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| Title | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
Parliamentarians focus on risk reduction at RioAround 200 legislators from 74 countries and the European Union met yesterday on the sidelines of the UN Rio+20 sustainable development conference to approve a "Legislators' Protocol," containing a set of "Rio Scrutiny Principles" to strengthen legislators' capacity to hold governments to account on promises made at development conferences including Rio+20. |
18 Jun 2012 | News briefs |
Building the future we wantIn the lead-up to Rio+20, I have visited countless communities and spoken to hundreds of people. From mayors in Mexico, to families living in temporary shelters in the Philippines following Typhoon Sendong, the message has been the same -- people want a better tomorrow, for themselves and for their children. |
18 Jun 2012 | Statements & speeches |
Caribbean islands earn hurricane insurance rebateAs the 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season kicks off, all 16 member governments of the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) have committed for the sixth year in a row to renew their hurricane and earthquake insurance for 2012-2013 and earned themselves a 25% premium rebate. |
15 Jun 2012 | News briefs |
Inclusive dialogue key to Rio+20 outcomeWhether the discussion is on jobs, food, energy, water, oceans or sustainable cities, inclusive dialogue is key, say UN agencies on the sidelines of Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, as negotiators enter the last round of talks on an outcome document ahead of the conference's official start next week. |
14 Jun 2012 | News briefs |
UNISDR counts the cost of 20 years of inaction on climate change and risk reductionThe UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, today urged UN member States to face up to the realities of the economic and human impact of disasters since the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro twenty years ago. |
13 Jun 2012 | Press release |
Switzerland prepares for an earthquakeUNISDR chief Margareta Wahlström today congratulated Switzerland for getting ready to face the consequences of a major earthquake even if the last one happened over 1,000 years ago. |
12 Jun 2012 | News briefs |
Caribbean urged to prepare for a tsunamiThe magnitude 4.0 earthquake recorded off the coast of Antigua on 11 May is "a warning that the Caribbean should prepare for a much more severe earthquake to come," says a leading expert. |
8 Jun 2012 | News briefs |
UNISDR champion Legarda seeks to reduce flood damage in PhilippinesThe Philippines Pampanga River Basin which floods once a year and provides 90% of the domestic water supply to the capital Manila, is the focus of a meeting convened today by UNISDR Champion, Senator Loren Legarda, to assist local government units in risk reduction. |
7 Jun 2012 | News briefs |
Christchurch on the road to resilienceThe Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, has just visited the site of a major reconstruction programme which is about to start in the earthquake-devastated centre of Christchurch, New Zealand. |
6 Jun 2012 | News briefs |
Cities Campaign gets major new partnerUNISDR's "Making Cities Resilient" campaign received a significant boost today with the announcement that the Ibero-American Union of Municipalities (Unión Iberoamericana de Municipalistas (UIM) is now an official campaign partner. |
1 Jun 2012 | News briefs |
Campaign city Arborg adopts Jericho City as resilience 'twin'Earthquake and flood-prone Arborg, Iceland, a member of the 'Making Cities Resilient' campaign, is boosting the preparedness of its new twin -- the Palestinian city of Jericho -- starting with a four-week crash course on disaster management that begins today. |
30 May 2012 | News briefs |
Webinars on Resilient Cities starts 29 MayThe International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and the UN office for disaster risk reduction are hosting a series of four webinars on building disaster resilient cities. The topics are: enabling risk reduction through urban planning; how to encourage multi-stakeholder engagement as a key factor in in the planning, design, construction and operation or maintenance of resilient cities; people’s needs and expectations in post-disaster reconstruction (in Spanish); and how local governments have used UNISDR's Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient and the Local Government Self-Assessment Tool to close gaps and define priorities and institutional commitments to reduce disaster risk at local level. |
29 May 2012 | News briefs |
IIED to review Cities' CampaignDavid Dodman, Senior Researcher at the London-based International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), says the Institute will publish a report on UNISDR's "Making Cities Resilient" campaign by year's end (see video). |
29 May 2012 | News briefs |
Asia-Pacific media must join 'final push' for MDGsEarly next week in Bangkok, Asian and Pacific media and 10 UN agencies will participate in a special pre-session of a media summit organized by the Asia Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (APIBD), to review regional progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). |
25 May 2012 | News briefs |
Peru launches cities campaignPeru launched a recruitment drive this week for UNISDR's Making Cities Resilient campaign and 14 municipalities signed up yesterday in Lima to deliver on the campaign's "Ten Essentials." |
25 May 2012 | News briefs |
