefs