News

174 Items

Title	Date	Type
Managing risk critical for aid effectiveness UN disaster risk reduction chief Margareta Wahlström speaking at the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan, Republic of Korea, said that managing risk is crucial to safeguard investments in poverty-stricken Africa and Asia, where countries can lose as much as a fifth of their GDP to disasters each year.	30 Nov 2011	News briefs
UNISDR supports Philippines to build national disaster loss database It's one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Over the last twenty years a yearly average of some four million people have been affected by disasters in the Philippines each year and over 33,000 people have lost their lives in 363 major reported events.	28 Nov 2011	News briefs
Risk reduction critical to Timor-Leste development plans Following a three-day visit to Timor-Leste, the top UN disaster risk reduction official, Margareta Wahlström, said environmental degradation and disasters could threaten a visionary development strategy and budget presented by the Government to the Parliament.	24 Nov 2011	News briefs
UN Secretary-General urges ASEAN to take on global role UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has highlighted disaster risk reduction as a major area where the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) can work together to assist vulnerable people.	21 Nov 2011	News briefs
UN Secretary-General honours Indonesian President as first global champion of disaster risk reduction The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, will tomorrow officially recognise the appointment of the Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, as the first UNISDR global champion of disaster risk reduction at the 19th ASEAN summit in Bali as the region copes with the impact of record floods.	18 Nov 2011	Press release
Thirty-Six more local governments in Philippines sign up for Making Cities Resilient Campaign Today 36 more cities in the Philippines signed up to UNISDR’s ‘Making Cities Resilient Campaign: My City is Getting Ready!’ They joined the Campaign during the 3rd League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) Global Convention and Exposition in Manila on the theme of Bridging Cities, Transforming Lives.	18 Nov 2011	News briefs
Thai PM to raise flood crisis at ASEAN Summit The flood crisis affecting over eight million people in Thailand will be discussed at the 19th ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) Summit which opened today in Bali, Indonesia.	17 Nov 2011	News briefs
Past experiences can build resilience against future disasters Disaster risk reduction topped the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser who visited the city of Kobe and its Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution. The centre has experienced an increase of 30% in the number of visitors since the devastating Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011.	17 Nov 2011	News briefs
UNISDR champion receives "Asian Leaders Award" for climate change advocacy UNISDR champion Senator Loren Legarda received the Asian Leader Award for Environment Policy, Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation last week. The award was given by publishing company Seagull Philippines, which held its 1st Seagull Philippines Asian Leaders Awards ceremony for Excellence, Best Values and Social Responsibility, at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City last Friday.	16 Nov 2011	News briefs
APEC pledges private sector engagement in disaster resilience Countries of the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum (APEC) have pledged to increase private sector engagement in their disaster resilience agenda, in a year when floods and earthquakes have wiped out assets worth billions of dollars across the region.	15 Nov 2011	News briefs
Community resilience gaining ground in Asia Seeking new ways to strengthen community resilience, city officials from Thailand and Viet Nam today began a two-day exchange with counterparts in the Philippines to examine the award-winning “Purok system” used by the city of San Francisco, Philippines, to empower ordinary people to find solutions for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.	14 Nov 2011	News briefs
ASEAN Prioritises Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), The World Bank, the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) are convening the “ASEAN Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance Forum” to help ASEAN Member States build greater financial resilience to natural disasters.	8 Nov 2011	Press release
Myanmar gets real on disaster risk reduction Cyclones, earthquakes, floods and drought combined with poverty have spurred the Myanmar government into complete acceptance of the need for a radical overhaul of its approach to disaster management and risk reduction.	4 Nov 2011	News briefs
Japanese students announce a ‘Youth Declaration’ to revitalize Tohuku region Four student representatives from Kobe University, Bukkyo University and Tohuku University announced a ‘Youth Declaration’ during United Nations Day celebrations in Sendai City to highlight the commitment and active participation of youth in building disaster resilient communities.	24 Oct 2011	News briefs
