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| Title | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
Heavy Floods Widespread Across AsiaUNISDR Chief Margareta Wahlström today expressed concern at the great number of people who have lost their lives or have been affected by severe floods currently ravaging many countries across Asia. |
30 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
UN Secretary-General Calls for Development Framework to Incorporate Disaster, Climate Risk ManagementAs the international community gears up for the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development to be held in June next year, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is calling for any future framework for sustainable development to include a “clear prescription for incorporation of disaster and climate risk management.” |
29 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
World Getting Ready to 'Step Up for Disaster Risk Reduction'Under the slogan ‘Step Up for Disaster Risk Reduction’, UNISDR and the coalition Children in a Changing Climate - PLAN International, Save the Children, UNICEF and World Vision - will focus on children and young people on the International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) on 13 October. |
28 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
UNISDR backs charter to end extreme hungerThe head of the United Nation’s disaster risk reduction office, UNISDR, Margareta Wahlström, today strongly backed the NGO initiative “Never Again: A Charter to End Extreme Hunger.” |
27 Sep 2011 | Press release |
China and Africa Step Up Cooperation on Drought Risk ReductionOver 40 officials from China, Africa and the United Nations are taking part in a three-day “Sino-African High-Level Seminar on Drought Risk Reduction” which is calling for drought risk reduction to be on the agenda of the next year’s Sino-African Summit for Development Cooperation. |
26 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
West Africa Mayors look to Durban for climate change breakthroughIn a further sign that Africa is mobilizing for its voice to be heard at the COP17 negotiations in Durban, the Mayors of major cities and chairmen of local governments across West Africa met this week in Lagos, Nigeria, to endorse and sign the African Mayors Climate Change Declaration. |
23 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
Disaster risk reduction increasingly central to UN-EU partnershipThe UN-EU Partnerships Report for 2010 highlights the increasingly important role of disaster risk reduction in the joint activities of the United Nations and the European Union. The report was released following the opening of the 66th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations on 13 September. |
22 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
UNISDR Chief visits devastated centre of Japan QuakeSix months after the Great East Japan Earthquake, Margareta Wahlström, the United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction Chief, has met with Mayor Jin Sato of Minami-Sanriku town which lost 558 people in the tragedy. The total population of the town was 17,300 before the disaster and 343 are still unaccounted for. |
22 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
UN General Assembly opens with focus on disasters and preventionAt the opening of the General Debate of the 66th session of the UN General Assembly yesterday, incoming Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser identified disaster prevention as one of the key issues that will “help frame our work this session”. |
22 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
Earthquake prediction comes under scrutiny as scientists’ trial opens in ItalySeismic risk has taken on a different meaning this week with the trial opening in Italy of six scientists charged with failing to predict the L’Aquila earthquake that killed 309 people in 2009 and left 70,000 people homeless. The scientists and one official are charged with manslaughter. |
21 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
African States seek a common position for DurbanLast Friday over 50 African Ministers of the Environment attending the Fourth Special Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) adopted a declaration endorsing an ‘African Common Position’ as the basis for negotiations by African States at the next round of UN Climate Change negotiations (COP17) to be held in Durban, South Africa starting 17 November. |
19 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
Data-collection gap preventing governments from determining risk levels says MDG Gap Task Force ReportThe UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, today drew attention to the “data-collection gap” which is preventing governments from effectively determining risk levels with his launch of the Fourth report of the MDG Gap Task Force in New York. |
16 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
Regional launch of World Bank-UN report calling for governments to implement preventive measures to reduce toll of natural disastersThe report "Natural Hazards, and Unnatural Disasters: the Economics of Effective Prevention", prepared by the World Bank in partnership with the United Nations and funded by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, concludes that natural hazards often turn into disasters as a result of poor policies and practices, and examines ways to make prevention cost-effective. |
15 Sep 2011 | Press release |
Climate Green Fund Dominates Bamako Discussions - The Road to DurbanThe Cancun-agreed Green Climate Fund which aims to provide US$100 billion per annum by 2020 to assist developing countries in financing adaptation, was a hot topic for discussion at today’s Fourth Special Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN). |
15 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
32 Cities across Serbia join World Disaster Reduction Campaign, as work continues to establish a National PlatformSerbia has taken a major step towards establishing a National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction with the announcement that 32 Serbian cities have now formally joined the World Disaster Reduction Campaign – Making Cities Resilient: 'My city is getting ready!' |
14 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
African ministerial conference wrestles with key environmental issues ahead of RIO+20It is almost 20 years since the historic United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, alerted Governments and citizens to critical human development issues and made specific demands of countries. Among the issues fuelling the discourse then, was the global sounding off on the depletion of world’s irreplaceable environmental resources. |
