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DRR at the World Health Assembly Side Event “Will your health services function in disasters? Experiences from recent earthquakes” 19 May 2010, 17h30 -19h00, Palais des Nations - Salle VII Ministries of Health and Governments face intense scrutiny from national and international actors on their performance in disasters and face mounting expectations for quick, decisive and appropriate action. During this side event of the 63rd World Health Assembly, Ministers of Health will share country experiences in dealing with the health impact of recent earthquakes. Participants will also share knowledge of how communities, countries and the international community can improve health outcomes and protect health services in disasters by improving the safety of health facilities through risk reduction and strengthening of health systems. Margareta Wahlström, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction will give the closing remarks. > View programme	19 May 2010	News briefs
Risk reduction plans needed to minimize volcanic disruption Although air travel in Europe is starting to resume after ash from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano grounded flights for almost a week, thousands of travellers continue to be affected and more delays possible with the threat of further eruptions. “We only realize how disruptive hazards can be when they have already happened,” Margareta Wahlström, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, said Thursday. “The volcano eruption is an example of a rare but largely disruptive event that exposes our key infrastructure vulnerability.”	22 Apr 2010	Press release
Second Africa Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction: Ministers adopt the extended Programme of Action The extended Africa Programme of Action for the Implementation of the Africa Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction was adopted by African ministers. The ministers were among more than 250 participants from 42 African countries who gathered at the Second Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction that took place from 14 to 16 April 2010 at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya in parallel to the First Ministerial Conference of Ministers Responsible for Meteorology in Africa . The ministers also adopted the Declaration of the Second Africa Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. > View full story	22 Apr 2010	News briefs
African ministers meet to adopt the extended Programme of Action to reduce disaster risk More than 170 delegates from 42 African countries, including 19 Ministers, will gather at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, from 14-16 April, at the second Africa Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction to discuss a Programme of Action that will reduce disaster risk in Africa.	14 Apr 2010	Press release
Help shape the 2010-2011 world disaster reduction campaign Know more – Invest wisely – Build more safely! Cities and local governments need to get ready and become resilient to disasters. For the next two years and beyond, the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) will campaign together with its partners for this to happen. Get involved, reduce risk, get your city ready! > Find out more about the 'Making Cities Resilient' Campaign	11 Mar 2010	News briefs
External Evaluation of the UNISDR and Management Response UNISDR is pleased to share its Management Response to the second external evaluation of the secretariat. The Management Response sets out the process and main activities to implement recommendations arising from the evaluation carried out by Dalberg Global Development Advisers. Initiated by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and major UNISDR donors, the evaluation’s purpose was to assess the secretariat’s performance over the last four years and to provide guidance for UNISDR's future direction. The independent report presents 42 recommendations based on 25 findings, which are summarized in five key messages included in the executive summary. > View executive summary > View full report > View management response	11 Feb 2010	News briefs
UN Development Group to seize the opportunity to build back better in Haiti At the Montreal Ministerial Preparatory Conference on Haiti held on 25 January, Helen Clark, the Administrator of UNDP and Chair of the UN Development Group, called for the integration of disaster prevention concerns and capacity into the recovery and reconstruction process. UNISDR is actively collaborating with UNDP and all other ISDR system partners to ensure that risk reduction is made an integral component of the international recovery and reconstruction efforts. > View full statement by Helen Clark	28 Jan 2010	News briefs
Earthquakes caused the deadliest disasters in the past decade In the past decade, nearly 60 per cent of the people killed by disasters died because of earthquakes, the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) revealed today in a joint press conference with the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR).	28 Jan 2010	Press release
UNISDR calls for long-term measures to rebuild a safer Haiti It has now been more than a week since two catastrophic earthquakes struck Haiti, leaving much of the Capital city Port-au-Prince and surroundings totally devastated. Haiti had no chance and could not have been prepared for a disaster of this magnitude.	22 Jan 2010	Press release
BBC World News to broadcast ‘Tsunami Revisited’ ‘Tsunami Revisited’ is a documentary on the EC funded project 'Building Resilience to Tsunamis in the Indian Ocean Region in response to the devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004. UNISDR was appointed to manage the project by coordinating, supervising and monitoring the actions of a number of partner organisations in four target countries: India, Indonesia, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) will air the programme at the following times: BBC World News broadcast - Sat 26/12/09 00:30 / 03:30 / 09:30 / 22:30 GMT - Sun 27/12/09 12:30 GMT	23 Dec 2009	News briefs
55 million people affected by extreme weather disasters in 2009 Copenhagen – Over three quarters of the people killed - and 95 % of the total affected by natural hazards - since the beginning of the year were due to extreme weather events said Ms. Margareta Wahlström, the United Nations Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, based on the preliminary 2009 disaster figures.	14 Dec 2009	Press release
2009 Stockholm Policy Forum on Climate-Smart Disaster Risk Reduction - outcome documents now available A Policy Forum on Climate Smart Disaster Risk Reduction was held in Stockholm, Sweden on October 26, 2009. Co-organized by the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and UNISDR, the event gathered approximately 100 country representatives, practitioners and experts from both the disaster risk management and climate change communities to identify promising practices and critical actions for implementation of adaptation efforts. The outcome documents of the event are now available for download: Stockholm Policy Forum Summary Stockholm Policy Forum Joint Communiqué	11 Dec 2009	News briefs