Many children dying and jobs being lost in Asian floods says UNISDR The floods which have affected eight million people across South East Asia, and which now threaten Bangkok, have underlined shortcomings in disaster risk reduction with many children drowning because they cannot swim, and thousands of workers now unemployed because of poorly located manufacturing plants, the Head of the UN’s Bangkok Office for Disaster Reduction, UNISDR, Jerry Velasquez said today.	21 Oct 2011	Press release
Bangkok now facing record floods Earlier today, Thailand’s Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, said it was impossible to protect all of Bangkok from the worst floods in decades, describing the situation as a national crisis.	20 Oct 2011	News briefs
Floods reveal risk reduction gaps in Thailand The annual monsoon season in South East Asia continues to wreak havoc on lives and economies across many parts of the region with Thailand reportedly suffering from the worst floods in 50 years.	17 Oct 2011	News briefs
Saijo City Japan 'Steps Up' with school disaster risk reduction education programme Recognizing the importance of risk reduction, the Japanese city of Saijo expanded their disaster risk reduction (DRR) education program to train children and young people to be future leaders in DRR. The program, which now trains students older than twelve-years old, was launched as part of the International Day for Disaster Reduction celebrations in the city.	17 Oct 2011	News briefs
Strong commitment to disaster risk reduction in Myanmar Myanmar, a country prone to natural hazards, has shown positive progress in the areas of early warning, emergency preparedness and responses in recent years. Now, the Government is stepping up cooperation with global and regional partners to reach its long-term target of becoming a disaster resilient country.	14 Oct 2011	News briefs
UN Secretary-General's Message on the International Day for Disaster Reduction 2011 (Japanese Version) 国際防災の日（10月13日）国連事務総長メッセージの日本語版です。	13 Oct 2011	News briefs
Children and Young People in the Pacific "Step up for Disaster Risk Reduction!" The UNISDR Sub-Regional Office in Suva together with its partners, held a Pacific regional celebration of the International Day for Disaster Reduction to highlight the role of children and youth as active partners in disaster risk reduction.	13 Oct 2011	News briefs
Bangkok Prepares for the Worst Bangkok which has so far been spared the heavy flooding affecting one third of Thailand is currently preparing for the worst case scenario.	12 Oct 2011	News briefs
Young people volunteer to get Japan back on its feet Every morning from 17-24 September, Kobe University student Erick Gonzales picks up his badge, his assignment and tools for the day, and is transported inside the coastal city of Ofunato to help the city clean up and recover from the damage caused by the 11 March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.	11 Oct 2011	News briefs
Major Pakistan Cities Join UNISDR ‘Resilient Cities’ Campaign More than 30 cities across seven provinces in Pakistan signed up to the UNISDR World Disaster Reduction Campaign Making Cities Resilient on Saturday though many of them are still under water or recovering from heavy floods.	10 Oct 2011	News briefs
Action as Water Runs Out in Tuvalu Amidst growing concerns about drought crises in some of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Pacific, the Government of Tuvalu today began a three-week nationwide needs assessment of water, agriculture and health facilities.	10 Oct 2011	News briefs
Pakistan President tells UNISDR he will champion disaster risk reduction UN Disaster Risk Reduction Chief, Margareta Wahlström, met today for the first time with Pakistan’s President, Asif Ali Zadari, to discuss how Pakistan responds to “the new normal” in dealing with floods which have inundated the country for two successive years.	7 Oct 2011	Press release
UNISDR champion calls for 'holistic' approach to flood risk as typhoons batter Philippines UNISDR champion, Senator Loren Legarda of the Philippines, has called for an integrated flood warning and response system as 3.2 million people struggle with the impact of back-to-back typhoons which have triggered widespread floods across the country.	6 Oct 2011	News briefs
UNISDR head calls for 'quantum leap' in approach to recurring floods in Pakistan The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström, arrives on a three-day visit to Pakistan tomorrow (October 6) during which she will meet with President Asif Ali Zadari, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, the National Disaster Management Authority, Meteorological Department officials and aid donors, to discuss future risk reduction measures as the country tries to cope with floods which have displaced an estimated 5.4 million people.	5 Oct 2011	Press release
Heavy Floods Widespread Across Asia UNISDR 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
UNISDR Chief visits devastated centre of Japan Quake Six 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