14 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
African Heads of State call for reform of emergency response and 'long-term solutions' to Horn of Africa crisisAt a time when over one billion dollars has been mobilized to provide humanitarian aid to 13 million people in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa, leaders have issued a strong call to “reform the system of emergency humanitarian response in the region, aiming to enhance resilience and promote long-term solutions.” |
13 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
Margareta Wahlström holds press conference at Japan National Press Club, discusses March earthquake国連国際防災戦略事務局(UNISDR)のトップである、マルガレータ・ワルストロム国連事務総長特別代表(防災担当)が9月8~11日にかけて、日本を公式訪問しました。9月9日、日本記者クラブで記者会見が行われました。 Margareta Wahlström, Margareta Wahlström, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction and Chief of UNISDR, visited Japan from 8 – 11 September. A press conference was held at Japan National Press Club on 9 September. |
11 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
"Climate change and migration: the latest evidence" - Eurasylum monthly policy interview with Margareta WahlstromEach month Eurasylum conducts a short interview of a leading player in international migration and asylum affairs, within a range of policy, academic and practitioners’ areas of expertise. This month they interviewed Margareta Wahlstrom on climate change and migration. |
8 Sep 2011 | Statements & speeches |
Hurricane Irene, a sign of things to come for growing urban centres and local governments – Political leadership needed to reduce risksIn the aftermath of Hurricane Irene that hit the east coast of the United States just over a week ago, it is a reminder that disasters caused by extreme weather events are becoming common place even for countries and cities that are considered to be at the pinnacle of development. |
6 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
Uganda Environment Minister launches special session on DRR during 29th Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook ForumThe Minister of State for Environment, Hon. Flavia Munaaba, launched a special joint session on disaster risk reduction during the Twenty-Ninth Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum (GHACOF29). The aim of the special session is to move towards a “paradigm” shift when addressing climate change and risks for sustainable development in the Region. |
2 Sep 2011 | Press release |
Japan prepares for next ‘big’ one – over one million participate in massive drillsToday marked National Disaster Reduction day in Japan, an annual event which commemorates the Great Kanto Earthquake which devastated Tokyo and surrounding areas in 1923. This year’s event, however, is particularly poignant, being the first since the 11 March Great East Japan Earthquake. |
1 Sep 2011 | News briefs |
Bridging the gap between climate scientists and disaster risk reduction experts, during Fifteenth Southern Africa Region Climate Outlook ForumThe Southern Africa Development Community Disaster Risk Reduction Unit, GFDRR and UNISDR are conducting a disaster risk reduction stakeholders training workshop from 27-28 August 2011. |
27 Aug 2011 | News briefs |
Award-winning mayor organizes first-ever Asian city-to-city study tour and learning event with Sri Lankan mayorsVice-Mayor Al Arquillano from San Francisco, a small town in the Cebu municipality, has been showing off. He has been demonstrating the ingenious ‘Purok system’ which won worldwide attention and the 2011 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction. Four mayors from the Sri Lankan cities of Balangoda, Mannar, Tangalle and Puttalam recently participated in a three-day practical study visit to learn from the town’s experience. |
26 Aug 2011 | Press release |
Water, too little or too much – a resource that can improve or destroy life: smarter water management needed to reduce disaster risksOn the opening day of the World Water Week taking place in Stockholm, Sweden this week, speakers called for increased investments in disaster-resilient infrastructure and smarter water management to avoid drought, floods and other water-related disasters, particularly in urban areas. |
24 Aug 2011 | News briefs |
Reducing risk is the best humanitarian action, as world celebrates World Humanitarian DayAs the world celebrates World Humanitarian Day, UNISDR, the strategic arm of the United Nations working on disaster risk reduction, recognizes the valuable contribution of humanitarian workers who risk their lives everyday to help others, whilst emphasizing their crucial role in reducing disaster risk. |
19 Aug 2011 | News briefs |
World cities come up with a five-point action plan to work together for sustainable development and disaster risk reductionMore than 200 participants, including 38 parliamentarians, mayors and vice mayors, from 33 countries adopted the Chengdu Declaration of Action, a five-point strategy to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing cities today. |
15 Aug 2011 | News briefs |
The Wave That Eats People – The Value of Indigenous Knowledge for Disaster Risk ReductionAs the United Nations today commemorates the 17th International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples under the theme of "Indigenous designs: celebrating stories and cultures, crafting our own future", it is perhaps timely to flag the positive contributions such cultures are able to make to DDR and CCA. |
9 Aug 2011 | News briefs |
Pacific Platform for Disaster Risk Management launches UN report warning of rising economic losses due to disasters and climate changeThe Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR11) titled Revealing Risk, Redefining Development will be launched today in Auckland (New Zealand) at the Third Session of the Pacific Platform for Disaster Risk Management which is the main gathering of disaster risk management experts and decision makers in the Pacific region. |
3 Aug 2011 | News briefs |
Gabon’s National Platform holds inaugural workshop, solutions for future disasters must go beyond humanitarian responseA three-day workshop took place in Libreville from 25-27 July to officially launch the activities of Gabon’s National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction. There was a clear vision from the participants of the workshop that humanitarian response could not solve the problem of disasters. |
2 Aug 2011 | News briefs |
The Fourth Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction will take place in Geneva, Switzerland in May 2013.