UNISDR in support of Yann Arthus-Bertrand's "6 Billion Others - Climate Voices" "6 billion Others - Climate Voices", which will be launched in Copenhagen during the climate change negotiations, presents the collective voice of people whose lives have already been devastated by climate change impacts and those who are forced to live with these impacts. The film serves as an insightful and persuasive wake-up call from the global scientific community.	4 Dec 2009	News briefs
UNISDR secretariat has launched its new Biennial Work Programme for 2010-2011 "Invest today for a safer tomorrow The UNISDR secretariat Biennial Work Programme was developed following the second session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in June 2009. It is based on the role and mandate of UNISDR as set by the UN General Assembly. The strategic direction for the 2010-2011 biennium is derived from the outcomes of the Global Platform and from regional consultations. The current programme has been further shaped through broad consultation with the ISDR Support Group in Geneva, donors, the ISDR Inter-Agency Group and other partners. View full story Related links UNISDR secretariat Biennial Work Programme: 2010-2011	20 Nov 2009	News briefs
Adaptation to climate change by reducing disaster risks: country practices and lessons	19 Nov 2009	News briefs
First global scientific effort to examine the linkages between disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation More than 90 world experts have assembled today in Panama City to start a new assessment on how climate change will affect disaster risks in future and how countries can better manage the expected increases in damaging weather events due to climate change. The meeting is being convened by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which decided in April 2009 to prepare a new IPCC Special Report called: “Managing the Risk of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation”. The assessment was proposed by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) and the government of Norway in response to the predictions in the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report that more frequent and severe extreme events such as droughts, floods, storms, heat waves were likely in the future warmer world. View full story	9 Nov 2009	News briefs
UNISDR Terminology on Disaster Risk Reduction launched in three East Asian languages	3 Nov 2009	News briefs
Experts and Policy Makers Gather to Discuss Critical Actions for Climate Change Adaption Global experts and policy makers working on disaster risk reduction begin discussions today at the 2009 Stockholm Policy Forum on Climate-Smart Disaster Risk Reduction. The Forum aims to address the issue of reducing risks associated with weather-related hazards, a key component of climate change adaptation. The Forum will also identify promising practices and critical actions for post-Copenhagen implementation of adaptation. View full story	26 Oct 2009	News briefs
Rachel Shebesh appointed African Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction Rachel Shebesh, Member of Parliament of the Republic of Kenya and Chair of the African Parliamentarian Initiative for Climate Risk Reduction, was appointed today as the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction champion for disaster risk reduction in Africa during the launch of the Black and Green, Ready to Lead campaign that took place at the Pan-African Parliament in Johannesburg, South Africa.	26 Oct 2009	Press release
New Legislation in the Philippines places Disaster Risk Reduction as the first line of defense against climate change risks A new climate change law that fully integrates the priorities of the Hyogo Framework for Action – a ten-year blueprint for reducing risks to disasters worldwide - has been passed today by the Philippine Government to address increasing climatic risks.	23 Oct 2009	Press release
International Day for Disaster Reduction: new initiatives launched in London The global event of the 2009 International Day for Disaster Reduction was staged at the Royal Marsden Hospital, which was severely damaged by a fire in early 2008. The meeting gathered more than 120 participants from all stakeholder groups and was hosted by the UK Health Protection Agency in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). View full story Related links 2009 International Day for Disaster Reduction Programme of global event in London incl. slides of presentations Video recording of the London event Opening Remarks by Sir John Holmes, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (delivered by Helena Molin Valdés, Deputy Director UNISDR)	16 Oct 2009	News briefs
Maldives celebrates International Day for Disaster Reduction School children from the Maldives will be visiting one of their native islands, Dhuvaafaru today for an awareness raising activity within the context of the International Disaster Risk Reduction Day. Dhuvaafaru was among the several islands severely affected by the 2008 tsunami. > View full story	14 Oct 2009	News briefs
2009 International Day for Disaster Reduction - 14 October	12 Oct 2009	News briefs
Typhoon Ondoy - Realities on the ground deserve priority for action As the death toll rises in the Philippines, after Typhoon Ondoy struck the country and left the main capital Manila in havoc, poor drainage systems and garbage disposal problems appear to have aggravated the impacts of the disaster. View full story	29 Sep 2009	News briefs
UN Secretary-General to convene summit on climate change - disaster risk reduction on the agenda	16 Sep 2009	News briefs
UNISDR at World Climate Conference 3 (WCC-3) WCC-3 focuses on how humankind can benefit from the advances in climate prediction and information services to manage climate-related risks as a way of developing resilience through adaptation. Disaster Risk Reduction is a key component of the agenda and UNISDR is directly involved in a variety of events, such as the Opening of the Conference and Plenary Session 4 on Climate Extremes, Warning Systems and Disaster Risk Reduction.	4 Sep 2009	News briefs
World Climate Conference - 3	28 Aug 2009	News briefs
World Humanitarian Day	19 Aug 2009	News briefs
International Conference on ‘Building a Local Government Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction’, 11-13 August, Incheon, Republic of Korea	11 Aug 2009	News briefs
UNISDR side event at ECOSOC 2009 - Briefing on the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction 17 July 2009, Palais des Nations 1.15-2.45 pm Room XXII The side event will brief on the outcomes of the Second Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in June 2009. It will build on the Chair’s Summary of the Global Platform and highlight the lessons, findings and recommendations from global and regional reports and the conclusions from the five high-level panels, each of which is being represented by the Panelists. > More information	17 Jul 2009	News briefs