City leaders discuss Tohoku's future after tsunamiGIVING BACK TO JAPAN 2: Community Leaders Report is now available for viewing! Mayors from five cities in Japan discuss community rebuilding in the tsunami and earthquake-hit Tohoku region in Japan. Listen to their suggestions on how individuals and organizations can help their communities, on the TPF2 website at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/22746125. |
24 May 2012 | News briefs |
Copenhagen joins UNISDR campaign after '1,000-year' floodThe Danish capital, Copenhagen, is the latest city to join the United Nation's Making Cities Resilient Campaign: “My city is getting ready!” which has enlisted over 1,100 member towns and cities since its launch in 2010. |
24 May 2012 | Press release |
Arab States set to increase disaster loss databasesA regional meeting of experts held in Cairo could result in a doubling of the number of Arab countries that systematically report on disaster losses. UNISDR brought together over 40 participants from 15 Arab countries to discuss and exchange experiences on establishing national disaster loss databases. |
23 May 2012 | News briefs |
Italy quake highlights need to educate the public, says expertFollowing a 6.0-magnitude earthquake that rocked north-east Italy on Sunday morning, around 3,000 residents of San Felipe and surrounding areas are living “like refugees” advised not to re-enter their homes by the Italian civil protection service because of ongoing aftershocks. |
21 May 2012 | News briefs |
It’s Zombie Preparedness Week in British ColumbiaThe threat of zombie attacks has been largely overlooked in the annals of disaster risk management but that may be about to change thanks to a week-long campaign on disaster preparedness which finishes today in Canada. |
18 May 2012 | News briefs |
Cities connect climate change with rise in disastersOver the last five years economic losses due to disasters reached over $800 billion worldwide and a new report, published this week, found that 81% of surveyed cities experienced an increase in natural hazards over the same period. |
16 May 2012 | News briefs |
Cities to help create Post-HFA frameworkThe Mayor of Bonn, Jürgen Nimptsch, who helped launch the "Making Cities Resilient" campaign two years ago is now urging mayors around the world to get involved in the UNISDR-led consultations taking place on a post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction. |
15 May 2012 | News briefs |
Cities push for resilience as global disaster losses hit $500 billionAddressing city leaders at the 2012 Resilient Cities Congress, the UN's top disaster risk reduction official Margareta Wahlström today launched a new phase of the Making Cities Resilient campaign which now includes 1,020 cities around the globe. |
14 May 2012 | Press release |
Cities 'going it alone' on climate change adaptationA new survey by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, shows that 68% of cities are pursuing adaption planning for climate change but "only 7 per cent of cities surveyed believe that their national governments fully understand the realities of adaptation planning at the local level." |
14 May 2012 | News briefs |
'Central America cannot continue to rebuild disaster risk'Weak disaster preparedness and recovery planning in two of the world's most disaster-prone countries were discussed over four days this week by government officials, mayors, local government representatives and international risk management experts in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, as they seek to develop national disaster recovery plans for Honduras and neighboring El Salvador. |
11 May 2012 | News briefs |
IPCC climate change report gets European launchThe UN Special Representative of the Secretary General for disaster risk reduction, Margareta Wahlström, has urged governments to commit resources to building national disaster loss data bases so they can better target spending on infrastructure to avoid recurring losses and damages. |
11 May 2012 | News briefs |
Mindanao mayors seek action on risk reductionMayors from across the disaster-affected island of Mindanao are to petition the President of the Philippines, Benigno C. Aquino Jr., to allow the use of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund for prevention and mitigation activities at local level as part of a nine-point plan of action agreed at the weekend. |
7 May 2012 | Press release |
Business continuity planning vital for disaster-prone ManilaUNISDR joined forces with a leading university yesterday to urge Manila’s business community to reduce its disaster risk and to develop business continuity plans which take account of the capital city’s extreme exposure to earthquakes and typhoons. Disasters cost the country a record $615 million last year. |
4 May 2012 | News briefs |
UNISDR backs European cities climate adaptation projectUNISDR today backed a newly launched project from the European Commission, Adaptation Strategies for European Cities, designed to provide capacity building and support for European cities in developing and implementing an adaptation strategy for climate change. |
3 May 2012 | News briefs |
Connect the dots for climate change this SaturdayThis Saturday, from drought-stricken Mongolia to Himalayan communities threatened by glacial melt, Climatedots.org will bring people together to hold rallies and remind everyone of the extreme weather events that are happening in their communities because of climate change. |
2 May 2012 | News briefs |
The Fourth Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction will take place in Geneva, Switzerland in May 2013.